“Enough is enough” has been the mantra of many activists and those discontent with the status quo. It’s been used in the context of police brutality, gun violence, school shootings and more.
Yet, despite this seemingly universal attitude toward change and the current state of things, little has changed. The reason for this lack of change is not due to an equally sized opposition, as is demonstrated by the fact that in a gallup poll from 2019, almost two-thirds of Americans are in favor of stricter laws pertaining to the sales of firearms.
The issue is found in the influence of lobbyists, corporations, and wealthy individuals. This fact is of no surprise, and has persisted as a continuing threat to American democracy and interests.
However, the corrupting influence of so-called big money is relatively straightforward and simple. If money is the language of the government, then adapt to speak that language.
In a capitalist (or more truthfully corporatist) society such as ours, interests are tied to profits. By disrupting those profits, the demands of those responsible for the interruption will be listened to, unless the capitalist leaders are willing to continually sacrifice their profits.
The true power of lobbying organizations or think tanks (representing a myriad of special interests) comes from their almost endlessly deep pockets. Of course, repealing Citizens United, the Supreme Court case that allowed corporations (and unions) to make election related expenditures by striking down a federal law that prohibited such action, would be a move in the right direction. While that is a necessary and strong step forward, the wealthy have always found, and will continue to find, a way to have their voices heard and amplified over others.
It’s therefore necessary for those who have repeatedly been harmed by the self-serving interests of the controlling corporations to strike. By tying the issues that plague everyday citizens to the corporations’ profits, which are unfortunately now the driving motive for action in our government, only then can true change be achieved.
When strikes are implemented correctly, they result in tangible results that can improve the lives of many. Unfortunately, as their power has been realized by the wealthy, they’ve continually attacked their right to exist. Many states today have restrictions on employees rights to form unions in order to advocate for themselves, through so-called “right to work” states (of which North Carolina is one).
A general strike applies that concept of a union led strike into a larger, nationwide or even international scale. It shows that the people are united in their cause, and by striking in almost every sector, it makes their calls to action next to impossible to ignore.
It’s apparent that the government is not responsive to the people’s voices, no matter how loud they cry out. Following the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Sandra Bland, and so many more, nothing has changed. The community response and encouragement from others has been overwhelming, but there has been a crucial failing into translating that response into policy and action.
Such a failure is truly at no fault of the organizers, rather an issue with which the method they take. The aforementioned concept of a general strike is designed for exactly the situation we see now. The country is galvanized. The people are angry. The establishment is unresponsive.
In our society, money is the direct line to our leaders. It’s past time that we recognize that and use it to our full advantage to realize change. If people refuse to provide the profits that the controlling class is so desperate to maintain, the demands of the people will be met in response. In this instance, by refusing to work over a set amount of time, be that days or weeks, with a set of policy demands, those policies will be made reality.
Such demands could be defunding the police, funding alternative services such as mental health specialists, addressing the disproportionate impact the drug war has and continues to have on Black communities, or something else entirely.
Frankly, it’s not my place to speak on behalf of those communities and what they need. However, what I can say with certainty is that when a populace is united, the government is responsive, and that is exactly what a general strike can provide for this movement at this moment.
The corrupted nation we live in is no longer answering the pleas of the people, and therefore it is necessary for the people to ensure their voices are heard and answered. Voting would be the typical avenue to express such a voice, but that medium has been rendered ineffective with exceedingly powerful lobbying organizations and direct contributions to politicians.
With no options left, Americans must take the next step in voicing their needs and demand action from the government which is meant to work for them. When cops act as judge, jury and executioner, and the government is complacent, a general strike is one of the only actions that can solicit a real response in a profit-driven society.
Photo courtesy of Kheel Center/Cornell University Library
