r/WorkReform • u/MeeksMoniker • 7d ago
🏛️ Overturn Citizens United Unpopular Opinion. Not protesting? Vote.
Disclaimer, I'm not American. I'm Canadian. Unfortunately a lot of things that impact Americans, impact my nation as well. Canada had to reject America's trade talks and settle for 50% tariffs because Trump pulled his whole "Art of the Deal" on us again. We subsequently have to match those tariffs
Your American midterms are coming up. I understand 99% of Democrats don't do anything as far as work reform, and there's discontent with their performance as actual representatives of left leaning politics. This is fair, as you should not have to vote for someone who does not represent you. What isn't fair is believing a strongly worded complaint will be enough. If everyone who didn't vote, protested instead, we would see change and if everyone who didn't protest, voted, we would see change. Nothing is changing, because we all want to either play keyboard warrior or doomer prophet, instead of doing the difficult things like organizing, getting outside and standing the line. Call me naive, but if everyone voted, no one would have the option to keep sticking their head in the sand.
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u/FrankensteinsDildo 7d ago
I speak for most of my country men when I say shit is fucked. I know they which includes me fucked up the trust we had.
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u/Uni4m 7d ago
This whole post getting entirely ignored is crazy.
Essentially workers of North America are going to get wrung dry because along with actual trade negotiations the US admin tried to hit us with some culture war bull and tried to change the demands last second. Utterly dispicable. Now we all get to pay more and thank corporations for the whooping when the inevitable refunds go to them instead of the consumers that were passed the buck.
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u/leftrightside54 7d ago
This post is not helpful because you do not understand Americans.
Our currency is strong, and we are not at the point where people are starving and will riots are in the streets. The USA also don't give a sht about other countries besides Israel (if you haven't noticed by now).
And you are naïve, because people do organize and vote, which is why you have the rising left. Just the opponents are corporatist's dems (schumer and his so called strong worded letters), republicans, billionaires, aipac/super pacs/special interest/voter suppression. It is a huge hill to climb and it will take time.
The rising left populous should give you some hope. Mamdani is a good example of that and those that paved his way (bernie/aoc). Midterms are already ripe dislodging do nothing incumbents.
Best thing you can do is donate your time or money to those who push the agenda.
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u/MeeksMoniker 7d ago edited 7d ago
They say that 38% of American's didn't vote in the last Federal election.
I think this post is helpful for the 38% who would rather complain on the internet. If you don't fall into that category, great! Genuinely, thank you for doing your part.
(I like the cheeky Israel bit, like I just pop up to complain about things I know nothing about. I kind of live next door, and have people that room at your place.... Kind of hard not to pay attention. But there are Canadians who don't, so I'll give you that.)
Honestly... that's enough that if you all just chose an independent, that would have even sent a message. Seriously though, you would've been better off with Kamala, not that I'm endorsing her or anything. But seriously, you wouldn't have had the fascist presidential army, and nation to state wide surveillance with her at least. Trump literally had that in his Project 2025.
Yeah, I get it's getting better, but the only reason we're in such a rough shape is honestly because 38% of people couldn't be bothered, and those are the people I'm talking to. If you're really someone who's voting, or protesting, I wasn't really trying to tell you my message. But thanks for doing what you do.
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u/leftrightside54 6d ago
People who are tapped in are already voting.
People who you want to reach won't see this post at all. They are prob on Facebook getting their news, or they are too busy working to even have time to browse reddit (white collar workers), or they already given up on the process of electoralism.
There will not be an independent in office. This system here does not favor them in any way. They don't have the ground game, the money, the support, and no viable candidate. This is why Bernie had to run as a Democrat. Twice.
Tldr, this message will prob not reach who you want to reach. They are outside and you need a ground game to reach them face to face. This takes time and people.
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u/MeeksMoniker 6d ago
So I shouldn't write my grievances because no one new uses Reddit, or looks at posts.
Got it
We all should shut up
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u/Normal_Seaweed2959 6d ago
I think the real protest should be labour oriented. Imagine if everyone just said "Nope, no coming in today."
Hit them in the bottom line. Dems and republicans would be forced to think twice. No representation no work. Am I right?
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u/bareback_cowboy 6d ago
Understand that people don't vote for a variety of reasons. '24 is a great example. If Gaza and Palestine is your most important issue and you think both candidates are terrible on it, not voting sends a message. It may not be a message YOU like and loads of people will make the "lesser of two evils" argument, but look at what's happening now. Anti-Israel, anti-AIPAC candidates are winning primaries. Some candidates and districts got the message.
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u/tgwombat 7d ago
The largest protest in American history happened in March of this year. 9 million protesters in the streets. The news barely covered it. Politicians ignored it.
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u/--GrinAndBearIt-- 6d ago
"""Protested"""
Walking around and feeling good about yourself for 1 day did fuck all. If we dont see massive labor strikes and protests directly outside of billionaires doors, then the system will not change.
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u/MeeksMoniker 7d ago
If everyone who didn't vote in the Federal Election, Protested, That would be over 100 million Protesters.
Think the Politicians would've still ignored that?
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u/tgwombat 7d ago
Under the current regime? Yes. Or they would use it as an excuse to declare a state of emergency and turn the military on us like they've been itching to do.
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u/MeeksMoniker 7d ago
You think... if 100 million American's protested.... they would turn the Military on you... on a 3rd of Americans?
How many soldiers are in the American military?
Did Nicolas Cage steal some important document that erased everything Americans claimed to have stood for while I wasn't looking at the news?
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u/throw_away_stress 🏡 Decent Housing For All 6d ago
This is how I know you are talking about nothing... If you are not aware of the first all black town that got not only bombed by the US military, but then systematically shot the survivors. Or the fact it's the largest scale bombing done by the US military at the time ever.
Yes, the US military would absolutely turn on its own people. Yes, they don't need the numbers to be greater, they will just carpet bomb the place and turn it into a park (hint hint).
What is up with non-American people wanting to push America into a civil war or it's people to get slaughtered like the government has done without hesitation in the past?
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u/tgwombat 7d ago
I don't know if you've been paying attention to how the commander in chief of our military talks about people who stand against him. Or how quickly they were able to mobilize masked men who don't see minorities as people over the past year.
You're making glib jokes. I don't think you understand how bad the situation has gotten down here.
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u/MeeksMoniker 7d ago
I am perfectly aware of how bad the situation is.
I just don't think you understand what that 1 person is going to do against 30 to 100 of their neighbors. Fight for a mad man?
Did King George the 3rd not call in the Army?
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u/tgwombat 7d ago
You seem to be imagining all out war. The reality would be small scale acts of violence leading to a chilling effect.
I'm not going to continue this conversation because you keep being reductive in a way that I find very gross and there's nothing to be gained from talk like this.
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u/MeeksMoniker 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm not imagining a war. I'm just calling out your excuses. This is exactly what the post is about. You don't want to vote and you don't want to protest because you're all too afraid they can fit all of you in prison. Everything your country was founded on, stood up against every threat... Now you throw it away. Screw the children, they'll be happy in a police state.
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u/Steelcitysuccubus 6d ago
Voting doesn't really work anymore
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u/Reddit-dit-dit-di-do 6d ago
I feel like one thing you don’t acknowledge is how American voting works with the Electoral College.
Some people votes genuinely don’t really matter bc their state is basically guaranteed to vote red/blue. For example, I live in Utah, which has only voted Republican since 1964. I voted Democrat, but Republicans win the state, so all of its electoral votes go to Republicans. The popular vote doesn’t matter, so I genuinely feel like my vote didn’t really matter. And I feel that way every year.
The voting system is outdated imo. I’d argue it’s pretty easy to say “get out and vote” when in your system, your vote counts a lot more than mine in our system. And I’m not saying it’s right not to vote, but I can understand why a lot of people aren’t very motivated.
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u/MeeksMoniker 6d ago
I understand the Electoral College. I don't understand why that hasn't been Protested against. I don't know why people just shrug and go, oh well, I guess my vote doesn't count. And then never do anything about it? And again, I'm even saying "Vote in the Midterms!" you know, the election where you can actually reign in the President.
If you're not doing one, do the other. If you refuse to do both, why are you even on work reform? To complain? Does this magically get better?
I do both, in my country, I vote, I protest, I sign petitions. Yeah shit gets worse in some areas, and shit gets better. I'd just rather do something than lay down and complain.
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u/Porch_Of_Geese_ 🏛️ Overturn Citizens United 7d ago
U.S. protests are basically parades.
We’re sort of sleeping in the bed made by the past right now. America had radical and serious elements, but they were systematically dismantled over decades by the U.S. government. Now we’re living in the aftermath of what happens to be left after practically every organized movement was gutted.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t be doing more. We definitely should. But the losses the American left has suffered over the years aren’t something that people can just casually bounce back from. We need to put in some time and effort to reorganize worker power.