I was told that it may lead to easier or faster release, and I imagine I might be targeted to be imprisoned if I push it if I don’t bring an ID, but I feel like that’s bullshit but I don’t think I should leave it to chance

Would you bring an ID to a protest?

(Did I accidentally start a struggle session?)

  • oscardejarjayes [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    17·
    3 days ago

    My point was that you shouldn’t get arrested as a statement, because that’s why most people get arrested. If you protest reasonably (either don’t break the law, or do break it but make a concerted effort to get away), you probably won’t be arrested.

      • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        27·
        3 days ago

        Oh my god literally my point ahhhhhh yes let’s all go join the Reasonable Protests for Change. Millions in the streets over the last few decades, you feel all that CHANGE yet?

        How do you expect those millions in the streets to move further leftwards if you aren’t there talking to them about what would be more effective action for the outcomes they want?

          • Awoo [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
            10·
            2 days ago

            how do you expect them to move leftwards after watching that not happen in real time all this time?

            I have watched people move leftwards in real time though? I remember Occupy Wall Street. I remember the american left being literally non-existent back then. There has been an extreme growth of everything to the left of Obama in the time period since he was president, there was literally nothing before.

            If you think people have not moved leftwards you either haven’t been around that long or you haven’t been watching. The american left may not be large but it has grown massively in the past 20 years.

            I genuinely can’t understand where the idea that people aren’t moving leftwards comes from. They clearly are, it is obvious.

      • oscardejarjayes [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        16·
        3 days ago

        Did you just ignore the words in the parentheses? Getting arrested is not “reasonable protest”, while Palestine Action is “reasonable” action because they weren’t just handing themselves over, they successfully pulled off illegal effective sabotage.

        Also, the Russian Revolution featured quite a lot of effective reasonable protests, before it devolved into a civil war.

              • oscardejarjayes [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
                11·
                3 days ago

                Yeah, doing something useful is better than wasting time.

                But the thing is that even going to a “No Kings” protest can be “doing something useful”, if you show up with an org and a plan (this seems to be the core of our disagreement). Beyond the obvious of recruiting or intimidation, many successful violent revolutions started off as milquetoast protests. If you want protests to be that something useful, communists will have to organize and participate in the protests so we can have hope of shaping them in our own image. Ideological communists generally aren’t anywhere near the majority at the start of revolutions, but there’s many, many normal people that could recognize and act on class differences.

                In my opinion, besides the obvious like health or working hours, the only reason not to show up to a protest is if there’s better org work to do in that moment. That’s why what people are doing instead is such an important question.