“sneaky beaky like”

Yes, if it’s strong enough to instantly kill a mosquito with a pulse it is likely that looking at the spot can blind you.

Twenty aught nine

I answered a lot more in depth in the comment I’m linking below. I will say i was very frustrated and emotional when writing this post, and having had time to cool off, think about it, and discuss it with some other people my stance has softened (which you might’ve seen in my responses, the one linked included). But I don’t disagree with what I said, just changed my focus onto what needs to happen first.

https://lemmy.world/comment/13305217

1. I understand that. I’m not advocating for an immediate revolution but organizing and building mutual aid networks to protect those that are gonna be hit hardest. I also personally don’t care about the economy; i think caring about the economy more than people is how we got here.

2. I understand. It’s really fucked up but that’s why we need to organize first. Whether or not a revolution happens, it’s never bad to organize.

3. The majority also elected a fascist; see point 2.

So, the answer to your question is that you won’t find much support IRL because most people don’t actually think they are supporting fascism.

Half the country doesn’t think hes a fascist, but the other half does. Especially around the area that I am, I’m not worried about garnering support.

Time will tell if Trump is an actual fascist or just a blowhard.

Those who lie in bed with fascists are fascists imo.

Yeah that’s fair, i know i glow like a rod of uranium

You’re right, but resistance is more than just revolution and even if everyone else is ok with living in 1984, I’m not. I know plenty of people who aren’t and I have a feeling the majority of the people where I live aren’t either (especially based on the voting data). Resistance to tyranny and injustice itself is just, and it can take many forms. Ideally yes there would be a revolution to remove the fascists from power and build something better, but that’s mostly lip service. I won’t lie, i was very frustrated when I wrote the post but in cooling down I am remembering that the resistance will have to start small and will have to grow. You’re welcome to see some of my other comments for what I’m talking about that isn’t revolution.

Whether he supports it or not, Trump is ushering in Project 2025. The Republican party has control over the presidency, the senate, and the house. Additionally the Supreme Court has been compromised. Disagree if you want but Project 2025 is a christo-fascist plan to overtake the entire government. The implementation of Project 2025 is a literal life or death situation for a lot of the country. It will cause many women, people of color, queer people, and gender non-conforming people to die. This will also kill many services and programs that the working class people rely upon. This will only benefit the powerful and uber-wealthy. For everyone else it will be a horribly dystopic future. Anyone who thinks that they will benefit from this is misunderstanding how much will actually change. Otherwise they would have to lack empathy for their fellow humans.

I think organizing needs to start immediately. There’s no downside to organizing, even if we’re massively overestimating the amount of fascism we’ll see

No problemo, i welcome the feedback and criticism. Thank you for engaging in a good discussion

but are you suggesting the election was rigged or fraudulent?

no.

Because if not you’re the one trying to impose an authoritative regime.

also no, I’m advocating for community organizing against a very obviously fascist regime. im advocating for mutual aid and self reliance. y’know, the things people who are typically targeted by fascists need.

So what you’re talking about is for a minority to raise arms against the democratically elected government.

again, not what I’m saying.

Even if you were to win the revolution you would need to put a tyrant in power because calling a new election would result in the same outcome.

not necessarily?

That’s one of the dangers of democracy, but starting a revolution to remove a democratically elected president in the name of democracy is just as dumb.

nowhere did i say i was fighting in the name of democracy. I do think democracy is generally good, although i do not view the US as a democratic country. but that’s not what im advocating for at all in this. I’m advocating for genuine survival under an oppressive regime and solidarity amongst the people against tyranny. if shit gets real bad, do i think it’s just to fight against it and resist? absolutely. but as I’ve said in other comments, the American people aren’t close to that yet. we need to organize first.

What is the goal you’re trying to achieve? A more democratic government?

That’d be great but I think at this point achieving something other than fascism would be nice.

I do, and logically it makes sense. I’m not historically inept, I largely saw it coming. But the very human part of me wanted to believe it couldn’t happen. And that same human part of me is trying to grapple with the fact that it did.

“Get organized/involved” - What’s that mean in more practical terms? Start attending social gatherings put on/hosted by radical leftist organizations? And maybe start ones if they don’t exist in your area?

“Start organizing” - Same as that first bullet?

“Get involved in mutual aid” - Yeah, ok. I’ve read Eisenstein. I know his book Sacred Economics has some tips for how to get involved with existing mutual aid organizations. I definitely need to re-read that bit and read other sources about that. But at least I have an idea where to start with some of that, I guess. I’d still like more specifics on what in particular you mean by this, though.

Get involved with local organizations, preferably radically left (because otherwise your options are more centrist or conservative, which imo is how we ended up here), that will help you set up mutual aid networks for basic resources and protection. Organize your communities so people have a support structure that isn’t dependent on our broken and corrupt system so that they feel comfortable protesting and resisting tyranny. Build it up so that within the networks you have access to secure communications, free access to information, basic necessities and resources (i.e. food, water, healthcare, medicine, etc.), and planning for resistance and direct action.

“Get armed” - So, acquire firearms. To use in some particular way? (You mentioned you’re not advocating for “acts of violence or an insurrection like January 6th”, so not that, apparently.) Or just to have for when “something” happens? If so, what specifically?

“Don’t wait until troops are rolling down the street to stage a resistance” - 'K. Not really helpful until I understand more specifically what you’re advocating for people to do.

“Get involved with resistance” - So, let’s say you’re a respected voice in a mutual aid radical anarchist collective with guns and enthusiasm. What do you suggest they do?

“Stand, fight, and maybe even die” - How? Not January 6th, but… how then?

“Don’t do nothing”/“Don’t lay down and accept our fate” - Not really helpful on its own if we don’t know what you’re suggesting we do instead of “doing nothing” or “laying down and accepting our fate.”

Get armed, trained, and be prepared to fight so that you can protect those mutual aid networks when the fascists come to dismantle them. Be prepared to fight and lay down your life for those in your community who are bigger targets (i.e. women, people of color, queer and gender non-conforming people, immigrants, etc.) just as you would want them to do for you. As much as possible, become a unified force against the tyranny.

I’m not advocating for random acts of violence or Jan 6th like action because yes that would get me banned, but that also will not be an effective form of resistance. Effective resistance will need to be directed, organized, and focused with specific goals. At some point that may look like fighting a revolutionary war or a coup, but the American people need to crawl before they start walking, let alone run. We need to build strong communities, whether virtual or physical, where we can support each other and try to minimize the harm being done.

I’m not saying to start building pipe bombs, but waiting for the fascist to fascism before organizing sounds like a terrible strategy.

Often. I make it a point to engage with viewpoints different than mine because my perspective is paper thin, and only by understanding others can I hope to expand it.

That being said, I am having a tremendously difficult time understanding how we can willingly just invite fascism (I understand how it happened, I just can’t understand how people actually let this happen).

I understand that wholeheartedly. But I personally refuse to be one of those people that sit back while everything deteriorates. When Hitler was elected a majority did nothing, but many chose resistance. I refuse to be the majority who live as cowards under fascism, so if that means I die resisting then so be it.

I’m not sure that we do. Not in our lifetimes anyway.

I don’t understand this sentiment as I’m hearing it a lot.

We’ve elected a fascist into the highest office. We’re cooked. There’s a lot we can do right now, but the most important thing is organizing. Organizing your community, your family, your town/village/city. Organizing mutual aid, direct action, and resistance. How much more do we need until people actually get off their asses and start doing something about it? Like the time for peaceful and democratic means of avoiding fascism was before the election. But a fascist is now in power, so are we going to wait until the troops are rolling down the street to do anything? I’m not saying go out and just commit wanton acts of violence in the name of revolution, but the longer we wait the more difficult it will become to get organized, involved, and yes armed.

Don’t resist it, it’s fun

Also the Eagles are beings of demi-god like power that are second only to Gandalf’s kind, if even them. The reason Gandalf cannot carry the One True Ring is that its effects are proportional to the carrier’s power. Gandalf, being basically a step below the gods, absolutely should never be near the thing because he could probably destroy the world with it. The Eagles, being of very similar power to Gandalf, also should stay the fuck away from the Ring because they obliterate the world. The reason a Hobbit has to carry it is because Hobbits are the magical power equivalent of a 17 year old battery you found at the back of your grandma’s junk drawer.