Nikophos

True! I know "performative" has a pretty negative connotation and can be used dismissively, but I really do believe there can be power behind simple collective actions like these. Particularly as a starting point for something more.

I'll highjack this comment to add my opinion - I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for the main post.

I see the profile picture as performative, and I usually avoid things like this out of caution; I don't want to fall into a habit of doing something performative and feeling like that was enough action. I also recognize Clippy is a flawed choice, as one of Microsoft's mascots and it's existence as a proto-AI assistant.

All of that said, I found the solidarity in the comment section of the original video comforting. So today, I will perform (and maybe spread just a little more awareness).

:) happy to help! I appreciate the appreciation

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/democrat-republican-elect-primary-1.6497911

It's apparently all part of a Democratic strategy aiming to help those seen as extremist Republican candidates to secure their Republican party's nomination. (Which Mastriano did win.)

The hope for Democrats is that those extreme Republican candidates would be much easier for Democrats to beat in the November general election. But the strategy has raised some concerns about effectiveness and whether it could have unintended consequences.

https://observer.com/2016/10/wikileaks-reveals-dnc-elevated-trump-to-help-clinton/

The memo named Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Ben Carson as wanted candidates. “We need to be elevating the Pied Piper candidates so that they are leaders of the pack and tell the press to them seriously,” the memo noted.

Thank you for allowing it! I tried to find an article covering this group, but as I've mentioned, it's been difficult. With ongoing censorship on other platforms, I hoped the webpage as a primary source would be good enough (or even better than a poorly written article full of ads).

They claim to follow a decentralized ("starfish") model for organizing. The Learn More button in their About Us section links to a "GSUS Welcome Packet" hosted on Google Slides with more information:

Organizing a movement as such requires online activism but also boots on the ground listening and connecting with their community. Our chapters not only help spread awareness about GSUS but by being involved in community empowerment initiatives or organizing their own.

In order to stay true to decentralization, In order to prevent this movement from being stopped, Or a "Leader" being targeted. We seek to explode into many interconneced nodes. State to State, this interconnected system of collaboration will ensure our basic needs are met before and after the strike.

The presentation doesn't have too much information. A lot of their organization seems to occur over regular Discord meetings, and partnering with other grassroots movements & groups.

So there's clearly lots to be improved, but I respect that it's something. Best of luck to you and your family. I also want change!

Absolutely fair, thank you for mentioning the privacy concerns. A reply on another crosspost brought up something similar.

There hasn't been much protest coverage in the news I'm regularly exposed to - I hoped people might find other resources on the website useful, particularly for organizing their own demonstrations or otherwise staying informed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/legal-experts-constitutional-crisis-vance-musk-judicial-rulings-trump-rcna191387

"I think the tweet, taken on its own terms, is empty because it refers to the 'legitimate powers' of the executive. And the whole question in these cases is whether the executive is acting legitimately or not," Greene told NBC News.
"He has some cover in that sense," Greene added, referring to Vance. "He hasn't promised unlawful behavior."
Rick Pildes, a professor at New York University’s Law School, also highlighted Vance’s use of the words “legitimate powers” in his post but pointed out that the judiciary is the branch with the power to decide what a president can “legitimately” do or not do.
"Under the rule of law and the Constitution, it is the courts that determine whether some use of the executive power is lawful or not. That is the critical point," Pildes said via email.
"The concern is that the vice president’s statement could be taken to suggest that the Executive Branch is prepared to refuse to comply with a court order based on the president’s own view that he has a power that the courts have concluded he does not," he added. "A president who orders his officials not to comply with court orders would be creating a constitutional crisis."

Also note,

It's not the first time Vance has floated defying court orders.
Greene pointed out that others in Trump's orbit, including Musk, have floated ignoring court orders.
On Saturday, Musk reposted a post on X from a user who wrote, "I don’t like the precedent it sets when you defy a judicial ruling, but I’m just wondering what other options are these judges leaving us."

I think it's a series of microaggressions; on their own, each comment is seemingly innocent, and every response appears to be an overreaction. But their comments put together paint a larger picture. I think this is part of the strategy - "Look at these emotional people, panicking at nothing!" as they slowly overwhelm and erode their checks and balances.

It's important not to become emotionally overwhelmed, and not to jump to conclusions. I definitely see the tendency to doom-scroll and panic in people right now - I do it myself sometimes as much as I try not to. But I'm thankful for the journalists and scholars that raise alarms, because if people don't know what's happening, how will anyone be held accountable?

Nikophos @ Nikophos @lemmy.ca

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YSK about Changing your Profile Picture to Clippy

YSK about Changing your Profile Picture to Clippy

YSK about Changing your Profile Picture to Clippy

YSK about Changing your Profile Picture to Clippy

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Trump Signals He Might Ignore the Courts | Yesterday, the president said that no judge “should be allowed” to rule against the changes his administration is making.