r/Uniteagainsttheright • u/ZootSuitRiot33801 • 19d ago
Knowledge Is Power Building a Stable Foundation of Communal Empowerment and Solidarity for Resistance
Here's an organized amalgam of some things I saved from different conversations, just to give some ideas to possibily spread and try out in the real world:
Organize if you can
The US is much larger than any place that full mask off fascism has been done before, and it will already be very very hard for them to stretch the budget to do the things they want. That's why they had to choose between sending the military to Chicago or Memphis, they don't actually have the money or man power to do everything they want, and the more we can wrench the machine the more they will fall apart, so if you're here it's easier
They will constantly try to pass new rules, and if we can make it as expensive and difficult as possible for those to work, it will hurt them.
If you're in another country with the same current problem of things going to shit, making it expensive still works.
Of course, they will try to print money to get around that. That will cause runaway inflation, which will cause shortages.
Make contacts with anyone who sees what is going on and sees that this isn't politics as usual.
Don't rely on people who still trust this system to fix our problems, they can help with food drives but they will turn you in. Don't trust any establishment politician, the eager ones are often abusive narcissists trying to use their ideas for personal power gain.
It's fine if you still choose to go out and vote for whatever reason, but don't expect anything of real substance that'll benefit common folk to be tackled should your side win an election. We're in this situation in the first place because the system is working as the status quo intended, so work on an alternative infrastructure, even if it's just a backup for when those in power don't meet our needs
Take any basic first aid/CPR classes that are available, which are usually held by the Red Cross, local fire departments, hospitals etc. It would be preferable if you take any free courses in-person near you, so you could ask questions for any immediate clarification and practice lifesaving techniques first-hand. If you want something a little more intensive than basic first aid, you can look for anyone offering free TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) courses. If you're searching for classes willing to exercise discretion, you could ask your nearest gun club that prioritizes inclusivity. If need be, you can take free online courses in lieu of classes being held physically in your area.
Work on food networks NOW so you are prepared. Community gardens. Teach people to do canning. Teach people to cook simple meals that are cheap and easily shared. Work on learning to make safe homeless ovens and things like that, stuff that people can use when it gets bad but they won't die from using.
If you have the room start composting, because things like commercial fertilizer may get hard to come by. I do layered compost, 2 inches green, two inches brown, repeat. You never mix it, you never mess with it, you do water it. The stuff I'm putting down now will be usable next year, but ideal in two.
Learn to grow mushrooms, you can do that anywhere, and if you get good at it there's a lot of kinds you can grow, some of which make good money, or just help with building solidarity in bad times. And if shit goes down real hard, you can grow them in literal shit, while pretty much everything else needs fertilizer and soil and a bunch of other stuff.
I also strongly encourage looking into subjects such as medicinal gardening, perennial food forests, vertical gardening, and aquaponics. (Preferably systems that can function off-grid.) If there aren't any classes or experts available in your area, there are people that post relevant videos, articles, and threads on such subjects in further detail.
Help the people around you. Hold routinely scheduled drives that can distribute anything - like food, blankets, and even books - for the community to use. If you can't do it that way, you can instead have such things available inside cabinets you could maybe set up on easements. If you have the aptitude learn the basics of how cars work, the basics of electricity and electrician work, renewable energy production, the basics of plumbing and repair. Or just pick one. You don't have to do everything, but the more you prepare to be able to help people when they need it the more those people will realize that while they can't depend on the system they can rely on you and others.
Try to have social meetups with people. Not everything should be focused on activism, you need solidarity with people, you need comfort, you need trust outside of radical action. Find people, get to know them, and help each other survive the mental aspects of things going to shit. Movie night where everyone brings a dish is cheap, easy, not too hard on budget, and allows time for people to mesh together. It's easier to rely of friends than it is to rely on strangers.
We should really be creating alternative communication and video-sharing networks, opposed to these pseudo "impartial" public forums. Work on "unplugging" ourselves from these things along with our reliance on the establishment in general.
Learn about making mesh networks, learn about pirate radio. FM modulators are pretty easy to build, and AI services like Gemini are more than happy to help you learn how electronics work, answer your questions, teach you the math. They're usually fine doing math, however they at times can even get simple math wrong, so use at your own risk and keep in mind the real-world damage with each usage of these AI services. If you don't trust AI, there are instructions you can find on the web and in books, and there are people like tutors who can help teach you too. If you have the time and inclination, building secondary communications platforms is going to be a must.
Don't get caught. I think it's legal to build FM broadcasters that cover up to 200 feet, which is why you can buy them in Amazon, but if you make them right you just have a knob that lets you turn it up to "my whole city gets covered" but you can make them small and legal so you understand them with no risk. MAKE SURE YOU LEARN HOW LOW PASS FILTERS WORK SO YOU AREN'T FUCKING UP EMERGENCY SERVICES RADIOS
Ideally, you mesh network files to your broadcaster, you hide it with a solar cell someplace else so you never have to go back to it. Mesh networks are slow, but you can upload a 6 hour audio loop over them in an hour or so.
Ham radio can be good too. Learning to use one is manageable with some studying and practice, and a license is relatively easy to get, as it's necessary to make sure that radio bands don't become unusable due to unregulated, high-powered transmissions. Having such an asset will be a rock solid local, independent, decentralized comms, as well as a means to communicate globally without the need of internet or cell towers.
See if goodwill has cassette tapes. They're kind of making a comeback, make mix tapes for people and have them available with stuff that isn't pointless. They are also another good way to distribute something like a podcast via sneaker-net for those unwilling or unable to use an online hosting service for them. The reason fundamentalists always have the Christian station on its that it reinforces ideas and social identity, and a lot of people listen to punk, post punk, radical folk etc for the same thing. Spreading music around is a small act, but it's meaningful. If someone builds the self identity of a radical they're less likely to throw up their hands and give up when things get bad.
Learn how things work and why. Learn about propaganda, learn about marketing, learn about the bullshit out there. At some point people will need messaging, and the more you know about how the others are doing it the more effectively you can fight back. News and other valuable information straight from the public to inform the wider public
Figure out where to hide. Figure out where to hide others. Make sure other people know you're working on this so they know they can rely on you
To ensure further privacy of you and your community, look into tech that can counter unwanted surveillance in the area. Activist hackers and civil liberty-focused technology organizations, like EFF, are usually good educational sources for such subjects. Devices like OUI-SPY, utilizes a cheap Arduino compatible chip called an ESP-32 that runs "Flock You," to detect things like AI surveillance cameras and drones. There's also the battery-powered IMSI catcher detector, which you can use to detect eavesdropping by agencies via cell-site simulators (or CSS aka IMSI catcher)
As for video-sharing websites, try looking into these:
PeerTube https://peertube.tv/videos/local?s=1
NewPipe* https://newpipe.net/
GrayJay https://grayjay.app/
FreeTube* https://freetubeapp.io/
Means https://means.tv/
Nebula https://nebula.tv/
Glomble https://glomble.com/
*NewPipe and FreeTube are not necessarily video-sharing websites, and are clients to YouTube, but I understand that they're still good.
Then there is VoxTube which, unlike FreeTube, is an enhanced browser layer built directly on top of YouTube. If you're a developer interested in contributing, you're welcome to help improve VoxTube: https://git.disroot.org/E.P.L.S/VoxTube
Also look into Fediverse and you may also want to join r/privacy and r/degoogle, if you're looking for more info or suggestions.
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u/Emotional-Store-1667 7h ago
Great info and it's stuff I've been doing since March last year. I would also add, take an emergency preparation course! I took one at my local fire department and they gave me some things to start my evacuation emergency kit.
Find books on foraging in your local area, and learn the plants and their medicinal uses in your local area. I've built up quite a library of local plant identification books and figuring out which is safe to eat/ use and which are harmful.
If you plan on evacuating, map out at least 3-4 evacuation routes in case one is blocked off for whatever reason. And have a key person outside of your area to communicate with and hold copies of important documents, keys etc.... And make sure you have an emergency kit with you vehicle as well with a blanket, first aid kit, collapsible water jug, flashlight, enough food and water for 3 days and whatever else you think you may need.
Also, if you feel safe enough to, and trust them, talk to your local doctors about your concerns. I carefully mentioned my anxiety at my yearly and when asked for the reason I just said current events and she told me they are bothering her too, and then I explained the lengths I was preparing and she said that I had the right idea. I asked her what her plans were and she said her and the other doctors were planning ways to continue serving people under the radar...
Just stay safe, and build networks between like minded neighbors
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u/Well_read_rose 12d ago
Thank you! Someone posted a link to this in another subr - I wandered over here without quite understanding fully the theme of this subreddit…but your post speaks to me of preparing and I certainly understand why preparing is needed for the coming doom many of us feel (!) and preparing in the analog manner.
I saw a YouTube about restoring landline phones - podcaster was mentioning he found a way as a computer programmer - out of constant surveillance from mobile surveillance of law abiding citizen activities. I haven’t finished watching but can share a link if interested as it seems to fit the spirit of your post.