Unless you spend too much time online swimming in a river of social media, you probably are not aware that the U.S. economy is going to collapse this week. Utter devastation, with “Billions in lost economic output”; “Supply chains delayed, production slowed, shipments disrupted”; and “Billions withheld in consumer activity, immediate losses across retail, food, transportation, and entertainment.” And that, according to the organizers of the Mass Blackout, is the good news.
From today, Nov. 25, through Dec. 2, a small coalition of left-wing groups is promoting its Mass Blackout “[b]ecause nothing will change while fascists remain in power.” I first discovered this movement when a Facebook friend shared a post from the group, urging people during that week to do no work, no spending, no restaurants, no projects, no events, no restaurants (yes, they listed it twice; apparently they really hate eating out).
In the small print, they suggest that you “purchase goods needed” from “community-owned stores and markets” before or after the boycott dates. So apparently even during the strike, you’re not supposed to patronize community-owned stores and markets.
What’s a “community-owned” store anyway? I think most people will assume that it means a small, independent business, though they could have said that if that’s what they meant. It kind of sounds like you’re limited to shopping at Rainbow Grocery — which, to be fair, does have a great rice and grains selection.
Trump is his own worst enemy. Boycotting the cafe down the street isn’t going to be noticed by him.
The Mass Blackout social media message declares these actions keep “our money out of the mega businesses’ pocckets” (sic) [I kid you not]. If the misspellings and repeated items don’t put you off, maybe the entire pointlessness of the exercise will.
Leaving aside that you’ll also be hurting millions of people who work at medium-to-large businesses, and millions of middle-class people whose 401(k)s own shares in large retailers, surely there is a better way to express your opposition to President Trump.
The truth is that November has been a very bad month for Donald Trump, and absolutely none of it is due to organized “resistance” on the far left. Instead, his political pain is mostly self-inflicted, coming from the negative effects of his needless tariffs, the blowback from his debacle of mishandling the Epstein files case, a growing split among his MAGA base, his back-and-forth on Ukraine that always seems to end with his administration taking Putin’s side, or his hiring of questionable attorneys and openly prosecuting his political enemies, which multiply by the day. Except for some crucial support by congressional Democrats to team up with some MAGA colleagues and force the Epstein issue (take a bow, Representative Ro Khanna), Trump’s bad month doesn’t even have much to do with the Democratic Party.
He’s his own worst enemy. Boycotting the cafe down the street isn’t even going to be noticed by him.
I’m reminded of a former colleague who was in college during the turbulent 1960s. She recalled hanging out in the university quad one day when someone in a crowd suddenly shouted “Let’s take over the administration building!” There followed lots of cheers and off they marched to accomplish their task. My friend Cynthia had a different take, which was “Why are you idiots following him? You have no idea who he is; he could be an FBI plant; he could be a violent radical. You don’t know.”
The suddenly urgent need to take over the administration building, like the Mass Blackout, is the perfect action for people for whom having and expressing emotions is more important than having and implementing a workable solution.
Anyway, Happy Pointless Boycott Day, for all who celebrate.