What We’re Reading: Tools, Warnings, and Invitations
These eight articles are shaping how we’re thinking about resistance right now. We’re sharing them because we know a lot of people are feeling what we’re feeling. And we need more of us.
“You can’t post your way out of fascism.”
We’ve been saying that to ourselves a lot this week. Not as a scold, but as a reminder. A reminder that knowing is not the same as preparing. That outrage is not the same as power. And that silence, in the face of escalating attacks on labor and civil rights, will not protect anyone.
We live in a union house. And this past week, we’ve made a conscious effort to treat our attention like a practice. Less doomscrolling. More RSS feeds. Fewer hot takes. More notes.
These eight articles—some new, some foundational—are shaping how we’re thinking about resistance right now. We’re sharing them because we know a lot of people are feeling what we’re feeling. And we need more of us. Connected. Awake. Ready.
1. You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism – 404 Media
“If you want to resist, you need an actual plan.”
A cultural gut-check. Less a critique of the internet, more a reckoning with how easily dissent gets gamified, monetized, and exhausted. This is your signal to get off the ride—and start organizing.
2. They Are Going to Take Everything If We Don’t Stop Them – Hamilton Nolan
“Do unions have power, or not? If they do, the time to exercise that power is now.”
A direct response to Trump’s executive order dismantling federal union protections. Nolan frames it not as a policy dispute, but as an existential threat to the labor movement. This is your alarm bell.
3. Not Just Unions; Strike-Ready Unions – Hamilton Nolan
“There are no illegal strikes. Only unsuccessful ones.”
If you’re in a union, this one hits hard. It calls out the difference between having a union on paper and having one that’s ready to act. Strategy-level stuff, rooted in historical clarity.
4. What Should We Do If Trump Invokes the Insurrection Act? – Truthout
“Refusal, resistance, and ridicule.”
What happens when protest itself is labeled a crime? This guide anticipates the legal authoritarianism in play and offers a map for when the Insurrection Act is used against us. Spoiler: show up anyway.
5. So You Want to Be a Dissident? – The New Yorker
“Romanticizing dissent is easy. Living it is not.”
A global perspective. Anchored in stories from past authoritarian regimes, this is a sobering account of what real resistance entails—and why small acts matter.
6. What Can I Do to Fight This Coup? – Choose Democracy
“Power doesn’t just reside in institutions. It lives in people who refuse to comply.”
First circulated during the 2020 crisis, still relevant now. This one’s a toolkit for civil resistance: how to stay grounded, why nonviolence works, and how mass action can block authoritarian moves.
7. Fighting Back: A Citizen’s Guide to Resistance – The New Republic
“Everyday people can jam the gears of authoritarianism—if they know how.”
A starter kit. Not just why to resist, but how. Think pamphlet meets strategy doc. Concrete, accessible, and meant to spread.
8. Lorena Gonzalez: Fighting Oligarchy – Speech Transcript
“There are no neutrals. You have to pick a side.”
Lorena Gonzalez doesn’t mince words. This speech draws a line between workers and oligarchs—and then dares you to stand where it’s hardest. Call it a sermon for labor’s next chapter.
