The economic disengagement needs to happen! It can't be for a day or two... it needs to be for months! The Montgomery Bus boycott was over a year long.
This is the best path forward!
We have made a small difference and impacted Target and Tesla. These need to continue! However, we need a massive lengthy boycott against Amazon. Jeff Bezos is political prostitute!
Please organize this! Let's start this Amazon boycott now before the next No Kings protest!
I stopped shopping at Amazon and canceled Amazon Prime when Bezos wouldn't let the Washington Post endorse Harris / Walz. Oh, and I canceled my WaPo subscription. I'd love an organized boycott, but in the absence of one, I have had some success just telling everyone that I'm boycotting them. Some of them get why but are reluctant. I scored some points (I think) when a liberal relative mentioned that no one in Eagan wants the giant distribution center that Amazon is planning on building near their home. My response? Don't buy from them. I beat that drum constantly. It's not too hard to get the point across that all Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, et al care about is how many $$$ they can claim. They cannot have any of mine.
The Paperclip 📎 is such a simple and powerful symbol, traveling through time, to serve as a reminder for the essential need to remain united through times and never give up. Join the millions and wear the symbol of resistance to tyranny.
This breakdown of economic leverage as a function of coordination rather than just symbolic gestures is genuinly important. The thing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasting over a year really illustrates how institutions only shift when maintaining the status quo becomes unsustainable. I've been thinking alot about how to build accountability structures that last beyond the initial reaction cycle, and this framing helps clarify what actualy works.
Important tools of the Montgomery Bus Boycott were image—embarrassing the city of Montgomery—and a lawsuit. Crippling the local bus company was incidental. The changes came from lawsuits, not directly from the boycott. The first lawsuit that was filed on behalf of Rosa Parks got tied up in court, so a second lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 15 year old girl who had also been harassed. The case, Browder vs Gale, claimed that the bus company, as a provider of a public service, was providing “separate but equal” service, but that it wasn’t enough. “Separate but equal” doctrine came from a lawsuit known as Plessy vs Ferguson which was also about seating on public transportation. (The black plaintiff lost that case.) Then the lawsuit Brown vs the Board of Education decision overturned “separate but equal” for public schools and all
government. The Supreme
Court in Browder vs Gale decision extended Brown vs Board of Education to say that private providers of public services must also provide equal services, just like government providers (schools.) The boycott ended on the day the ruling went into effect. The boycott had served to push public opinion, not just to punish a single bus company. Public opinion was important to persuading the Supreme Court, but their decision would not have been possible without Brown vs The Board of Education providing a stepping stone for change.
What we all need in all 50 states is yes secured borders! but also we all need to improve and expand immigration reform nationwide, We all need to ban outlaw trump's big beautiful ugly murder bill. We all need to ban outlaw all of trump's illegal tariffs;) we all need to ban outlaw all of project 2025,) we all need to ban outlaw DOGE, we all need free universal health care nationwide!! We all need to ban outlaw all of these age verification bad laws, We all need to raise the minimum wage to at least $35.95 an hour nationwide, improving and expanding benefits!! we all need to make our country even more affordable cleaner safer and brand new nationwide. We all need to make America trump-less again."
Since the beginning of the year I have boycotted Amazon and Target - cancelled all credit cards and accounts associated with them. I also deleted my Facebook account I had had since the beginning. I also cancelled Instagram. I canceled Disney Plus. At first it was frightening to close the social platforms I had had for years and to alter my spending patterns that have been pretty ingrained.
But this is absolutely true: I don’t miss any of it. I feel proud of the fact that I’m able to stand up in the way that I can. And that I’m working to align my life more completely with my values. I love the hunt of finding items directly from the source, going to local businesses or making it myself. A side benefit: I am saving tons of money.
I know it’s hard but we can’t fund the people that are destroying us. It’s that simple.
And those of use who are older can remember there was a time we survived without any of this.
Absolutely! We dug out a dvd player the other night. We played a dvd that we own. It cannot be cycled out of a playlist, and we can lend it to friends or sell it if we want to. My public library still has cds and dvds that I can borrow for free!
For the young, you will need a library card that looks a lot like a school id. It can be used to borrow electronic items online or physical items like books, cds, dvds, and games. All are completely free. Cd and dvd players are cheap used, but you can still buy new ones at all different price points. When you go this route you have complete freedom over what you listen to or watch next, and with the help of a librarian you can find almost anything in the world and have it delivered. Not everything is on a streaming service and library borrows are always free. There is no trial period and the only hidden charge is an overdue fine if you forget to return something.
“The Progressive movement was a political and social-reform movement that brought major changes to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, known as the Progressive Era, the movement’s goals involved strengthening the national government and addressing people’s economic, social, and political demands. Progressives saw elements of American society that they wished to reform, especially ending the extreme concentration of wealth among the elite and the enormous economic and political power of big business.”
From The Peaceful Solution:
The political right wing has been working to undo these reforms for over 100 years and now they’ve succeeded. It could take many years to restore our democracy, unless the citizens awaken quickly and take the peaceful actions of non cooperation, and economic disengagement.
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
I see more preparations, more steps undertaken, always small actions, but sure actions. I said momentarily good-bye to Amazon, my main provider of books and DVDs and CDs, I have bought enough, only to return if there is a full turnaround towards democracy. No Home depot here in Uruguay, and Starbucks is, for starters, too dear. Even if I had the money, they are accomplices. Just my very small contribution from Uruguay.
I’m ready to go full-on “No Bezos” after gutting the WaPo and “Melania: The Bribe.” Already ditched Amazon Prime months ago. Could Whole Foods be next?
The focus on boycotting Amazon and Target miss the larger problem: the centralization of retail purchasing and food distribution in ways that significantly disadvantage some communities over others.
Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Target are gatekeepers to the national market that small retailers and manufacturers must access to survive. They pay a portion of their sales to access them. Millions of people work in Amazon warehouses or are forced to work as gig worker delivery drivers because there aren’t any better jobs. The warehouses do not pay local taxes. Data centers do not pay local taxes. Both increase local taxes and local utility rates which everyone else pays. It is a circular problem.
None of this is new. This was the economy of the Gilded Age, the age of the Robber Barrons. The Robber Barrons were the Musks, Ellisons, Zuckerbergs, Bezos, and Pages of their era. It was so bad for the country that Congress put a stop to it with the Sherman Act of 1890.
The problem is that Congress stopped enforcing the Sherman Act in 2010, the same year that the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case. This is not a coincidence. Citizens United redefined “protected speech” as money. No longer is money a bribe or a payoff, it is “protected speech.” Citizens United gave the monopolists the ability to stop government oversight through unlimited corporate donations. Citizens United made it possible for Trump to claim that individual billionaires were paying for the “ballroom.” This is related to the more recent Supreme Court decision gave the President what he believes is absolute immunity for himself and anyone else he chooses. (Absolute immunity is the right of kings, not elected citizens regardless of role.)
What used to be “protected speech” coming from an individual can now be defined as terrorism or sedition. Citizen’s United made “protected speech” meaningless except as money. That precedent is now extended to all other basic rights including habeas corpus, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.
Unchecked power, whether economic or political, has the same end result. It can be direct or indirect. Cries for “End Citizens United” seem irrelevant when people are dying. So how does boycotting Amazon relate to people dying because ICE does not like what they are saying? Why does the unchecked power granted by Citizens United to Amazon and Bezos matter?
The unchecked power granted by Citizens United is the source of unchecked government power. Monopoly corporate power funds unchecked government power. For protest and activism to be meaningful these need to be connected. For it to work. You cannot stop one without stopping the other. Strategy means finding the strings that hold them together and pulling them.
I have always been too poor to belong to any of these like amazon, Disney etc. And I don't miss any of it. To me that's luxury. I am a very frugal person and to me , that's a blessing.
Keep up the pressure America because it's working! He's going into the first stage of "scorched earth" because he knows where this is headed. He's involved up to his neck and he's crazy enough to do anything to save himself. Even if it means sacrificing American citizens.
I left a comment on Thursday asserting that boycotts of targeted corporations are our most effective tool for turning our country around, and I truly believe that . However, I was very moved by the pleas of other commenters that we should not boycott grocery retailers who provide food in “food deserts”, even if they are major corporations. I hear the desperation, I see the necessity to avoid deepening the pain, and I believe they are right. This should be a strong consideration in determining who to boycott.
Also, I called for boycotting the twenty worst offenders, but, talking to friends, I’ve come to believe that it might make for more compliance if five or less were targeted.
Thanks to all who are working on the boycott issue.
The economic disengagement needs to happen! It can't be for a day or two... it needs to be for months! The Montgomery Bus boycott was over a year long.
This is the best path forward!
We have made a small difference and impacted Target and Tesla. These need to continue! However, we need a massive lengthy boycott against Amazon. Jeff Bezos is political prostitute!
Please organize this! Let's start this Amazon boycott now before the next No Kings protest!
I stopped shopping at Amazon and canceled Amazon Prime when Bezos wouldn't let the Washington Post endorse Harris / Walz. Oh, and I canceled my WaPo subscription. I'd love an organized boycott, but in the absence of one, I have had some success just telling everyone that I'm boycotting them. Some of them get why but are reluctant. I scored some points (I think) when a liberal relative mentioned that no one in Eagan wants the giant distribution center that Amazon is planning on building near their home. My response? Don't buy from them. I beat that drum constantly. It's not too hard to get the point across that all Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, et al care about is how many $$$ they can claim. They cannot have any of mine.
I wish I could join the boycott of Amazon, but, in fact, I have always boycotted Amazon.
Political prostitute! Well put💯
Your poll needed an 'All Of The Above Option' for what economic actions are you willing to take...
The Paperclip 📎 is such a simple and powerful symbol, traveling through time, to serve as a reminder for the essential need to remain united through times and never give up. Join the millions and wear the symbol of resistance to tyranny.
This breakdown of economic leverage as a function of coordination rather than just symbolic gestures is genuinly important. The thing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasting over a year really illustrates how institutions only shift when maintaining the status quo becomes unsustainable. I've been thinking alot about how to build accountability structures that last beyond the initial reaction cycle, and this framing helps clarify what actualy works.
Important tools of the Montgomery Bus Boycott were image—embarrassing the city of Montgomery—and a lawsuit. Crippling the local bus company was incidental. The changes came from lawsuits, not directly from the boycott. The first lawsuit that was filed on behalf of Rosa Parks got tied up in court, so a second lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 15 year old girl who had also been harassed. The case, Browder vs Gale, claimed that the bus company, as a provider of a public service, was providing “separate but equal” service, but that it wasn’t enough. “Separate but equal” doctrine came from a lawsuit known as Plessy vs Ferguson which was also about seating on public transportation. (The black plaintiff lost that case.) Then the lawsuit Brown vs the Board of Education decision overturned “separate but equal” for public schools and all
government. The Supreme
Court in Browder vs Gale decision extended Brown vs Board of Education to say that private providers of public services must also provide equal services, just like government providers (schools.) The boycott ended on the day the ruling went into effect. The boycott had served to push public opinion, not just to punish a single bus company. Public opinion was important to persuading the Supreme Court, but their decision would not have been possible without Brown vs The Board of Education providing a stepping stone for change.
What we all need in all 50 states is yes secured borders! but also we all need to improve and expand immigration reform nationwide, We all need to ban outlaw trump's big beautiful ugly murder bill. We all need to ban outlaw all of trump's illegal tariffs;) we all need to ban outlaw all of project 2025,) we all need to ban outlaw DOGE, we all need free universal health care nationwide!! We all need to ban outlaw all of these age verification bad laws, We all need to raise the minimum wage to at least $35.95 an hour nationwide, improving and expanding benefits!! we all need to make our country even more affordable cleaner safer and brand new nationwide. We all need to make America trump-less again."
Since the beginning of the year I have boycotted Amazon and Target - cancelled all credit cards and accounts associated with them. I also deleted my Facebook account I had had since the beginning. I also cancelled Instagram. I canceled Disney Plus. At first it was frightening to close the social platforms I had had for years and to alter my spending patterns that have been pretty ingrained.
But this is absolutely true: I don’t miss any of it. I feel proud of the fact that I’m able to stand up in the way that I can. And that I’m working to align my life more completely with my values. I love the hunt of finding items directly from the source, going to local businesses or making it myself. A side benefit: I am saving tons of money.
I know it’s hard but we can’t fund the people that are destroying us. It’s that simple.
And those of use who are older can remember there was a time we survived without any of this.
Absolutely! We dug out a dvd player the other night. We played a dvd that we own. It cannot be cycled out of a playlist, and we can lend it to friends or sell it if we want to. My public library still has cds and dvds that I can borrow for free!
For the young, you will need a library card that looks a lot like a school id. It can be used to borrow electronic items online or physical items like books, cds, dvds, and games. All are completely free. Cd and dvd players are cheap used, but you can still buy new ones at all different price points. When you go this route you have complete freedom over what you listen to or watch next, and with the help of a librarian you can find almost anything in the world and have it delivered. Not everything is on a streaming service and library borrows are always free. There is no trial period and the only hidden charge is an overdue fine if you forget to return something.
From Encyclopedia Britannica
“The Progressive movement was a political and social-reform movement that brought major changes to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, known as the Progressive Era, the movement’s goals involved strengthening the national government and addressing people’s economic, social, and political demands. Progressives saw elements of American society that they wished to reform, especially ending the extreme concentration of wealth among the elite and the enormous economic and political power of big business.”
From The Peaceful Solution:
The political right wing has been working to undo these reforms for over 100 years and now they’ve succeeded. It could take many years to restore our democracy, unless the citizens awaken quickly and take the peaceful actions of non cooperation, and economic disengagement.
How much do you want to stop His Royal Heinous and the fascist takeover of the country?
Enough that you’re willing to make a small sacrifice? Like altering your spending habits for a month or two or three? That could be all it would take to get the attention of the oligarchs (formerly known as The Robber Barons in the first Gilded Age, also The Fat Cats, The Greedy Bastards).
A brief demonstration of We, the People’s, power of the purse could persuade them to quit supporting HRH and the politicians who enable him.
We quit spending, except on essentials, businesses lose money, stock market goes down, Greedy Bastards pay attention to our demands.
I see more preparations, more steps undertaken, always small actions, but sure actions. I said momentarily good-bye to Amazon, my main provider of books and DVDs and CDs, I have bought enough, only to return if there is a full turnaround towards democracy. No Home depot here in Uruguay, and Starbucks is, for starters, too dear. Even if I had the money, they are accomplices. Just my very small contribution from Uruguay.
I’m ready to go full-on “No Bezos” after gutting the WaPo and “Melania: The Bribe.” Already ditched Amazon Prime months ago. Could Whole Foods be next?
You need a multiple answer option!!! I had to make a choice between the different things I am willing to do for 6 months. This is so important!
The focus on boycotting Amazon and Target miss the larger problem: the centralization of retail purchasing and food distribution in ways that significantly disadvantage some communities over others.
Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Target are gatekeepers to the national market that small retailers and manufacturers must access to survive. They pay a portion of their sales to access them. Millions of people work in Amazon warehouses or are forced to work as gig worker delivery drivers because there aren’t any better jobs. The warehouses do not pay local taxes. Data centers do not pay local taxes. Both increase local taxes and local utility rates which everyone else pays. It is a circular problem.
None of this is new. This was the economy of the Gilded Age, the age of the Robber Barrons. The Robber Barrons were the Musks, Ellisons, Zuckerbergs, Bezos, and Pages of their era. It was so bad for the country that Congress put a stop to it with the Sherman Act of 1890.
The problem is that Congress stopped enforcing the Sherman Act in 2010, the same year that the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case. This is not a coincidence. Citizens United redefined “protected speech” as money. No longer is money a bribe or a payoff, it is “protected speech.” Citizens United gave the monopolists the ability to stop government oversight through unlimited corporate donations. Citizens United made it possible for Trump to claim that individual billionaires were paying for the “ballroom.” This is related to the more recent Supreme Court decision gave the President what he believes is absolute immunity for himself and anyone else he chooses. (Absolute immunity is the right of kings, not elected citizens regardless of role.)
What used to be “protected speech” coming from an individual can now be defined as terrorism or sedition. Citizen’s United made “protected speech” meaningless except as money. That precedent is now extended to all other basic rights including habeas corpus, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.
Unchecked power, whether economic or political, has the same end result. It can be direct or indirect. Cries for “End Citizens United” seem irrelevant when people are dying. So how does boycotting Amazon relate to people dying because ICE does not like what they are saying? Why does the unchecked power granted by Citizens United to Amazon and Bezos matter?
The unchecked power granted by Citizens United is the source of unchecked government power. Monopoly corporate power funds unchecked government power. For protest and activism to be meaningful these need to be connected. For it to work. You cannot stop one without stopping the other. Strategy means finding the strings that hold them together and pulling them.
I have always been too poor to belong to any of these like amazon, Disney etc. And I don't miss any of it. To me that's luxury. I am a very frugal person and to me , that's a blessing.
Every day I make that choice.
It shows we need to stay focused and keep the pressure on to make people do the right thing
Keep up the pressure America because it's working! He's going into the first stage of "scorched earth" because he knows where this is headed. He's involved up to his neck and he's crazy enough to do anything to save himself. Even if it means sacrificing American citizens.
I left a comment on Thursday asserting that boycotts of targeted corporations are our most effective tool for turning our country around, and I truly believe that . However, I was very moved by the pleas of other commenters that we should not boycott grocery retailers who provide food in “food deserts”, even if they are major corporations. I hear the desperation, I see the necessity to avoid deepening the pain, and I believe they are right. This should be a strong consideration in determining who to boycott.
Also, I called for boycotting the twenty worst offenders, but, talking to friends, I’ve come to believe that it might make for more compliance if five or less were targeted.
Thanks to all who are working on the boycott issue.