'WE'RE SHUTTING IT DOWN': COORDINATED ECONOMIC BLACKOUT SET FOR NOV. 25 - DEC. 2

[Jack Valentino]

Blackout The System launches its Second Wave economic blackout, urging participants to avoid work and shopping from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/economic-blackout-nov-25-dec-2-blackout-the-system/


Blackout The System has called for a nationwide boycott, urging participants to refrain from working or spending money from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2 as a protest against a damaged government and economic system.

In recent days, Blackout The System—a movement advocating unity across race, culture, and class—has been actively promoting the upcoming Second Wave economic blackout. Scheduled around the Thanksgiving holiday and extending through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the initiative aims to become the most significant economic blackout protest in U.S. history, demonstrating that real power belongs to the people—not corrupt governments, billionaires, or broken systems.

“Day one, no work. No shopping. We vanish from their system,” an Instagram video says. “We are the economy. Without us, nothing moves. We pulled our money. They can’t buy our silence.” “Day one, no work. No shopping. We vanish from their system,” an Instagram video says. “We are the economy. Without us, nothing moves. We pulled our money. They can’t buy our silence.”

“We are shutting down the U.S. economy – strategically and peacefully – by removing our labor, our spending, our financial support, forcing the system to listen,” a statement on the movement’s website says. “This movement launched to reclaim power, restore justice, and unite people across all races, cultures, and classes.”

Read more:
“We are shutting down the U.S. economy – strategically and peacefully – by removing our labor, our spending, our financial support, forcing the system to listen,” a statement on the movement’s website says. “This movement launched to reclaim power, restore justice, and unite people across all races, cultures, and classes.”



I will do my best to support this--- eliminating all non-essential spending during this period!

(By then I will also be out of SNAP funds if the shutdown eliminates November funds from coming---
I read that Walmart will be especially hurt by that fact!)


If you have Christmas shopping that you MUST do, seems you could easily do it
BEFORE or AFTER that specific week....


Protesting in the streets is GREAT--- but cutting off money to the oligarchs is even better--
and possibly speaks with an even LOUDER voice!

(all the fuckers seem to care about is MONEY after all. Gas up your car before November 25th!)

[live love laugh]

1. Stupid as fuck. You don't tell the enemy when you're gonna begin and end your attack.

[ForgedCrank]

6. All that

in addition to trying to purposefully damage the supply chain and cause disruptions for working people.
This isn't the way.

[Jack Valentino]

8. so what do you propose as an alternative ?

Working people are ALREADY 'hurting'---

better that they make the oligarchs hurt also, IMHO.....

[ForgedCrank]

11. I propose

not making things worse by purposefully sabotaging sections of the economy.
Imagine being highly successful and causing a large upset that will be all over the media. Guess who gets blamed for that? And in the end, it'll change nothing other than make US look like the bad guys.
This is the suck part of losing an election. Nobody asked us to like it, but this is the system. We sit here, promote our policy, and work to win the next elections so this can get fixed. Everything else is nothing but lashing out in anger and it tarnishes our name and our chances of taking the upcoming mid-terms.

[Jack Valentino]

17. 'Lashing out' in 'righteous outrage' is the 'American way'!....... AND the far-right

has been un-rightly profiting from it in the past few years....

We have a LOT more justification for doing so now than they have,
and I don't forsee any patriotic American voters blaming us
for doing so now!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. If the economy is as great as His Orangeness proclaims, this won't hurt. If it does hurt it shows how corrupt he is. .nt

[Cirsium]

58. Like a strike?

Are strikes by organized Labor examples of "making things worse by purposefully sabotaging sections of the economy?"

"We sit here, promote our policy, and work to win the next elections so this can get fixed."

Like the abolitionists? Like those in the women's suffrage movement?

[ancianita]

51. Think oligarchs will be hurt over 8 days? I mean...

If there were a national strike without end, then they might get the point. But even then... Americans and their families have to survive, so it's doubtful this is the way. It's almost like a temporary hunger strike.

Not criticizing. This idea has heart. I really do love the spirit of solidarity about this. Just pointing out some practical realities.

[Cirsium]

56. Fortunately...

Fortunately, the participants in the sit down strike in Flint, to cite but one example, rejected that logic.

[Torchlight]

69. Much as strikes do

[ForgedCrank]

71. Just because

there isn't anything we can really do to change things doesn't mean we need to start making stuff up.
But, just as I've tried to raise the alarms in the past, things that all eventually came back to haunt us, I'll do the same at this time.
We are already getting tagged with all of the unrest and violence. The media portrays us all as Antifa, burning cities and shooting at Trump. Doesn't matter that it's not true, that is what the media and propaganda creators do with it, and a very significant portion of voters believe it. Yea, they are dumb, but we aren't fixing that anytime soon either, so we have to work with it no matter how much we don't like it.
And frankly, unions haven't weathered very well over the past few decades because of the very things I've mentioned. Sure, they are still large, but nothing compared to their previous levels of influence. Most people reject these tactics, and "most people" are who we need to vote for us, even the ones we disagree with politically. If they vote Democratic, I don't give a damn if they are, for example, anti-immigrant. That's a fight for later. We need these voters to start seeing us as the reasonable adults in the room, and we can't achieve that by purposefully trying to sew chaos in an already fragile market. This could cost people their jobs, and I will bet you the bank that those people will turn on us, not Republicans. Logic needs to prevail over emotion, otherwise we are doomed.

[Torchlight]

72. Sounds serious

Good luck

[ForgedCrank]

80. It's Ok,

the poorly veiled insults don't bother me because I know what I'm dealing with. I often see this when logic fails to sink in and the emotions are running things. We've been doing the outrage thing for 10 years now. How's that worked out for us? Maybe some day we should ask ourselves if there is a more reasonable approach that might have more success. Meanwhile, look around you. What do you see? I know what you won't see, and that it the successful implementation of Democratic policy from a Democratic House, Senate, and Presidency because we lost all of those things.
So yea, Good luck.

[live love laugh]

77. I don't agree with you. My opinion is not about disrupting the supply chain or working people

who are already suffering. I disagree with the telling the enemy exactly when all buying will resume so they experience minimal “discomfort”.

[hunter]

85. Give any money you might have spent to your local food bank and don't worry about it.

Trump has already damaged the supply chains you worry about.

Let's feed the people who are hungry, not the monsters who made them so.

[ForgedCrank]

86. Unlike most

of my critics, I already do. I'm the one who delivers the food for our Church outreach most of the time.

[Jack Valentino]

7. HOW ELSE do you get anyone to participate ????

I think you should rethink your response here....

[live love laugh]

16. Effective boycotts end when the problem ends. If the problem isn't going to end

December 2nd then there shouldn't be an end date.

[Jack Valentino]

19. Well, valid point, but people eventually have to buy food and gasoline...

Such a week of withdrawl from spending on Trump's economy,
with any large participation, would certainly be noticed....

[live love laugh]

35. Noticed and then what ....

[Jack Valentino]

37. Store up for the next rebellion....

[Bernardo de La Paz]

23. 1) They know, 2) Needs publicity to work 3) You want them to know.

1) They know. People talk. No way to keep a plan the size of millions secret. Don't even bother. They know.

2) It needs publicity, not secret messages left in branches of a tree. Otherwise it is just a tiny tiny tight circle -- no effect, not noticed. "They" will know as a necessary side effect.

3) You want them to know. If the effect is 10.00 % less traffic, they'd scratch their heads and be none the wiser -- unless they know. They will know.

How would you propose a giant secret boycott that stays secret for a couple of weeks and is sprung as a surprise?

Be practical and logical.

[live love laugh]

34. They won't be scratching their heads when they can just wait till Dec. 3rd.

[Chakaconcarne]

74. It might be better to just say "buy local, small business" instead.

But the organizing component of this boycott is a worthy exercise and a way to keep people engaged, for sure.....so, maybe not "stupid as fuck".

[live love laugh]

76. I get worked up because it's great but not enough and I feel

some involved in strategizing this know that. But it makes people feel good. We don’t need to feel good the oppressors need to feel bad in the one place they can feel at all: their bank accounts.

[lame54]

2. Thanksgiving? No way

[Jack Valentino]

5. No way what ?

Thinking you have very much to 'give thanks' for THIS year ???


Still being alive and not in jail or being deported,
I suppose would be something

[lame54]

10. Getting people involved

[electric_blue68]

60. I Still have A Lot to Be Thankful for! Plus Plenty to be Furious about!

[SSJVegeta]

3. Cancel netflix, Amazon , etc

You dont have to drop everything. Even if you just cut back a little, it could have a major impact.

[Jack Valentino]

4. For those who can't step away from work for the whole week, Blackout The System has outlined several "working strike"

options:

Participants can choose to work to rule, performing only the essential duties of their jobs; go slow, easing their pace and avoiding extra effort; or shirk by showing up but refraining from active participation. In all cases, participants are encouraged to avoid shopping or spending money throughout the boycott period.

“See, there’s something that we all can do when we black out the system,” the video announcement says. “If we got to be at work, we’ll work to rule, go slow, or shirk. But we’re definitely not spending money with any of you all. Putting our dollars back in our pockets.”


Interesting, but *probably* a coincidence---
while I was trying to post this reply to my own OP, my computer virtually froze up---
which has NEVER before happened since my reload of my sad Windows 7 restart
of this 15-year old computer....

[Jack Valentino]

9. "NO KINGS" but make it HURT!!!!!!

The Oligarchs don't give a shit about us parading in the streets in amusing costumes,
but they WILL TAKE NOTICE if we stop sending them our MONEY!!!!!

And when that happens, they will complain to the "NAZI-IN-CHIEF" !!!!!!

[Captain Zero]

12. Cut social media participation

That week too.

Don't message or email anymore than you have to.

Maybe we should have Moratorium teach-ins like what happened during the Vietnam war

?? Teach-ins on Fascism. How to recognize it.

[Jack Valentino]

14. This discussion board IS a form of 'social media', but a very old one..................

I think the value of publicizing this economic boycott on any social media,
would FAR OUTWEIGH the value of any social media 'clicks',
which on average are only worth a fraction of one cent---

while if someone else with-holds their spending for gas or food or Christmas gifts,
it is MANY dollars for each of those people--- who might be inspired to do so
because of a post on social media worth less than one cent each to the oligarchs....

[OC375]

13. Your Data Is Their Money

Stay off the internet for a week. That’ll really hurt the ones truly causing damage. Better yet turn off AI & Siri for a week - blind ‘em. Rescheduling 7 days of purchases doesn’t hurt EBITDA.

[Jack Valentino]

15. Stay ON the internet for the week, urging other patriots to NOT spend their money!!!!

and with-holding your own.....

[littlemissmartypants]

18. ...

https://democraticunderground.com/10114663

[BigmanPigman]

20. I support this 100%!!!!!

Last edited Wed Oct 29, 2025, 01:20 AM - Edit history (1)

Mass protests followed by mass boycotts (look at Jimmy Kimmel for successful boycotts).
Next is a general strike (about 6 months from now) in order to get everything set up, involved and prepared with a specific agenda.

This is how you get greedy traitors to wake up. We have a voice and we have power and we'll hit them where they live.....their fat, fucking wallets!!!!!

?si=sOr8PcX_BsP9aY7W

[Jack Valentino]

22. THANK You, Amigo!

and once again, KUDOS to your PInky Floydish username!!!!!

From the early Pink Floyd album 'Animals'---

(I always knew this song was about NIXON at the time---
but now it is about *someone else*)

&list=RDgOqblSqx_VI&start_radio=1

Big man, pig man
Ha, ha, charade you are
You well heeled big wheel
Ha, ha, charade you are
And when your hand is on your heart
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost a joker
With your head down in the pig bin
Saying 'Keep on digging'
Pig stain on your fat chin
What do you hope to find
Down in the pig mine?
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry

Bus stop rat bag
Ha, ha, charade you are
You fucked up old hag
Ha, ha, charade you are
You radiate cold shafts of broken glass
You're nearly a good laugh
Almost worth a quick grin
You like the feel of steel
You're hot stuff with a hatpin
And good fun with a hand gun
You're nearly a laugh
You're nearly a laugh
But you're really a cry

>>>>Hey you, Whitehouse
Ha, ha, charade you are
You house proud town mouse
Ha, ha, charade you are
You're trying to keep our feelings off the street
You're nearly a real treat
All tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused?
You got to stem the evil tide
And keep it all on the inside
Mary you're nearly a treat
Mary you're nearly a treat
But you're really a cry

[BigmanPigman]

24. That is my Pink Floyd favorite album, Animals

Both of my little dogs loved to listen to it in my car. I think they liked the sound of the dogs barking. My driving is always better when I am listening to any Pink Floyd album.

[Jack Valentino]

32. CLEARLY from your username, "Bigman Pigman"! lol

Dogs always have to respond to other dogs barking! It's a "dog thing"!


I have been making great efforts to bond with the little white fox dog of my new next door neighbor---

He always barked when I opened and shut my front door to go to the Dollar General---
but now when I go there he has a toy in his mouth while happily barking at me and wagging his tail,
and I say to him "ZEUS! Didn't your mother ever tell you to NOT bark with your mouth full??!!"

[BigmanPigman]

53. I posted this on DU 5 days ago and you may be interested

?si=sOr8PcX_BsP9aY7W

in watching it. It helped to clarify things for me as an activist.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

21. Looks like someone was suggesting this weeks ago:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220689204

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. Been suggested for months. That doesn't make it late or a bad idea. Now is as good as ever & it's a great idea. . . .nt

[Jack Valentino]

28. This possibility has been mentioned many times, yes....

but so far seems to have never been effectively organized---


To all blue people I say--- every dollar that you spend supports the 'Trump economy'---
and every dollar you with-hold from the 'Trump economy' is a PATRIOTIC ACT!----

DON'T add your dollars to the LIE that REPUBLICANs, especially TRUMP.
are "better for the economy" !!!!

[Lurker Deluxe]

26. Well ... good luck

From the article:

For those who can’t step away from work for the whole week, Blackout The System has outlined several “working strike” options. Participants can choose to work to rule, performing only the essential duties of their jobs; go slow, easing their pace and avoiding extra effort; or shirk by showing up but refraining from active participation.

Being a team leader I have responsibilities. The team enables me to meet those responsibilities. The team consists of 11 people, the lowest paid making $28/hr with full benefits; including a generous bonus program, inexpensive health care (my co-pay is $32 a paycheck) matching 401K, paid PTO, and mileage reimbursement. Team members dispatch from home and get paid from the moment they leave their house to the moment they get back, no clock to punch and no micromanagement, do your work and we have no issues.

You pull that crap and you will be replaced. Quickly.

Things like this area futile exercises presented by people who do not worry about their families and have no concern for people who have good jobs and want to keep them. I had a team member ASK me last Friday for the day off to travel to a No Kings protest and the answer was easy ... "do you have PTO time, if so call off sick, and I will approve it", "If not, no". SHE took the day off.

Call off for a week unscheduled, "shirk" your responsibilities for a week, or any such other nonsense and you will be gone. Same as I would be if I did that to my employer.

Stupid idea.

[Jack Valentino]

30. OK, just lay down and surrender!

And keep talking against patriots who want to fight back!


"Thank you for your consideration on this matter"

[Lurker Deluxe]

41. You are right

I am not thinking clearly.

I will do this, become unemployed, and then what?

I would have more time to protest, I guess that would be one advantage. At 58, may have a hard time replacing the six figure salary though. I could start a go fund me ... you in for a couple of $K a month, I have bills ...

How is screwing up your life "fighting back"?

I do not spend any money as it is, I do help my 90+ year old parents every weekend, cook them some larger easy to reheat meals, mow the yard, clean the house, do their shopping. Should I tell them sorry, this week you are just out of luck ... some people on the internet told me not to go shopping, hope you make it. And sorry, I will not be able to make it to Thanksgiving ... can not buy the gas to drive the 100 miles one way. Maybe I will see you next week, unless someone else tells me to stay inside, I know you can not get grocery delivery and do not drive, eat the dog. Oh, and BTW I am now unemployed, your electric is most likely to get cut off next month ... but hey, "I am a Patriot".

"I considered it. and thank you ... but, no thanks"

I get my ass up every day and I go to work and I am fairly compensated for that. I understand that some do not have this advantage, sorry. I am not going to screw up my life, I have very little of it left.

I would be willing to bet that this will go over poorly, on a Holiday. But maybe, I will be able pick up the premade Thanksgiving meal at the local grocery and drive the 100 miles in record time because the stores will be empty and the freeway clear. So, I do appreciate the cause, thanks.

[Jack Valentino]

47. Read the rest of the thread--- we are not advocating that you 'get yourself fired' from your job...but

but there are other ways that you can resist....

ESPECIALLY about spending money to support the 'Trump economy'!


If I had a job employed by corporate fascist pigs,
I would understand the personal problem as well!---

but there are other ways to fight back economically---
particularly by cutting back on spending!

[Lurker Deluxe]

61. Again.

All employers are "corporate fascist pigs"?

So, how do I live once I just up and quit working for them?

What spending do I cut back on?

I get up in the morning and I go to work, generally a solid ten hour day. I get home, take a shower, answer emails for another two to three hours, make me something to eat, go to sleep. Rinse, repeat.

On Saturday morning I get my butt up, same bat time 6AM, go to my parents house and help them and spend the night. Get up Sunday morning, same bat time, finish doing what I can to help them stay independent and then drive home.

Monday, rinse, repeat. Outside of that I spend almost nothing. No cable, I maybe go out to eat once a month, I do stop and have a beer at the local watering hole ... maybe some chicken wings, then again I do like to support small business, or are they corporate fascist pigs as well? Car, corporate fascist pigs pay for that. Internet, corporate fascist pigs pay for that. Gas, corporate fascist pigs pay for that. I guess I could cancel my World of Warcraft account ... that will show them, I do like wandering around killing knolls though.

So again, "thanks but no thanks".

[Jack Valentino]

49. 'Six figure salary' ?? How nice for you!

seems like you would have enough savings by now to QUIT that corporate slavery,
but that's just me---- I never had anything close to a 6-figure salary in my life,
because I'm just a loser who still believes in liberty!

[Lurker Deluxe]

55. Just to make sure I understand ...

I am a victim of corporate slavery because I have a good job, and you ... because you do not, you believe in liberty.

Maybe we should run on that. I think it could be a winning slogan. Picture it:

Have a good job, nice house, retirement account. Quit all of that slavery today!!!
Join us, the underemployed, the patriots, those who believe in liberty.
Toss of the chains of your corporate masters, live free, be a patriot.
Be ... unemployed, the freedom from working is liberating, join us today!!!

I think it is a winning idea.

Glad you are a patriot and I am just a poor slave to my corporate masters. Then again, pretty damn nice car comes with that. Ah well ...

I worked very hard to get where I am at today. Do I understand that I am a lucky bastard? Sure do, no health issues at 58, both parents, married for 65 years, still alive and mostly self sufficient. And if I do say so myself getting up each morning and getting my butt to the gym ... forgot the mention that one, the gym membership ... helps me stay fit, and not to tough on the eyes.

Do I have enough money to retire, it would be close ... maybe if I down sized the house, bought a cheaper car, stayed away from the vacations I take every year. Probably, maybe ... might work. Then again, when my parents do need to move to a "retirement community" very soon in the coming, I would not be able to afford that nut, and it will be a big one. Should they suffer to, just so I can be a patriot and have the liberty that you have? I would most likely be able to retire even sooner if I sold the place they live in ... there is another idea ... all in the name of liberty, to be a patriot, just like you. The joy.

Again. "thanks for the offer, thought about, going to have to pass"

[electric_blue68]

59. Why are you slagging someone for a six figure salary....

If they made it in a honest way?

Sure I'd like to see certain professions paid more they are. Women being paid equal where still might not be, etc.

And the poster helps taking care of their 90 yr old+ parents. And is a Democrat to boot.

And I hadn't read their post #55 above mine.

[Lurker Deluxe]

62. All true

I do make my living in an honest way, and all I do is work. And I am a blue to the core.

I had a meeting with my corporate fascist pigs about three weeks ago about my pending retirement, at 62, just over 3 years from now and informed them that I would begin to train my replacement and as they became more capable I would scale back my duties. They agreed with my choice.

A female gay person of color.

The shame of it all ...

[electric_blue68]

63. Sounds like you have made a good arrangement with your employer...

Life willing we are all around and on DU in 3 yrs we'll celebrate your retirement.

Hope you are in good stead with your folks!

My dad died at 90 from dementia. Turned often nasty mostly last 25 yrs from depression complications. A lot of caring, fun loving, and community contributor before that.
My mostly wonderful mom only made it to 86 (unexpected condition aggravated by a decades back medical crisis side effect). I say "only" bc her 2 older brothers, and 1 sister all made it to mid-90's.

Here's to us all getting through till 2029/30! In which we hope will be very good years!

[EX500rider]

46. yes. silly people not wanting to be jobless followed by homeless.....

[Jack Valentino]

50. Surely with-holding spending for ONE week will not make you 'homeless'....

It won't make ME 'homeless', and I am poor as shit....

[EX500rider]

67. I'm talking about not going into work or not working while there

[MichMan]

36. Looks like Federal employees could participate since it was ordered that they can't be fired during the shutdown

They could protest by not showing up to work for a week or more as long as the shutdown was still in effect.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated.

https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-layoffs-judge-trump-fdcb16f91c94d7bf73977e8968210b0e

[Keepthesoulalive]

29. I applaud you

I am sorry about your snap benefits, you understand more than most. Many Americans cannot bear to be made uncomfortable for even a day, forget about a week. I started boycotting certain stores, news media and certain brands after the orange monster was elected. Don’t let naysayers deter you.

[Jack Valentino]

43. Since the passage of the "Big abortion bill", I knew that my SNAP benefits would be cut off

in a few months because I am unable to work, or unable in a way that would provide "documentation"---

so I have been "stocking up" on 'non-perishables", particularly peanut butter, grape jelly
and canned food, so I will be fine for the time being.... wish every SNAP beneficiary could bee--

Once I found out that SNAP would be cut off at the end of this year,
on the basis of "work requriements", instead of after the
midterm elections---which is when Medicaid is scheduled to be cut, a year later,
I started to stock up with less expensive and non-perishable foods...
but things will get very tight in another year....


The TRUMP admin wants me to DIE, like every other poor person---
and I wish the same for all of THEM!!!!

[Keepthesoulalive]

57. You made me think

So many people complain about how the democrats aren’t doing enough, let’s see how we can make things better. Our local food bank has never asked for money and I just received a letter saying they need donations. If people don’t want to boycott they can donate to their local food bank. No political donations but I will be donating so people can have a Christmas meal. We give massive amounts of money to support our politicians let’s make it more personal and give locally. No child or adult should go hungry.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. A week without buying will never be entirely made up. A lot of it will go into savings. . . . . nt

[Lurker Deluxe]

42. So ...

In effect, you are saying that if people stop buying things for one week they suddenly have savings?

Why not just stop buying one week and month, look at all the saving you would have ...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

45. No. I am not saying that. And trying to put words in my mouth doesn't work. . . . nt

[Jack Valentino]

44. Everyone should do whatever they can---

and my car is dead in my driveway. I have been 'walking' for almost a year now---
and that has been better for my over-all health! lol

I have had enough money to put my car back on the road for most of this year,
but decided that my overall health had improved since the car died,
and I was forced to WALK......

[summer_in_TX]

38. The decentralized organization encouraging chapters everywhere to build support and momentum necessary for a

successful general strike has a lot of good info here.

https://generalstrikeus.com

What is A General Strike?
A general strike is when working people refuse their labor until demands are met • Research shows We need 3.5% of the population, OR 11 million Americans, to be successFul • The STRIKE CARD below tracks our progress so we all know When it’s time to strike •

Right now they have 396,746 COMMITTED to a general strike, but 10,603,254 are NEEDED.

Who are we?
We’ve voted, we’ve protested, and still, they ignore us. Our government refuses to meet our basic needs while the billionaire class hoards wealth and power. The General Strike is a decentralized network of regular people who know our greatest power is our labor and our right to refuse it. We aim to unite every person and organization fighting for racial, economic, and environmental justice so that together, we can see real change in our lifetimes.

You can sign the pledge to be part of a general strike on their website. Even taking the pledge with a pseudonym would help them estimate the number of people who still need to commit before the call for a general strike can have the power to get the level of attention to affect change.

What do y'all think the impact might be of doing a general strike well before there's that level of support? Are there risks to the strategy? How will using it now impact the work of building support for striking? (I don't know, just want to think this through with others.)

[timms139]

48. I suggested

before that people set one weekend a month to stay home with family and not start their vehicles to hurt the oil companies and cause demand to go down. Most wouldn't even think about doing that. It would kill most to stay off the road and not make an unnecessary trip to wally world .

[RandySF]

52. Doesn't end well for workers in this country.

[Jbraybarten]

68. unfortunately it will not work for us.

[NBachers]

54. Sorry- I'm 76 years old and I'm going to my hardware store job and working at my usual pace. I'm also paying my rent.

"Show up and work slow" yeah right

Don't pay rent- How's that going to work out for you?

[flvegan]

64. I assume this "vanishing" will have a lot of coverage on Instagram, Tik Tok, X, etc.

Yeah, way to starve their economy I guess.

But, credit where credit due. At least folks are doing SOMEthing.

I'll be at work, though. I already don't do much beyond essential spending anyway. Thanks.

[Melon]

65. We are supposed to miss Black Friday and cyber Monday?

Sorry. No thanks. I shop when prices are best for my family. I don’t have extra income. This just shifts spending to higher cost days.

3 more years and we cannot for a new president. This is change. All of this other stuff is just an inconvenience to ourselves. Your not eliminating buying groceries and gas, you just shift the day it happens.

[DFW]

66. This will have to be a spectator sport for me and my wife

The nearest part of the USA is just under 4000 miles from us.

We buy most of our food from the local farmers market, held three times a week in our town square, like people here have been doing for the last 800 years or so. No oligarchs there, just people who get up for work at 4 or 5 in the morning—just like I do, come to think of it.

My 12 year old car has close to 40,000 miles on it. At $7.50 a gallon, about 75% of which is taxes, it makes sense to take public transportation. Besides, there’s no way I can even consider battling traffic down to Paris, Brussels or Zürich for a day of work and expect to be home by midnight if I drive. At 73 with a mild case if narcolepsy, I’d fall asleep at the wheel anyway. So, I don’t drive much, and never five hours in one stretch. If I get gas more than every six weeks, it’s a lot.

There is a McDonald’s in our town.The last time I was there was with our daughters, about 25 years ago.

Unless FedEx, Malca-Amit, the air lines and the Treasury Department go dark, neither will we. My outfit now has about 1000 employees. It is run by the same two guys who started it as 20 somethings with maybe 12 other 20 somethings a little over 50 years ago. They could both retire if they wanted, but neither of them sees watching TV and jogging as a stimulating alternative. If we go dark for a week, maybe the top 800 people won’t get a Christmas bonus (the least-earning 200 would get one regardless—we take care of our own). I was recruited 50 years ago at age 23. I told the top guy then that I had met this incredible woman in Germany, would require extra vacation time to visit her as long as she would put up with me. He said, tell you what, establish some viable contacts for us over there, and take all the time you want. I did, and we now have offices in six European countries, and my German beauty is still with me, and still beautiful (California Peggy is my eyewitness).

So, you people back in the States do what you want. Life isn’t perfect here in EU/NATO-land, but we make do. Belgium and, especially, France have disrupting strikes all the time. They piss off working people, me included, but we’re used to them, and they change pretty much nothing except the schedules of working people who don’t work from home. We’ll continue to spend what we spend, which, other than food, contributions to food banks and other charities, and travel to see family or our annual down time in Massachusetts every summer, isn’t much.

We try to avoid cliché phrases, as they remind us too much of people we don’t really admire—such as people who hate “liberals” or use “Democrat” as an adjective. To us, that’s the far right’s equivalent of “corporatist” or “oligarch.” We don’t need others to instruct us on who we like or don’t like. We actually manage to figure that out all on our own.

Since I’m at home on both continents, maybe I’m looking at this from too broad a perspective? But like Sly Stone sang, different strokes for different folks.

[Scrivener7]

70. I'm in.

[Chakaconcarne]

73. Go longer if you can or buy local only

[Hotler]

75. Do not under estimate the power and leverage of your consumer dollars. votes only have power every 2-4 years.

Consumer dollars have power 24/7-365. Wages and benefits trickle down. Consumer dollars flow up, control the flow.
One of law enforcement tools to fight organized crime and gangs is to mess with their money flow.
Not spending money is easier than ordering from Amazon.
Stop spending like Biden is still president.

All it takes is participation.

[roamer65]

78. I'm already doing 95 pct of this boycott.

I’m getting ready for the severe downside of this recession.

I’m amazed how tight my ship is right now.

[Ruby the Liberal]

79. No black friday or cyber monday during a recession?

with the holidays in a few weeks and healthcare costs about to explode in January?

No way this gets any traction for those dates.

I support the action fully, but will definitely be making discounted purchases over that weekend as there are things I buy annually to stock up on during the sales.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

81. I'm already not spending much money.

As others have pointed out, this sort of thing has been suggested or tried various times over the years. And it never accomplishes anything. Americans and their jobs are quite diverse, and no one action or solution will work for all.

[global1]

82. I Still Say If You Want The Gov. Shutdown To End Fast....

shut down ALL Sports Events.

People can't live without their sports.

The Gov. Shutdown will end quickly.

Think of all the people the make a living on Sports.

A lot of money will be lost and very quickly - if Sports were shutdown.

The best way for this to happen is to have all athletes refuse to play.

[progressoid]

83. This might have worked in the past but...

actually has it worked in the past? The one in February was a fart in the wind.

A lot of people gotta work. Especially if food banks and SNAP is gone, now they are supposed to ... oh, never mind.

[johnnyfins]

84. I agree with this, but I will also add this:

If you are able to, could you get a few extra items at the grocery store and donate it to your local food bank/pantry? I am starting today. I will be adding in Thanksgiving items next week such as Stove Top Stuffing, canned veggies, gravy, cranberry, etc. A little can go a long way. These folks at local pantries are being over run. Especially this year.

[UT_democrat]

87. But revolution is so hard!

Ugh! I’ll just continue to complain online. That counts right?

[Hotler]

88. Spending boycotts are hard, is there an easier way?

[EllieBC]

89. Is there a strike fund or are we just expecting people

to suck up possible loss of income or job right before the holidays if they don’t show up to work?

[Chemical Bill]

90. Trouble is...

Some of us are already only buying food and gas.

[Iggo]

91. No can do.