A grassroots organization is encouraging U.S. residents not to spend any money Friday as an act of “economic resistance” to protest what the group’s founder sees as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans.
In a world where “line must go up infinitely”, the idea of people coming together to make that line go another direction is power. But sitting behind a keyboard and telling people to continue being small and helpless is not what we continue to need from the community.
There are a lot of people who have never participated in something like this, but these moments are our chance to get people involved. I love that you have an idea for subscriptions and only buying necessities. I need you to say “Yes, this is a good start, and now let’s take the next step together. I have some ideas.”
Every dollar we give to these people is another dollar that is used against us. I’m not ok with that. Inequality is at an all time high and only getting worse.
Lastly, you’ll have to forgive me for taking QZ, a website owned by a Private Equity Firm, with a grain of salt. “Rich people are now powering the economy” reads like rich people propaganda.
Uncalled for, don’t be like that, you know that’s not what I said at all.
So you agree the expected outcome of this particular venture is to not have any tangible impact. Are you concerned at all about people seeing that it had no impact, and as a result feeling deterred from future involvement?
I picked the first article in my search that wasn’t paywalled, but they’re all citing a study by Moody’s Analytics, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Take it for what it’s worth.
I agree wording the headline that way is misleading, because it’s more accurate to say “rich people are creating the demand, poor people are doing all the work to fulfill the supply, but of course capitalism means the rich also get all those proceeds”.
But the entire concept of Wealth Inequality directly implies that one small group will have all the money to spend, and another group will not. I don’t see that as “pro rich people” I think most everyone would read it as “it’s a problem that there are fewer customers in our economy”. Even if you’re the embarrassed-millionaire-type, you have to concede that fewer people out spending money translates to fewer opportunities for you to make your millions.
I just think this sounds like an idea that some privileged person came up with, assuming that everyone is out there being irresponsible with their money every day. But we’re in a spot where not only are people not spending money, they’re putting necessities on credit. I feel like that public debt-to-GDP ratio of the is the bigger threat to businesses. That’s going to come crashing down on them, especially small businesses.
But a random bad day in Feb is also known to a retail business as a “Friday”. People don’t spend money during these months, even when the economy is good. Now if we did this any time between Thanksgiving and Christmas? THAT could send a message.
I should not have directed that to you. Your response was not naysaying in the way I pointed out in my post. I’m frustrated but that’s not a reason to be rude. I’m truly sorry.
I’m not sure I implied that but it’s not what I think about today’s protest. I believe people coming together is powerful. It’s about sending a message.
At the end of the day, I’m more concerned with people not doing anything.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve read so many similar sentiments on social media that “X won’t work.” At this point, I just want people to try. I desperately want people to try. I want people to get involved. My biggest concern is that people won’t do anything because no one is coming up with the idea.
I see where you’re coming from with this point. I think there are a spectrum of people from various economic backgrounds that aren’t super rich that can contribute. All I’m saying is that if someone acts today it could be their first step towards long term changes on their part. I wasn’t well off when I made the change seven years ago but I’m glad I didn’t give into the notion that my change wasn’t meaningful.
Again, I’m sorry for the harsh rhetoric towards you with my last response.
I get wanting to see people do *anything *. I can’t disagree at all with that.
Something I hadn’t shared is that, the way I found out about this “blackout” was when my partner came home and said “make sure to get any supplies you need tonight, we’re doing an economic blackout tomorrow in protest”, to which my first response was “if we’re just buying everything today that we would buy tomorrow, what is the point?”
Meanwhile, today during the blackout, i assume everyone is getting on social platforms owned by these corporations to conspire about how they’re not going to patronize their services today…
It just wreaks of slacktivism to me, which could be seen as either “better than nothing” or “a psyop deliberately orchestrated BY the corporations to make social groups feel like they’re doing something, when they’re really just spinning their wheels/tiring themselves out”.
IMHO if we’re going to take group action, it’s vital that the desired outcome is clearly defined, and we don’t stop until that is accomplished. The strategy of “let’s shoot our shot, then go back to our lives, and cross our fingers that there’s some latent impact” should be widely regarded as what not to do. That’s why unions have strikes the way they do. You can picket all day, but in order to force change you have to draw a line and all agree to cross it (or not cross it, whatever the metaphor calls for, idk).