Tag: social movement analysis
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It’s time for movements to rethink social media
We shoot things off into the ether and hope something will stick — that people will hear our calls to rise up and somehow self-organize. Or that if we point at a problem often enough, everyone will arrive at the same solutions we did. And each time something or someone does break through, it feels…
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Trump’s repression of dissent is backfiring
As I’ve written before, resistance to an authoritarian regime is measured by greater unity, greater nonviolent discipline in the face of violence, greater numbers and greater ability to provoke defections. So how are we doing? Allow me to skip around with a few thoughts.
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The left needs better answers for scared people
These are insecure times. My relatives in Tehran are bracing for bombs to fall again. Fighter planes screamed through the skies here in Athens a few weeks back — it was an airshow, technically, but it didn’t feel like one. War talk is on TV panels every night; algorithms serve images of conflict straight to my…
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Police States Are Terrifying, But They Are Brittle. I Witnessed This in Tunisia.
Before the fall of President Ben Ali, people in Tunisia faced a situation even more difficult than the conditions that have descended on the U.S. today. For this reason, engaging with the history of the uprising that occurred 15 years ago in Tunisia can be a beckoning whisper in U.S. ears conveying how quickly things…
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How civil service workers are fighting Newsom’s return to office order
As many employers have forced workers back into offices since declaring the COVID-19 pandemic over, California’s unionized public servants successfully bucked the trend, at least for now.
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Giving a voice to the Venezuelan people
Admin’s note: This article is from 2019, nearly 7 years ago. The situation has changed in many ways, but much also remains the same, hence the republication. María Corina Machado now heads the US-backed neoliberal opposition, although she is far from the most popular opposition figure in Venezuela, even on the right. The stance of…
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On Contesting Populism
Cultural similarities such as nationality, dress, composure, vocabulary, and music override income, employment, health, education, and physical safety as the basis for coming together. Populist movements are therefore always cross-class endeavors. On the radical left, our small-scale populism has us hemmed in with little to no presence beyond university campuses and subcultural radical scenes (punk,…
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In Fighting Fascism, We Must Choose Our Battles Wisely
Since being sworn in, Trump acted on many of his statements immediately and signed a flurry of executive orders redefining birthright citizenship and gender as well as reversing climate regulations, among other terrible things. These issues alone paint just a portion of the picture of what’s coming to those of us who plan to fight back.
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A new wave of movements against Trumpism is coming
Looking forward, Trump will trigger outrage. But outrage alone is not enough. It needs to be translated into action. Movements must be ready to capitalize on and extend the opportunities that Trump’s policies create. Here, preparation is helpful: By anticipating and planning for trigger events, movements can position themselves to take maximum advantage.
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#FeesMustFall in Nigeria
The current crisis in education demands a bold response: student resistance must evolve beyond local campus struggles. It is time to embrace the anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist spirit that marked the heydays of a vibrant NANS, understanding that the fate of public education is inextricably linked to the broader struggle for social justice.
MASSolidarity.org 