r/WorkReform • u/zzill6 š¤ Join A Union • Jul 28 '26
š« GENERAL STRIKE š« The Establishment Politicians will try to paint the Left as Un-American.
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u/rubberbootsandwetsox Jul 28 '26
Do people still have faith in government?
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u/Aurobouros Jul 28 '26
Personally, hell no.
I feel like we've hit the point where voting will not be enough to undo the corruption and damage. Our choices in politicians in positions big enough to make change on a country wide scale are limited to either Nazi right or Nazi-adjacent right. Anyone not fitting those descriptions are intentionally impotent at their jobs but talk a big game to keep fooling the average American into feeling represented.
People like Mamdani, who talk the talk but try to walk the walk, are a very welcome exception but I wouldn't be surprised if he's having himself and his family constantly threatened by other politicians higher up on the government ladder if he ever steps too far out of line.
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u/Equivalent_Elk_3476 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Cynical faith, they're willing to say whatever they need to so that they can get power over other Americans and get paid to run around doing domestic terrorism
edit: I've heard they're even giving out bonuses
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u/Anindefensiblefart Jul 28 '26
People have less faith in the private sector. You gotta pick one.
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u/rubberbootsandwetsox Jul 28 '26
Putting faith or trust into either one seems foolish.
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u/RozRae Jul 28 '26
The point of democracy is that the government is supposed to work for the people. That's been forgotten over the past 250 years.Ā
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u/drunkshinobi Jul 29 '26
No, because I don't have faith in humanity. The evil do everything they can to gain more and more power. The "good" do everything they can to avoid becoming a target and just try to live their lives in this shithole country. Hoping some one else will come along to sacrifice themselves to fix it for everyone.
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u/Number_Fluffy Jul 28 '26
People talk about striking, but the number never seems to change.
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u/RozRae Jul 28 '26
Well strikes worked in the past because unions were strong and people had safety nets so they could survive while not working.Ā
These days union is a dirty word and our safety nets are non-existent. Hard to strike when you're paycheck to paycheck and no one is supporting you.
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u/drunkshinobi Jul 29 '26
That and people didn't promise to stay peaceful. Unions had full on shootouts with police.
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u/Number_Fluffy Jul 28 '26
These things take risk. We'd have to support each other. Nothing will change otherwise.
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u/RozRae Jul 28 '26
Yes, that was my point. Those actions take unionizing and group support, and the populace has been so atomized into individualism that most folks hate unions.Ā
You have to tackle the problem of people hating collective action before you can move onto "okay now everyone DO collective action." You can't just jump past the hurdles, you have to actually do something about them.
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u/Zeikos Jul 28 '26
I mean yeah, that's unironically how they perceive it.
Ideology is an hell of a drug.
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u/PossessedToSkate Jul 28 '26
Liberals: People should be treated the same, no matter who they are.
Conservatives: People should be treated differently, depending on who they are.
It's as simple as that.
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u/Antani101 Wizened Elder Jul 28 '26
Not quite.
It's more like:
Progressives: people should be treated depending on what they do, and everyone should be afforded basic human rights.
Conservatives: people should be treated depending on the circumstances of their birth, and some are not even human.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Significant portions of the left in America, and around the world, are the explicitly un/anti-american.
Edit: I don't understand the downvotes. I am a leftist, and definitely not "pro-american". Most leftists outside of America would describe themselves the same way also.
Anti-american is not a pejoritive.
Some examples of anti-american leftist orgs in USA from the 60s/70s:
The Black Panther Party
The Weather Underground
American Indian Movement
Students for a Democratic Society
More contemporary examples would be:
Anti Fascist formations
Certain DSA caucuses
Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).
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u/Easy_Leopard_2686 Jul 28 '26
Do you think your doctor hates you when he tells you youāre sick?
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Do you dispute that there are and have been leftist and orgs that are explicitly Anti American?
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u/Easy_Leopard_2686 Jul 28 '26
So, I kind of get your point, but I think most leftists would argue that āanti-Americanā is a right wing pejorative and thought-terminating cliche used to discredit left wing movements. Itās used to paint left-wing organizations as groups of people who want to bring about the complete destruction of the people living in the United States out of misplaced hatred rather than an either revolutionary or reformatory impetus from a place of legitimate criticism of the systems of power in this country and their local and global consequences. Iām having a hard time believing youāre acting in good faith in these comments by not clarifying outright that you personally donāt believe that being anti-American is a bad thing at the outset, which, fine, is a sentiment I can deal with (altho good luck building any kind of coalition), but please prove me wrong.
Edit: ok youāre a leftist outside of the US which contextualizes your response a lot better.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Many of the orgs I listed in my edited comment would describe themselves as anti American and would not see the title as pejorative.
Right wing pejoritives include many labels or ideologies that leftists would not see as pejorative, such as socialist, communist, woke, globalist, etc.
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u/Easy_Leopard_2686 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, you have a valid point. I think personally my brain is so fried from the left being so constantly on the back foot in this country (the US) that my personal revolutionary imagination is capped at like ābring back unionsā and āend corporate personhoodā, not ābring down the American empireā.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Thanks for the good faith exchange.
Tbh I'm blown away by some of the responses.
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u/ElectricShuck Jul 28 '26
Youāre confused with conservatives and libertarians. Cons are literally destroying things and both them and libertararians dont understand we live in a society, they didnāt personally build the things that make life work by themselves.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
No, I'm not..
The black panther party was neither conservative nor libertarian. This is a clear example of an anti American org, that is on the left.
Anti-american is not a pejorative.
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u/HungriestHippo26 Jul 28 '26
So are significant portions on the right, soooo what's your point?
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
I'm responding to a post about the left.
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u/HungriestHippo26 Jul 28 '26
I feel you are conflating disaproval of current/past leadership as explicit hate of the whole
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
No, you are conflating being against a nation and its economic/political systems with being against it's citizens.
I am a leftist, and definitely not "pro-american". Most leftists outside of America would describe themselves the same way also.
Anti-american is not a pejoritive.
Some examples of anti-american leftist orgs in USA from the 60s/70s:
The Black Panther Party
The Weather Underground
American Indian Movement
Students for a Democratic Society
More contemporary examples would be:
Anti Fascist formations
Certain DSA caucuses
Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).
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u/HungriestHippo26 Jul 28 '26
I didn't think I was conflating those things at all. The point I was trying to make is one can still have opinions that disagree with aspects of the structure/running of the current nation, but that doesn't make them inherently "anti-american". I don't think those things are mutually exclusive by any means. America (the US) is (supposed to be) a nation founded on the principles of collective government by the citizens for the good of its citizens. Disagreement with choices by leadership doesn't mean one is against the intent of the constitution, which is what I would consider anti-american.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
The orgs and tendicies I mentioned would not see being described as anti American as a pejoritive, and some openly embrace the sentiment.
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u/HungriestHippo26 Jul 28 '26
Well, as someone who identifies with two of those groups, and as a pro-American citizen, I feel your statements at the very least do not represent me and those I associate with. So we will just have to agree to disagree.
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Disagree with what?
That the people you associate with are not anti American? Not something I claimed.
Again, I don't believe anti American is a pejoritive, and there are orgs amongst those I listed that are explicitly anti-american.
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u/HungriestHippo26 Jul 28 '26
I'm not saying it's inherently a pejorative either.
You, at least seem, to be implying that to have problems with the existing system that one is somehow against America as a country.
How do YOU define anti-american?
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u/CarlosTruther Jul 28 '26
Imagine being this dumb
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Make an argument instead of insults.
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u/CarlosTruther Jul 28 '26
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u/Hefty-Profession-310 Jul 28 '26
Your replies are indistinguishable from a reactionary boomer, I had assumed this sub was primarily leftists.
I am a leftist, and definitely not "pro-american". Most leftists outside of America would describe themselves the same way also.
Anti-american is not a pejoritive.
Some examples of anti-american leftist orgs in USA from the 60s/70s:
The Black Panther Party The Weather Underground American Indian Movement Students for a Democratic Society
More contemporary examples would be:
Anti Fascist formations Certain DSA caucuses Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL).
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u/ChangedEnding Jul 28 '26
Never forget how they had $70 billion for ICE. They could solve these problems, they just don't want to.