I agree with everything you said. My coworkers will express so much hopelessness about the world sometimes and I have to remind them that us building a union in our workplace is a BIG part of fighting back. And everywhere I look I see the seeds of a revolutionary union movement, buried for so long, starting to germinate...
Great article. Social media seems to be going through its own version of what capitalism is going through, which is fascism, with fascism being the tail end of capitalism, the end stage where the capitalist power structure, sensing the end is near, resorts to the most despicable of actions (one of many examples in the US would be ICE) to keep capitalizing until there’s nothing left to capitalize and/or the capitalist power structure crumbles. Something is starting to crumble in social media and the chief triggering force appears to be AI. As you say, there is already a “don’t care” attitude from the corporations that create AI, as if Altman, Thiel, et al, sense the end may be near—even though AI has barely begun—and they are going to get all they can regardless of trivialities like ethics. If people get traumatized by AI, hurt by it, lied to—tough. Don’t care. We are raking it in and we are going to keep raking it in until someone stops us or until it all crumbles, whichever comes first. But with all their power and resources, the corporations of big tech can do nothing about CMSF—Critical Mass Screen Fatigue. When people the world over start breaking from their phones and casting their bleary eyes away from their computer screens, Silicon Valley disappears, overnight, and they know this. Not even big tech can stand in the way of a cultural revolution.
Beautiful and inspiring! Thanks for putting this together. It is so important to remember that such stories are underrepresented in the media because they are less clickable and likely to cause rage & keep people glued to the screens. But sharing them is critical because when we are desperate, we get into the crisis of imagination and start believing that no other solutions are possible and that nobody cares.
Thank you for sharing this, J.P. I think of all the quiet protests, as well. With a recent fibromyalgia diagnosis, I can do very little. Physically and mentally (which means even Zoom organizing is difficult for me). But what I am doing, while I try to heal, is divesting usership and financial boycotting. We have to remember that the news cycles and tech oligarchs breed off "bad news" and nihilism. We must remember that resistance is both boots on the ground and also what can't be heard or seen.
Love this one. I saw a quote recently about the difference between European and US protests being that Europeans just show up while in the US we plan everything out… we need a mentality shift
It's great to read about people fighting back. I just wish those same people could also care about the mass disabling pandemic we're in - protests without masking are mass spreading events, and will lead to thousands more losing their health and ability to continue protesting and fighting back.
Each day I learn of discontent and resistance in yet another country. At the same time, those with the power ignore these messages and continue on their merry way. Whether they find out at the ballot box or by violent riots in the streets, they are going to have to listen to the people eventually.
Unfortunately the establishment media are on the side of the powerful rather than the oppressed. A recent example in Australia concerns the cancelling of an address to the National Press Club by the amazing Chris Hedges, who was planning to speak about the media's betrayal of Palestinian journalists (https://substack.com/home/post/p-175187551).
We have to do this ourselves. Thank you for highlighting this point.
The US people are in a process of shifting from approval to action when it comes to creating a truly democratic and sustainable future. The base working material is there for something truly transformational to flower even as it’s taking root.
Thanks for pointing this out, J.P. It's important for all of us to be aware of how much resistance there is in the world right now.
Thank you. Informs, confirms and inspires.
J.P. did you mean to say "we are not alone" on this paragraph?
"and to do that we need to understand that we are alone and that massive resistance is already underway."
I agree with everything you said. My coworkers will express so much hopelessness about the world sometimes and I have to remind them that us building a union in our workplace is a BIG part of fighting back. And everywhere I look I see the seeds of a revolutionary union movement, buried for so long, starting to germinate...
Love this — thank you
Incredible article 👏🏽
Fantastic analysis and call to action.
Great article. Social media seems to be going through its own version of what capitalism is going through, which is fascism, with fascism being the tail end of capitalism, the end stage where the capitalist power structure, sensing the end is near, resorts to the most despicable of actions (one of many examples in the US would be ICE) to keep capitalizing until there’s nothing left to capitalize and/or the capitalist power structure crumbles. Something is starting to crumble in social media and the chief triggering force appears to be AI. As you say, there is already a “don’t care” attitude from the corporations that create AI, as if Altman, Thiel, et al, sense the end may be near—even though AI has barely begun—and they are going to get all they can regardless of trivialities like ethics. If people get traumatized by AI, hurt by it, lied to—tough. Don’t care. We are raking it in and we are going to keep raking it in until someone stops us or until it all crumbles, whichever comes first. But with all their power and resources, the corporations of big tech can do nothing about CMSF—Critical Mass Screen Fatigue. When people the world over start breaking from their phones and casting their bleary eyes away from their computer screens, Silicon Valley disappears, overnight, and they know this. Not even big tech can stand in the way of a cultural revolution.
Beautiful and inspiring! Thanks for putting this together. It is so important to remember that such stories are underrepresented in the media because they are less clickable and likely to cause rage & keep people glued to the screens. But sharing them is critical because when we are desperate, we get into the crisis of imagination and start believing that no other solutions are possible and that nobody cares.
It all started in Subsahara Africa, in Kenya en Nigeria in 2024, but off course, it was unnoticed in the West: https://allafrica.com/stories/202407010257.html
I needed to read this. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this, J.P. I think of all the quiet protests, as well. With a recent fibromyalgia diagnosis, I can do very little. Physically and mentally (which means even Zoom organizing is difficult for me). But what I am doing, while I try to heal, is divesting usership and financial boycotting. We have to remember that the news cycles and tech oligarchs breed off "bad news" and nihilism. We must remember that resistance is both boots on the ground and also what can't be heard or seen.
Love this one. I saw a quote recently about the difference between European and US protests being that Europeans just show up while in the US we plan everything out… we need a mentality shift
It's great to read about people fighting back. I just wish those same people could also care about the mass disabling pandemic we're in - protests without masking are mass spreading events, and will lead to thousands more losing their health and ability to continue protesting and fighting back.
The statistics you cited about wealth inequality are sobering, especially this point:
"The top 1% held 29% of total household wealth in the second quarter, compared with 28% in 2000. The top 10% held 67% of total household wealth in the quarter while the bottom 90% held 33%." (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/03/the-wealth-of-the-top-1percent-reaches-a-record-52-trillion.html#:~:text=The%20top%201%25%20have%20seen,trillion%20in%20the%20second%20quarter.)
Each day I learn of discontent and resistance in yet another country. At the same time, those with the power ignore these messages and continue on their merry way. Whether they find out at the ballot box or by violent riots in the streets, they are going to have to listen to the people eventually.
Unfortunately the establishment media are on the side of the powerful rather than the oppressed. A recent example in Australia concerns the cancelling of an address to the National Press Club by the amazing Chris Hedges, who was planning to speak about the media's betrayal of Palestinian journalists (https://substack.com/home/post/p-175187551).
We have to do this ourselves. Thank you for highlighting this point.
In solidarity.
The US people are in a process of shifting from approval to action when it comes to creating a truly democratic and sustainable future. The base working material is there for something truly transformational to flower even as it’s taking root.