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While I appreciate the effort, it’s like a fundamental law of class warfare that a general strike is impossible without first having mass unionization. Here, let’s try this scenario:
Workers: we’re gonna do a general strike tomorrow!
Capital: anyone who doesn’t show up tomorrow will be fired. Oh and then today will be the last day you have health insurance
Workers: oh shit, didn’t think about that…
In normal times I’d say a consumption strike would be more effective, but we’re basically all doing that now involuntarily anyway.
Edit: wanted to add that when folks online talk about a general strike I try and be encouraging while also realistic - I think their heart is in the right place and I don’t want to squash any revolutionary spirit, even if it’s a little misguided in my opinion.
I don’t wholly disagree, but I do disagree a little.
Most of the general strikers in the Winnipeg General Strike were non-unionized workers, who organized in solidarity with the unions’ calls to general strike.
Non-unionized workers can follow the wave created by unions, and turn regular strikes into general strikes :red-fist:
“Union membership had increased substantially during the spring of 1919, but most of the people who came out in support of the general strike were not union members. For instance, the first to leave work, at 7:00 a.m., were the telephone operators, the so-called “hello girls” at the city telephone exchanges, who were not at this time union members. Also on the first day of the strike, the major organizations of returned soldiers announced their support and were active throughout the six weeks of the strike.”
The Winnipeg General Strike was before canadians fought to create Universal Health Care ;)
The general strike was in 1919, it wasn’t until 1966 that all provinces in Canada had universal health care :) the universalization of health care was a long, gradual process that took ~40 years, and frankly still continues. Next goals include universal pharmacare, dental, and getting racism out of the system.
I just relistened to the revolutions podcast and really paid attention to the 1905 general strike part. Was there more unionization in Tzarist Russia then now? That’s just kinda of crazy to think about how housebroken we are
That’s a good question, I don’t know. At this point I think private sector unionization is down well into the single digits. I just think it’s naive that capital won’t fight dirty against a general strike, they’re not just gonna sit back and take it. Threatening peoples’ jobs is a pretty effective tactic, though.
Motherfuckers needa read some Luxemburg and understand that you don’t get to just call out “alright mass strike time baby, come on working class people join us”.
But if you read that garbage and still can’t start a strike then how does reading it actually help? You’re being a liberal right now. Cucks like theory.
How can we actually start a general strike? Maybe try trying you pussy.
Dunno if you’re being ironic, but the whole point of the works I reference (The Mass Strike and Theory & Practice) is that the Mass Strike can’t be viewed as a singular isolated event sparked by a singular call to strike. That level of solidarity must be forged through smaller strikes and extended class struggle. The working class as a whole ain’t going to just read a couple well worded polemics and collectively risk their jobs. No it needs to be shown how solidarity and strikes and resistance helps them and those around them. Then as more and more people get engaged, they can see (with the help of and united struggle with educated, dedicated comrades) how their economic interests align with others and how political goals are necessary. Even then the Mass Strike doesn’t end up being a singular force with a singular goal; it has that big political goal, but constantly explodes in spontaneous regional outbursts over local issues. It is messy, chaotic, and it is historical. The 1905 Russian Revolution didn’t start in 1904, it started in the the mid-1890’s with the first smatterings of urban proletarian acts of resistance and solidarity - the socialist forces, which were not very strong beforehand, coming to prominence (after being primarily intellectuals for decades) over the next decade+ through escalating tensions, REPEATED struggles and attempts at spreading the Socialist message through the proles (and it was basically the same with a different timeline for SRs and the Peasants).
So no I don’t just want to read books. People can call for a general strike all they want, but don’t expect it to amount to anything other than weak agitation. Praxis and local struggles, like always, are the fucking key
I dont think anyone is against trying it, go for it if you want, its just that it will very likely not work, so using important resources on it is wasting these resources. Plus, every time it is tried and doesnt work, people grow less optimistic towards it.
“they should read more books” is a very liberal answer to dealing with oppressive capitalism and institutional rot. Try being less liberal. Try doing leftism instead of liberalism. Go on twitter and talk about a general strike more. You realize thats how social media works, right? Just fucking use their hashtag and talk about how powerful it’d be. Ya’ll are just butthurt and scared that no one will retweet you so you stay here complaining. You’re just liberals who liked emo instead of the grateful dead.
ya, real rigorous process you got. you literally read enough twitter to unlearn how it works. If enough people talk about it, it’ll happen. Thats the entirety of the process. Talk about it more. Tell people to talk about it more. Ya’ll are getting cucked by twitter so hard. #GeneralStrike
Gotta mix general strike with shitty consumerism.
Call in sick on a Wednesday and you get 1 month free Disney+ or some bullshit.
Call in sick for Weds and Thursday and you get a blue checkmark.
Say you’re doing a General strike and get a $100 onlyfans giftcard.
cargo cult communism
