Paul Cantrell
Heard chanting and marching while doing yardwork, zipped over to check it out, and…
…lo and behold! an emergency protest in favor of immigrants rights, organized by https://www.miracmn.com in response to the SCOTUS threatening birthright citizenship.
Despite the apparent short notice, folks brought their game. Got a couple of photos (with permission). The guillotine actually moves up and down while the rider pedals!
Paul Cantrell
Now I’m on MIRAC’s mailing list, so hopefully I don’t miss the next one.
Also, though…it is just deeply heartening to randomly encounter a protest: not a thing that I already knew about, but a thing that just •showed up• in my neighborhood. It makes me feel like the circle of resistance is much bigger than my own little circle. And it is.
That’s the feeling I want us to create: “Wow, these protests are everywhere.”
Paul Cantrell
Things like this are not just a symbolic expression of discontent.
Fascism depends to a •very• large extent on anticipatory compliance. It needs people to feel like things are going that way, it’s already a done deal, better to just go along with it.
Every time dissent is visible, every way dissent feels ubiquitous, every time somebody feels like they’re not alone in opposition, every time somebody who’s tempted to comply fears there might be hell to pay if they do — that directly, concretely damages the fascists’ power.
Paul Cantrell
(Did you know that in the original stage version of The Sound of Music, the thing that finally breaks Captain von Trapp’s engagement to the baroness isn’t vague, wishy-washy noble unstated feelings scene that’s in the movie; it’s that the baroness tries to convince him to go along with the Nazis because there’s nothing he can do, and he decides he can’t marry a woman with no convictions. They cut the song from the film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Way_to_Stop_It)
tinydoctor
@inthehands Eat the rich. Well cooked.
Paul Cantrell
@tinydoctor
I can’t recommend it: their bodies contain all sorts of toxins.
Robert Link
@inthehands @AnarchoNinaWrites Might this reasoning support the "all smiles, no teeth" gatherings on 6/14/25?
Paul Cantrell
@phaedral
Not sure I follow. Can you clarify the question?
Paul Cantrell
@phaedral
Ah, yes, I understand you now! And I very much agree. Diversity of tactics, shared goal of crushing fascism.
Robert Link
@inthehands Some folks dismiss #nokings and such as insufficiently aggressive, I saw someone use the expression "all smile, no teeth." Maybe "all bark, no bite" is more apt.
I think the analogy fails because anything that tends in the direction of encouraging and emboldening the masses to rise up is better than the apathy of being forever told anything short of armed violence is futile.
It's never futile to encourage, rouse, engage, unite. Win or lose, such actions are worthy and worthwhile.
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