this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2025
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[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Trump is baiting it to get violent. That’s why he pardoned the Jan 6rs. They are his goons.

Don’t feed the troll king.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 22 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

So much energy expended on discussions of violence. Do not worry about if you should or should not do violence. Violence is merely a question of who has the power to allow or forbid it. And if you protest long enough to make political progress, violence will find you, doesn't matter one bit how you personally feel about it.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Liberals be like "But what about the law??"

Our species has spun its collective wheels for millenia because people broadly think someone or something is in charge. Thinking people believe there's some kind of objective good, a rule-of-law. Non-thinking people think there's a ruling power, a human system of hierarchy that all beings must submit to. The purely reactionary, emotionally-leashed bottom of the barrel believe in supernatural forces like God or Lizard People pulling strings from the shadows.

I sometimes wonder how much progress we could make as a species if we all just suddenly woke up with the deep and unshakable knowledge that nobody is coming.

Would we take care of things better? Would we collectively work to build that ruling power or would human minds break at the very notion of real agency and just rip each others' throats out?

[–] MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca 5 points 20 hours ago

we shouldn't be waiting for violence to find us. it needs to find them.

[–] Anomalocaris@lemm.ee 17 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

question

I've been thinking today.

it's illegal to block the road, you can get in trouble for a sit in, or by parking on the road.

but how about just driving on a road and respecting the speed limit?

how many drivers do you need to all agree to drive on a specific road, in circles to congest it and create a nightmarish traffic jam.

it's better to be strategic and do so during rush hours. 50 protesters could easily halt the traffic of some main arteries. and really hurt the economy.

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 12 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

Stop giving a shit about what is illegal. It was made illegal because it was effective. The establishment doesn't want you to be effective.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago

If the punishment for breaking a rule is a fine, then it's not a rule meant to help people, it's meant to give the wealthy power to do what they want.

[–] Anomalocaris@lemm.ee 6 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (2 children)

if I'm detained I'm not getting arrainged and released, im getting deported and never seeing my daughters again

or maybe end up in an Salvadorian prison

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 5 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

You forget the fact they are doing this to countless people regardless. They don't get to make that choice to just sit this out.

It's called having solidarity with those being targeted, accepting the same risks they are being subjected to by simply existing, in order to help defend them against oppression. Part of that oppression is how the State has designed its laws to inhibit the ability of people to fight back against it.

If you allow the opposition to dictate how you are allowed to resist, then you already lost because they will never just allow people to effectively resist their authority. Change requires mass civil disobedience.

Or, continue to follow the rules of the oppressors, fail to effectively resist, and when they are done coming for their current target, they will eventually get around to coming for you, except by then you won't have anyone around to help defend against it.

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[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Only doing things that are legal won't protect you, us the point. If that were the case, this wouldn't be such a big deal.

Not 'you must do crimes'.

Edit: i get it. Its fucking scary. I have a lot of critiques for 'society of laws' stuff, but i can appreciate what the benefits are supposed to be, even if it's not my favorite. We just... Don't have that right now.

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[–] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Non Violence only protects the state and state approved protest means nothing. The most violent people are police at protests. Dr. King's character is always stripped down to the peaceful Black leader, and look how that went for him. He was still assassinated.

[–] FUCKING_CUNO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

To be fair, so was Malcolm X

[–] FreakinSteve@lemmy.world 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

...after he turned away from violence

[–] FUCKING_CUNO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 18 hours ago

Perhaps, but I'd guess the risk of assassination rises with influence as opposed to their own views on violence

[–] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

What's the winning strategy? If violence is escalated until everybody is incarcerated not much will change.

[–] MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca 3 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

how exactly are they going to incarcerate every single leftist?

[–] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 5 hours ago

Political change is driven by 3% of the population. 1/3 voted for democrats. So 1% of the population would be incarcerated. Peak prison population was 0.7%. Doubling that capacity is possible, especially if prison camps can be used.

[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Seems like they’re just deporting people to random countries that you won’t be able to return from safely

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (4 children)

I agree that we have reached a point where things will only continue to get much, much worse without widespread and overwhelming violence against the authoritarians. Both those in power and those following them.

The problem is that authoritarians are primarily motivated by the irrational fear of violence. This fear justifies their violence, but nobody else’s. And they currently control the government, military, etc and therefore overwhelmingly more violent force than any resistance is likely to muster. On the other hand, authoritarian followers are predisposed to accept what they are told by the leaders of their in-groups, so when peaceful protests are called “violent riots” they will believe it unquestioningly and nothing whatsoever can or will change their minds. Hence, peaceful protest is no defense against the accusation of violence and subsequent right-wing violence. This is why abortion is such an easy topic for social dominators to leverage when inciting their authoritarian followers: it’s “evidence” that their opponents are inherently violent, against babies.

And again, reason and rationality have no part in this. The followers want to believe their out-group is violent and evil, they fear violence, so they will believe it because it reinforces their existing beliefs (a fear of violence, etc).

BTW, Democratic politicians in Missouri were assassinated this morning, and it’s not currently being widely covered by the news. So that take that how you like.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 7 points 22 hours ago

BTW, Democratic politicians in Missouri were assassinated this morning

By "someone dressed up like a cop" as the media put it. Which I guess is newspeak for just "a cop".

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[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Um, a lot gets done without violence, including regime change. In fact, nothing swells the numbers of a movement like state brutality on peaceful protests, and that is amplified with the ubiquity of the cell-phone camera and the internet.

This is not to say a movement by violence is bad, just that it can detract sympathizers.

But don't worry, when the regime has to choose between giving up (say in the face of a general strike) and sending out the goons, they'll always choose the latter. No one tosses the One Ring into the fires of Mt. Doom. It's the same paradigm that leaves us with senile geriatrics unwilling to relinquish the power of office until it is pried from their cold, dead hands.

Usually, by then, the military has realized the regime is illegal and as luney as Aerys II Targaryen (The Mad King, who Jamie slew, SoIaF) and is willing to do the wet-work. By artillery if necessary.

Then again, destruction of property like burning the Waymo cabs, is a common necessity. That wasn't the act of rioters, but saboteurs. Waymos are snitches and have been reporting to ICE the location of targeted civilians.

[–] MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

in the grand scheme of world history, a hell of a lot more has gotten done with violence than without.

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

You obviously haven’t seen the litigation tracker for this particular regime. Lots has been happening.

Going violent is what trump has been baiting for. He’s looking for a reason. Don’t feed the troll king.

[–] PlagueShip@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Democrats drove away all the fighters by attacking anyone who was the slightest bit controversial or politically incorrect for the last 40 years. Basically the party was taken over by fools and cowards. This is our opposition party, and this is why we're screwed. Ban Fox News.

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