Blackout the System

[cyberfun1 (dizz)]

This is a plan to do a general strike later this November. https://www.blackoutthesystem.com
In short, no spending, no streaming, no work, no restaurants, etc, and no backing out. We're gonna stop participating in the corrupt and negligent systems and start creating a supportive, caring, and loving society and cut ourself off from all the billionaires and corporations that hurt us, and in the process fixing all the mistakes we've made.
TL:DR; we're stopping the old world and making a new one

[OkayRelax]

luckily I don't have a job or money rn so ill participate this time lol.. it'd be cool if one of these finally worked!

[fairyrune]

this sounds like a good thing. if i understand correctly, the purpose is to make a dent in the US economy, but i don't see any specific and clear demands for what happens after that. is it to ask for a restructuring of the economy or to encourage people simply to spend their money elsewhere, to demonstrate that big-buck businesses aren't necessary?

my other thing about these boycotts... they're effective, but generally, only if sustained until the demands are met. since there's a set end date, whoever is on the receiving end can simply ride the wave, right? it's a nice idea, but i'm always a bit skeptical of the boycotts that have end dates.

[haumeaGeth]

i don't see any specific and clear demands for what happens after that

I agree with this comment. To add on, this boycott doesn't seem to demonstrate a clear understanding of what it's actually protesting. It talks about building community, but then states that on the day of the boycott, you aren't to spend any money at all. How is denying patronage to the locally-owned businesses around me supposed to combat corporate greed? They have nothing to do with one another. If anything, depriving locally-owned businesses is more likely to harm your community than do any good for it.

This webpage has a very high word count, yet uses emotionally charged language that doesn't demonstrate a clear goal or plan. There is no explanation of what specific change is being sought out, nor how they plan to implement that specific change.

I agree as much as anyone that corporate economy is a horrible thing, but if you put on a blindfold and start swinging a bat around, you're more likely to hit one of your friends than you are to hit Jeff Bezos.

[BlazingCobaltX]

I'd also like to add wisdom from the Palestinian BDS movement: Targeted boycotts are more effective than general boycotts. After all, if you boycott everything at the same time, you aren't really making a statement for or against a specific thing. The BDS movement works with set targets that get a lot of attention until the BDS goal is met for that target (e.g. stopping weapon investments), after which the BDS movement also moves on to new targets. This sort of targeted boycotting can quite hurt businesses as we've seen. Having clear targets and goals also really improves the morale of the boycotters, I can imagine.

Just to say that I've seen several of these general blackout campaigns start up and never really succeed. I wish this movement the best of luck because god knows we all need a good general strike.

[Tuffy!]

luckily I don't have a job or money rn so ill participate this time lol.. it'd be cool if one of these finally worked!

Hahaha.


Same here. I will participate by choice and because I have no fucking money. I can't go to a restaurant or bar even if I wanted to. I will continue streaming but I will be leeching the content through invidious proxy servers without empowering youtube and the ongoing enshittification of the internet. There still are some content creators whose content I like to watch very much.

So this is what I will do these days beside sitting here in front of my desk, creating and designing stuff in the hope of being able to pay my bills again some day.


I would rather love to live in the wild, grow my own vegetables and hunt and fish but they would sue me and drive me out of the woods here in my country. It is ridiculous that we aren't allowed to live like a mammal anymore. Most of us humans are already kind of enslaved to work for rich folks and pay taxes to support a system that favors the rich and gives a shit about nature or the psychological well-being of the people.

The idea behind "Blackout the system" hits them where it hurts them the most: by losing money

[wolfkitty42]

If nothing else, this seems like a good way to help some folks gravitate to supporting smaller businesses more...

[fairyrune]

I'd also like to add wisdom from the Palestinian BDS movement: Targeted boycotts are more effective than general boycotts. After all, if you boycott everything at the same time, you aren't really making a statement for or against a specific thing. The BDS movement works with set targets that get a lot of attention until the BDS goal is met for that target (e.g. stopping weapon investments), after which the BDS movement also moves on to new targets. This sort of targeted boycotting can quite hurt businesses as we've seen. Having clear targets and goals also really improves the morale of the boycotters, I can imagine.

Just to say that I've seen several of these general blackout campaigns start up and never really succeed. I wish this movement the best of luck because god knows we all need a good general strike.

well said. i've lost count of the amount of temporary boycotts that flounder before anything happens because companies and governments can endure until it's over. people get burnt out when there's too much to focus on, too. it'd be nice if this instead gravitated towards being a general movement, more of a lifestyle; it's the kind of life i try to live already and one that meshes well with both my personal politics and how the old web revival generally conducts itself.

[Mono The Bun]

I feel like things would be more effective if instead we prioritized living differently and helped others do the same over boycotting. Sure it’d be slower and less dramatic but probably longer lasting. The chief thing corrupt corporations want is dependence after all.

Just my opinion though. I’m not an expert on these things so I can’t say what it would result in.

[littlelum]

To be honest, this is too extreme for me.

No spending? How would I get food, or pay my bills? Even with allowing cash, all my bills are digital. There's a few local places that sell food, but they're outside my budget.

No work? My coworkers would probably be upset if I abandoned them suddenly for a week. I work at a 24/7 Subway at a truck stop, things are usually all hands on deck.

Plus, "the system" is rather vague, like others seem to be saying. Sure, business won't get money for a week, but... that's it.

The bus boycott that started with Rosa Parks was successful because everything was clear: end segregation on buses. Another thing was that people could help each other out: people with cars carpooled with people who didn't. However, here, it's just "no spending money". The only way one could get food would be to buy food before the boycott starts... from the corporations which are being boycotted.

Personally, I won't be participating, although I have no issue with anyone who does. Say what you want about me, but I'm quite content waking up at 5AM to go work a full shift. The work environment is overall healthy (at least from my perspective), and the nature of the work suits me surprisingly well.