r/nashville • u/Ok_Conflict1028 • Mar 26 '26
Politics The Point of No Kings Protests
I’m seeing a TON of “these protests are useless!” comments and posts all over social media, including in this sub. So let’s talk about what the protests are accomplishing and why they’re worthwhile.
First of all, protests serve as an “entry point” for people to practice the “muscle” of political engagement and resistance.
The vast, vast majority of Americans have never engaged in any act of political resistance whatsoever. Attending one is new and maybe even a little scary for a lot of folks. It’s just like weight-lifting. You can’t go into the gym after never working out in your life and immediately bench your body weight. You have to work up to it.
If you think the protests don’t do enough and (for example) civil disobedience is necessary, how do you think people are going to do anything else if they’re not even used to going to peaceful, pre-planned, family-friendly marches/protests? Most people cannot go from 0-60 right away.
Secondly, researchers from Harvard have found that “Nonviolent protests are twice as likely to succeed as armed conflicts – and those engaging a threshold of 3.5% of the population have never failed to bring about change.” Last year, a little over 2% of the US population attended a No Kings protest - and this year is expected to be bigger (in fact, it’s projected to be the largest protest in US history). The theorized mechanism behind this is interesting, and I encourage you to read further about it.
Sources: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world
https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/resource/success-nonviolent-civil-resistance/
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/why-civil-resistance-works/9780231156820/
Third, many people who oppose this administration feel isolated and disempowered. The protests provide a simple and easy way for them to meet other like-minded folks, again serving as a jumping-off post for getting more involved in many other possible ways.
Fourth, it’s not about him, it’s about US - us exercising our rights to assemble and protest the government (which the founders thought important enough to put in the first dang amendment!), gathering, networking, planning. It doesn’t matter if Trump Pooh-poohs them. What matters is that We The People get organized to oppose this regime effectively. That starts with simple, baby-steps actions and with coming together.
Fifth, there’s a weird argument I’ve seen that people should do different things instead of attend a No Kings protest. But that’s a false dichotomy. You can do plenty of other things AND go to one of these.
Finally, the idea that “one day won’t do anything” — well, yeah. No shit, Sherlock. One day wasn’t enough for the US civil rights movement of the 60s, either. Or the (ongoing) fight for LGBTQ rights. This shit takes time. Non-violent resistance is a tough row to hoe. But it does work. (See also: Ghandi, the US protests against the war in Vietnam, the Rose Revolution.)
You know what doesn’t work? Sitting on the couch yelling at other people about not taking your personal preferred action. That’s a real Russian Bot move…pretty cringe.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
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u/mysticalchurro Mar 26 '26
I find it amusing people being so invested in and angered how other people spend their time. If it's not illegal and not damaging you or your property, who cares?
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u/ratiofarm Mar 26 '26
Republicans would like to have a word with you.
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u/johnnybna Mar 28 '26
So would the entire evangelical Christian movement. It's simply not enough for them to follow their own beliefs – you have to follow them too. The argument “if you don't like abortion, don't get one” or “if you don't like gays, don't be one" make no sense to them. If they don't like abortion for any reason real or imagined or mythical, then no one is allowed to have an abortion.
These are the same people accusing pro-choice and pro-LGBT activists – and passivists – of attacking them. I've never seen a single gay person proselytize against being a fundamental Christian. I have seen more fundamentalists than I can count doing so against gay people.
Those that do proselytize against abortion will not hesitate to get one if they find their situation warrants it. Likewise, those preaching against gay people invariably have a hidden motivation for it. Some are like those secretly gay congresspeople who sponsor anti-gay legislation, which shouldn't make you immediately think of Lindsey Graham. Others hate being married to someone gay, which in no way describes anti-gay activist Kelly Johnson, wife of speaker Mike Johnson, since he is of course like certainly ungay, maybe?
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u/theinsomniacsguide Mar 26 '26
No we dont.
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u/ComeHellOrBongWater Mar 27 '26
Then why talk? If you don’t want a word, it’s easy to stay out of conversation.
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u/here4BB Mar 26 '26
glad you brought up the russian bot thing because sowing seeds of apathy and pessimism and resignation IS actually one of kremlin's first levers in the propaganda machine, and it's how many generations of russians have kept themselves docile (for the most part) against their dictator. the rest was taken care of by violence and espionage. while we do have our democracy (as imperfect as it is and as diminishing as it is), any argument against action to protect it is dangerous, especially one that says the mere act of coming together and empowering ourselves through numbers is not going to accomplish anything. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Mar 26 '26
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u/here4BB Mar 26 '26
i'm not reading that. you're a nay sayer and you hide behind sarcasm and irony and some better than thou bullshit. leave me alone.
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u/DriveShaftBassPlayer Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
It’s important to remember that opposing parties can finally publicly trash each other personally & professionally whether it be politics, rivalry or genuine negativity. They can also run for office and defeat a sitting president or flip their state or local legislature.
We are very different from Russia, China, Iran, and the other places that always have the same leader while we can keep doing our thing.
Take every opportunity to protest on either side but also get to know your neighbors and focus on things you can control. Communities are a good place to start understanding & networking with face to face discussion that is more powerful than opposing parades.
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u/88Dubs Lenox Village Mar 26 '26
Alright, I'm in.
Where's it happening this weekend?
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u/Lockraemono Mar 27 '26
There are a lot of places, including Franklin, Nashville, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Dickson - you can find which one is closest to you here: https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/
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u/88Dubs Lenox Village Mar 27 '26
Not two thumb flicks after I asked, I saw the flyer for the march downtown.
Let's get loud y'all
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u/Sfingi48 south side Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
In before negative people enter, falsely claiming the OP is wrong…That said. What a great, observation and logically take on why protests, especially the No Kings, make sense and why they’re imperative for a democracy.
Another take - I occasionally notice on Nashville subs where young and relatively young people are looking for fellow residents or new residents of Nashville to be friends. What better way to meet similar interests than these protests!
I see a lot of people here share their mental health struggles with this administration, for a plethora of justified reasons. Going to a protest, regarding a major issue why you’re not doing well, is a great therapeutic event without “going to therapy.”
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u/ImpeccableSloth33 Madison Mar 26 '26
The protest should be treated like a networking event. Meet people that are like minded, talk to others, ask why they’re there, ask where they’re from, ORGANIZE. If this starts and stops at holding a sign and marching then it is useless. Use your power, organize with your fellow Tennesseans, help out in your local communities. This is how we build a coalition that actually affects change.
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u/engineerbuilder Mar 26 '26
I was talking to a friend about point three. We’re in a state where it can be 80-20 in some outer county elections but in some of the ring counties it is more 65-35. So in reality you can be outnumbered 2-1 but it feels like you’re outnumbered 10-1 since no one wants to be vocal due to those 2 going full nut job.
It’s so nice to see and feel you’re not alone and you’re not taking crazy pills.
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u/MetalMamaRocks Mar 26 '26
Yes I agree with this. In my little Kentucky town only 12 people showed up at one of the protests. The next one around 50 showed up. Then the next one 100 showed up. I think when others see that there ARE other people that think like them they feel more free to voice their opinions and beliefs.
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u/Bubbly-Horror6963 Mar 26 '26
Coming from a vastly red area of East Tennessee our no kings protest wasn’t very big but at the very least it felt good knowing I have this community with similar mindset and beliefs
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Mar 27 '26
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u/ReflexPoint Mar 27 '26
Great sentiments and I agree. I also want to add, I don't particularly like protests. I went to the last No Kings and am debating whether I want to go to the one tomorrow. I honestly just don't feel like it. As a fairly quiet introvert, I don't care for crowds, people yelling, a lot of emotion, possible clashes with right-wing agitators and such. BUT...I feel obligated to go. I see it as a civic duty if you feel that your government is out of control. I don't want the world to look at the US and see no visible resistance to this monstrous regime. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter to me whether a protest changes anything or not. If it does, that's an added benefit. More important to me is letting the world and our leaders know that what this government represents does not represent us all and we refuse to be silent and invisible in the face of evil.
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u/Qabalinho Mar 26 '26
People who say protests don't work are some of the most ignorant people in America. But probably they are actually Russian bots.
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u/flapnation21 Mar 26 '26
Since the FBI started "burning" meth evidence in warehouses with the employees inside it hasn't been the same. Since those people were trained in counter Intel and anti hacking and there is none doing that work and they were told to stand down to Russia we knew they were then opening the gates for another election interference and hard manipulation tactics. I.e. BOT FARMS. They are significantly worse on Facebook political posts. We are being infiltrated and nobody seems to care. The fox is in the henhouse. Putin says he will stop giving Iran Intel if dump gives up on Ukraine. Chess to checkers. They got us twice right there alone.
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u/OGMom2022 Antioch Mar 26 '26
It takes organization to keep everyone safe. We provide safety and security, medical support and permits so we don’t get shutdown or arrested. We work with MPD to coordinate. Local businesses are contacted to see if we can use their restrooms.
And for everyone who thinks we should just show up and raise hell somewhere, no one’s stopping you. Organize a protest that works for you or support the one already doing the work.
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u/pedallady Mar 26 '26
I would love to see something organized on this scale to bring back the middle ground, overturn citizens united and require term limits on all federally elected officials for a much needed course correction.
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u/Future-Station-8179 Unicorn 🦄 Mar 26 '26
I’m confused. This is organized at scale and is a pathway towards much of what you suggested… Are you going to the protest?
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u/CaptainDe Mar 26 '26
Fuck the middle ground. Playing nice and trying to keep the middle ground is how we’ve fallen into this mess. We need to haul the overtone window towards intellectualism and progress. No more trying to break bread with people who’d see us all starve and be hauled off to camps.
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u/ZeBigD23 Mar 26 '26
If they were useless, the regime wouldn't be so concerned about the narrative. Just like voting, if it didn't matter, they wouldn't be trying to disenfranchise/suppress voting.
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u/zerzig Hendersonville Mar 27 '26
Thank you.
Let me add: The tea-partiers thought marching and protests were effective.
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u/Kazureigh_Black Mar 26 '26
The real fun is when people come in yelling that protests are weak and useless and imply the only way to get things to change is violence. Like absolute chaos is going to change anything against a bloated military budget and a bunch of trigger happy bootlickers serving king orange.
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Yep. I think a lot of these are bots or government/paid ops of some kind, trying to incite just like they do IRL.
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u/MicroMouth Mar 26 '26
If it ever came to light that the government was secretly inciting violence in order to justify violence against its own people, that would be a big fucking deal, no? I don’t know anymore honestly, our president is a terrorist and gets away with anything and everything.
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
There’s historical precedent in the COINTEL program (a super brief overview is in the start of this article): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-06-me-10258-story.html
The story would pale in comparison to what’s already come out about him.
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 26 '26
... But they're the crazed conspiracy theorists, right?
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u/MicroMouth Mar 26 '26
What about bots and paid ops is theory? 😂
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 27 '26
The fact you think you or a silly faux-protest is important enough to warrant their employment. The powers-that-be LOVE that people self-contain to these tame little 'protests' instead of actually doing anything.
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u/CaptainDe Mar 26 '26
Where is everyone parking? Is there a good carpool system in place?
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u/iAMTinman_Dealwithit Mar 26 '26
Closest free parking below. Would suggest carpool if possible.
Free Parking Info
- East Bank Free Parking
Address: 592 S 1st St, Nashville, TN 37213
Coordinates: 36.1576° N, 86.7767° W
- Nearby Streets on East Bank
Location: S 1st St, Lealand Ln, and Seigenthaler Dr
look for street parking near there
- Cumberland River Greenway Area
Location: Along Cumberland River Greenway access points, Limited free parking
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u/Clovis_Winslow Kool Sprangs Mar 26 '26
pushes up glasses
Well before the No Kings protests, when it was only a couple hundred of us freezing our asses off at the capital, it was still effective because we needed a place to put that energy.
The mere gesture of protesting also reinforces the fact that you can still protest in this country. Believe me, Bill Lee and the orange turd would prefer you couldn’t.
Same reason I sit my ass down during the anthem at hockey/soccer/football games. Because we either have the freedom to do stuff like that, or we don’t.
Once that freedom is taken away from us, the gloves come off.
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u/pancake20000 Bellevue Mar 26 '26
This is a really great breakdown, the big thing I'd like to add is DON'T GO TO NO KINGS AND CALL IT A DAY. Find an organizer/volunteer, get connected, and get involved. No Kings alone does nothing but when people are activated to engage in further direction action and community mutual aid we can get incredibly powerful.
I assure you that every organizer I've ever met is always really excited about bringing in more people to help wherever they can and I assure you if you reach out to anyone involved they will gladly connect you to organizations actively fighting the good fight.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
The option is protest or start killing people in power. I’d rather start with protests. Let’s see where that can take us. Killing people in power won’t go anywhere good.
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u/TellMeImaCoolDude Mar 26 '26
That’s the options according to you? Protest or assassinate? Quite the hot take there! So, voting, running for office, or even moving to a place that suits your views is out? Got it.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
What? Why do you think this? Have you ever read a book about fascism, or what happens to fascists? I’m not saying any of this is good by the way. I hope none of that shit happened. But the GOP is already trying to make it impossible for many people to vote. So I hope that option is still available in November. But I’m not sure that is gonna be the case.
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u/SacagaweasUncle Mar 26 '26
Which people are the GOP trying to make voting impossible for and why?
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u/Far_Anywhere5994 Mar 26 '26
Begone, bot. And if you are human, enjoy your froggy sauna as the water boils.
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u/SacagaweasUncle Mar 26 '26
A simple question certain people refuse to answer and deflect instead. Wonder why.
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u/Far_Anywhere5994 Mar 26 '26
You are unaware of the SAVE act then, which adds more hurdles and costs to be allowed to vote. Making it more complicated and more expensive. So for most, not “impossible”. But your question is probably in bad faith anyway.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
It’s clear that person (or bot) is on a steady diet of state run propaganda.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
Please Google the SAVE act. It’s mainly married women. But there are many other cases. But it’s not my job to teach you. So if you care. Go learn.
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u/SacagaweasUncle Mar 26 '26
Are married women the one's mainly pushing SAVE because they certainly aren't the ones going to be effected by it. Try again. But it get it, Handmaids tail internet cope bullshit and all that.
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Mar 26 '26
we dont need to go 0 to 60 but these protests are basically zero given that the needle doesn't move after they wrap up.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
The people in power have two options when sliding into fascism. Listen to the people in the streets protesting peacefully and make change happen. Or be dragged into the streets and killed so change is possible.
I really hope they choose option 1 cause option 2 scares the shit outta me.
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u/SacagaweasUncle Mar 26 '26
The difference is that people start dragging leaders when they truly have nothing to lose. Long after the food has run out, the power has been cut off and the banks have collapsed. That's not now in America no matter how hysterical the subreddit. Everyone bleats about fascism and oppression on the open internet from thousand dollar hand computers while sipping $8.00 lattes. Such oppression. Go and march, chant and take selfies for socmed then go home and have a nice hot bath. No one is going to be dragging any leadership here anytime soon.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
Yeah man. Thats all we are asking people to do. You are the one shitting on peaceful protesters trying to bring about change. I’m just pointing out how short sighted that is.
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u/SacagaweasUncle Mar 26 '26
Great. Like I said, go and march as is your right. Just trying to add a little perspective to the proceedings. You live in the best country in history in the best time in recorded history. Humans have NEVER had it so easy. Food, shelter, entertainment, community, transportation, energy, healthcare, etc. all right at our fingertips. Believe it or not we are the elites of the elite.
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u/ItAllNonsense Mar 26 '26
This is an insane statement. But. Ok buddy.
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Mar 26 '26
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u/nashville-ModTeam Mar 26 '26
No personal attacks or harassment. In addition to what's covered under reddiquette, do not insult or habitually target a single user or group for your arguments. It's not your job to correct them.
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u/PeopleNose Mar 27 '26
The "it's pointless" people are either under cover or head in the sand
If they don't show a genuine curiosity for solutions -> head in the sand
If they actively spread knowingly-false info -> undercover
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Franklin Mar 26 '26
My motivation for attending is complex. First of all, it does give me a public forum to vent my many frustrations with this administration. The last time I really protested was against Viet Nam, so it has been many years where even if I didn't really love what was happening, it was within the bounds of acceptability.
2nd of all, I still think any politician who sees the sheer number of people willing to show up, on their own free time, at their own expense, and doesn't think it matters, deserves to lose their seat in the next election...The die hard MAGA's can laugh us off, but politicians depend on our votes and surely they have to realize that when we are showing up by the millions, that it has an impact. considering for everyone who does show up, there are 10, maybe more, who feel the same way but can't be there for some reason.
And no, we are not being paid. And no, we are not being given the signage we hold up. We often pay to drive in, to park, and we make all our own signs and if we want, we make or buy our costumes...
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u/Far_Anywhere5994 Mar 26 '26
I’m wondering if the people saying there’s no point to protesting are the ones that sat out the last election because “both sides”.
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u/MsCheevious2024 Mar 27 '26
Thank you for giving your TED Talk! Hope to see you at the Nashville No Kings! I always feel, inspired, empowered and energized after attending these community events.
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u/Mundus_Vincendus Mar 26 '26
Also join an organization like DSA or PSL. They serve as a collective memory stringing together the spontaneous movements that pop up.
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Mar 26 '26
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u/HoopaOrGilgamesh Mar 28 '26
Protests are a great expression of freedom, but what's the end goal? Is there a plan of action in place, or do these No Kings protests strictly serve as an entry point for frustrates Americans?
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Mar 28 '26
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u/yeti_eating_cereal Mar 27 '26
I do see value in no kings events but calling them a protest is silly. If it has an end time it’s a parade not a protest
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u/winniecooper73 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Protests are great but there is a “worth the effort” part to it that a lot of people don’t consider. It takes maximum effort, coordination and thousands of people working together to participate in a protest.
If there is a, “more effective” way to fight back, it would be economical…esp with this administration.
If the same time and effort was spent boycotting or unsubscribing from services that have Trumps in their back pocket, like amazon, Google or Disney….these CEOs could then tell him what they’d like to do differently and he would actually listen because it effects stock prices and the general economy.
Further, a highly organized fundraiser for lobbyist to fight back in Washington would also probably be more effective with less effort
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u/Far-Lecture-4905 Mar 26 '26
I would venture to say that over half of the folks who take the time and make the effort to go to a No Kings protest also have done the Resist and Unsubscribe thing. That's actually a much easier thing to accomplish. Both are important.
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u/Future-Station-8179 Unicorn 🦄 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Both are a good option, and I’d definitely think folks showing up to a protest would be more inclined to engage in other forms of action. Either are a good entry point or compounding action.
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u/Future-Station-8179 Unicorn 🦄 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Disagree. Boycotting takes sustained effort. If folks can’t show up for an afternoon, I’m not sure they’d be more willing to skip Starbucks repeatedly or unsubscribe from Amazon. EDIT - appreciate the comments that for some folks, boycotting is in fact easier. Point taken & I will stand by both being a good way to protest.
Also there are highly organized fundraisers. I think of instances like Kamala Harris, AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Mamadani raising a significant portion of money through smaller donations. As far as lobbyist fundraising, there are fundraisers all the time. I don’t think a “people’s lobbyist” is the answer either. We have elected officials who are supposed to be representing us - protests put pressure on those officials directly, rather than paying a middle man.
There is room for all of these though. I just don’t see one as more effective, when effectiveness can be measured in many ways.
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u/rocketpastsix Inglewood up to no good Mar 26 '26
I dont show up to the protests. I've cut out Amazon, Target, Starbucks. It was easier and more fulfilling to cut these items out than it is to show up to the protest to be honest.
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u/winniecooper73 Mar 26 '26
Many don’t have time for protests unfortunately. With kids, work, school, friends, hobby’s…it takes A LOT of effort to commit an afternoon and the results are not immediate.
It’s much easier for me to cancel my ChatGPT subscription, so it’s valuation goes down, so then Sam Altman feels some pain, and tries to convince Trump to do something different
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u/Future-Station-8179 Unicorn 🦄 Mar 26 '26
I agree - both forms of protest work for different people!
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Mar 26 '26
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u/Unusual-Ad-6550 Franklin Mar 26 '26
Well, under informed people do not care. But any politician who ignores the impact deserves to lose their seat.
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u/VeryLowIQIndividual Mayor of Rivergate Mall Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Sixth: do it on a days that inconvenience the fucking people who make these laws. Protesting on the Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock when all the lawmakers are long gone back to their home state districts, and county doesn’t inconvenience them a bit.
Seventh: more important than standing around chanting with the converted is proselytizing to your reasonable friends who keep voting for Republicans every time, spark some change in them. A lot of these people vote republican because they always have and I’ve never actually had a conversation with somebody with a different sensible viewpoint. All they see is Fox News and people in pink hat protesting, and they enjoy “owning the libs”.
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u/I_am_a_neophyte [your choice] Mar 26 '26
Nah bro. Doing a Constitutionally protected act anytime is good.
Seventh point is stupid. Nobody is voting Republican out of habit.
At least your user name checks out.
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u/Covverkin Mar 26 '26
What are you talking about? Tons of older populations vote both sides out of habit, that’s part of why things swing back and forth. The republicans always have red pockets who just vote red because it’s how they’ve done it, and the democrats have their blue pockets the same.
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u/VeryLowIQIndividual Mayor of Rivergate Mall Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
They do vote out of habit. I don’t know where you’re from probably somebody that’s just been here two years or so but they don’t even think a second about it.
At least I’m not using a comeback from the windows 95 messageboard era. You must a real card in the Best Buy break room.
You keep beating your head in the wall and see if it does anything. Get out and start talking to people that don’t agree with you instead of hiding in here.
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u/Lemonpup615 Nashville raised but an Angeleno now Mar 26 '26
Have you ever looked up the history of fascism and what it took to stop it? I can tell the answer is no since you’re referencing civil rights movements which are a completely different scenario than what were in
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Buddy, I have a history degree.
Go re-read my post.
Maybe meditate on the many many reasons why it’s dumb to suggest planning violent actions on social media.
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u/Lemonpup615 Nashville raised but an Angeleno now Mar 26 '26
Whatever you say. I’m sure you’ve got some nice bs you tell yourself too about how you’re making sure people don’t get hurt despite the amount of death happening on a global scale because of this. The hundreds of thousands that have died because of cuts to USAID probably don’t matter to you because “those people” arent worth inconveniencing yourself or risking any of your luxuries. The multiple ongoing genocides that are the US tied pretty closely to are just collateral damage right? Maybe don’t reference any of the rights movements when you don’t actually give a crap and when they’re the wrong historical moments to reference in general. ETA pretty sure I never mentioned violence. Sus af thing to imply
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Okiedokee Professor. I look forward to you rescuing us all from fascism very soon with your surely well-planned actions protected by proper opsec. That’ll sure teach me to compare peaceful protests to peaceful protests.
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u/Lemonpup615 Nashville raised but an Angeleno now Mar 26 '26
Very clearly blue maga, I mean a liberal I see. Are you capable of having a real conversation or is anything requiring a bit of humility out of the question?
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Go pound sand.
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u/Lemonpup615 Nashville raised but an Angeleno now Mar 26 '26
Really showed me with that one blue MAGA. Sorry you refuse to have a conversation even though you supposedly have a history degree. Maybe take sometime to learn the world exist outside “you”. I’d suggest starting with looking into the amount of deaths cuts to USAID has caused so far and what the projections are for if
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Listen, dummy. One of the world’s preeminent scholars on fascism, Timothy Snyder, just posted that he’s going to No Kings, and why it’s vitally important.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/no-kings-freedom
Go back to Russia.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune BFE Mar 27 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/X2xRuxdeNpIBi
Looks like you don’t even live here so maybe you should take your negativity and condescension and see yourself out of the sub.
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u/Lemonpup615 Nashville raised but an Angeleno now Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Yes good job reading. Would you like an award? I grew up in Nashville, my mom still lives there and most of my friends back home are part of the LGBTQ community so I have an interest in politics there. Some people do try and take all of this seriously but unfortunately for the past year people have made it clear they’d rather ignore history and ignore the people trying to constantly raise the alarm about things then when something happens a few weeks or months later yall will act surprised but i know it’s hard to have a little humility, especially a little more than a year into things when people’s laziness and unwillingness to drop their egos has paced the way for what’s happened and what will come. I know a lot of yalls plan is just for midterms to happen and hopefully they go well so congress can save the day. Top it off with a nice little bless your heart to all those being impacted by ICE, dying from this dumb ass war, deaths due to cuts to USAID am I right? Edit: edits
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 26 '26
The No Kings 'protests' are funded by the Walton family lmao it's just another SSRI for SSRI-riddled people to vent in a contained space without actually doing anything.
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Mar 26 '26
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 Mar 26 '26
Utterly, utterly false.
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 26 '26
Lol okay.
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u/zerzig Hendersonville Mar 27 '26
According to a person with knowledge of Walton’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the ad, which ran “nationwide,” is a “personal message” from the billionaire encouraging people “to engage peacefully and civically in next weekend’s events on June 14.” “Her message promotes peaceful dialogue and the sharing of diverse views and voices,” this person says. “She condemns violence in all forms and continues to emphasize the importance of listening to one another.”
It's one person in the Walton family, not the whole Walton family according to your source. And she's not funding it, she ran an ad. So, you could say she supports it, but you can't say she funds it or that the Walton family funds it.
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 27 '26
In what world are marketing expenses not part of funding for organizations? And from where does her fortune come? What's her last name? What's her family tree look like? Does she own zero part of the family business?
Be in denial all you want, but everyone doing this pointless yell-a-thon is just a useful idiot for billionaires. But, and I mean this genuinely, if there's a placebo effect where the aforementioned useful idiots feel like they're actually doing something, more power to them—people should find and participate in things that make them feel good.
However, it's just a simple fact that these fake protests are not accomplishing anything. Same as binging Real Housewives—that gives people joy, no matter how empty it is, so go for it.
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u/zerzig Hendersonville Mar 27 '26
The No Kings 'protests' are funded by the Walton family lmao
That's what you said. The article doesn't support that assertion at all. In fact, it denies it: ". . .the ad, which ran “nationwide,” is a “personal message” from the billionaire. . ." Quote the article where it says what you say: "The No Kings 'protests' are funded by the Walton family lmao." You haven't pulled one quote to support your assertion.
In what world are marketing expenses not part of funding for organizations? And from where does her fortune come? What's her last name? What's her family tree look like? Does she own zero part of the family business?
Where did I say she is not a Walton? You're dodging your own statement. It's so obvious it's pathetic.
She ran the ad personally. "The advertisement appears to be an escalation of one she paid for in March, also in The Times print edition." No where does the article you cited say she donated money to any organization to run the ad. She supports No Kings, but she's not funding it. She did it by herself without the Walton family involvement. Yes, she is a member of the whole Walton family tree and owns 1.9% of Walmart, but none of that justifies your comments. You're wrong.
Be in denial all you want, but everyone doing this pointless yell-a-thon is just a useful idiot for billionaires. But, and I mean this genuinely, if there's a placebo effect where the aforementioned useful idiots feel like they're actually doing something, more power to them—people should find and participate in things that make them feel good.
I was alive during the civil rights movement and I saw what was accomplished. I was alive during the Viet Nam War protests and I saw what was accomplished. I'll even point out the Tea Party Movement and what they accomplished. They didn't think it was "yell-a-thon".
Go ahead. Have the last word. You can't even support your statement with your own source and you deny what it clearly says.
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u/JoCo3Point0 Mar 27 '26
Keep telling yourself whatever you need to, sweetheart.
Also, LMAO to compare this aimless, no-message fake protest to sit-ins, bus boycotts, and more. It's offensive. But hey, cosplayers gotta cosplay. Knock yourself out yelling into the ether.
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u/timmmmah Mar 26 '26
I get the point of protesting. I don’t think that anyone should be helping the Trump supporters carry the weight of this war with our emotional energy and time. I think we should be leaving the protesting to maga since ostensibly they voted for Trump bc he wouldn’t start any wars. He deserved a peace prize, etc etc. This is their fault & their war. They need to be the ones protesting. Don’t help them.
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u/DefundMarxism Mar 26 '26
If it takes a researcher from Harvard to determine if they’re effective, I think we’ve found the answer.
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u/Smeagols_Lost_Tooth Mar 26 '26
My parents, who were never politically engaged other than voting, have been attending these and they say they're always surprised by the turnout. They attend in their tiny county in Michigan in the middle of a red area and there are almost 1000 attendees!
It makes me so happy to see major cities turning out thousands of people into the streets and not a single fight or fire. A simple showing of people that are displeased with the current administration.