After the Election: The Power in Collective Struggle
Faced with growing oppression, it’s time to confront the fragility of our rights, embrace collective struggle, and build community through mutual aid and action.
A month after the election, the dust from election night continues to dissipate, and many voters still find themselves in a state of disbelief. To them, the unthinkable has happened, and they were simply not prepared for such an eventuality.
Theirs is a uniquely American post-traumatic stress, borne of the first Trump regime, now triggered by the reality of his impending second ascension to power.
The natural human inclination to wonder what went wrong quickly becomes a cranial investigation to find the culprit behind such a travesty.
Somewhat predictably, the blame is often placed on those who rejected outright the illusion of choice presented by the two-party system. Those who voted third-party or, worse, decided not to vote for any representative of a fascist empire, are attacked for “losing the election” for the Democrats.
What Went Wrong?
Of course, this misplaced anger would be better aimed in the direction of the establishment, who, it seems, just never learn their lesson.
It is, after all, their candidates—those glorified professional fundraisers—whose primary function and mandate consist of normalizing the diminishing quality of life stemming from their inaction to affect societal change.
That is to say, aside from the occasional empty symbolic gesture or platitudinous lip service, there is naught more these feckless beguilers can point to as real, tangible values.
For all intents and purposes, “I hear you, I see you,” has become the mantra of those who are deaf and blind to the world outside their capitalism-furnished bubble, from which they’ll occasionally emerge to don Kente stoles or engage in some insider trading.
This is the party that tried to gaslight us into thinking that Biden was not the stupefied marble-mouth we all witnessed, until of course, after it was too late for a primary process.
At that point, they then chose to anoint a candidate who, in 2020, dropped out before receiving a single vote, because of her failure to connect with voters and their money.
This candidate then courted Dick Cheney, an actual war criminal, and his daughter, Liz, a McCain Republican.
This was a deliberate effort, made after realizing that the campaign’s chances of crossing the aisle were better than wooing those who saw a pledge of unwavering support for genocide (amid a litany of other offenses) as disqualifying.
Therefore, to ascribe blame to anyone but the entity commissioned with the charge to appeal to a citizenry and earn its votes is to miss the point of a supposed democracy entirely.
Facing the Collective Struggle Ahead
Nevertheless, in light of the impending Trump administration and its openly authoritarian agenda, it’s easy to understand the sense of dread, and anger many feel.
Virtually no one, with the obvious exception of the cultish lot who furiously and emphatically voted for him, wanted Trump to return to power.
With the courts stacked in his favor and a supermajority secured, the stage is being set for a regime reminiscent of those led by Kaiser Wilhelm or Tsar Nicholas, both of whom, incidentally, ruled over the unraveling of their own respective empires.
Trump has pledged to enforce policies that include further outlawing abortion, targeting undocumented people for deportation, imposing extreme tariffs, and persecuting LGBTQIA+ communities, to name just a few.
Additionally, his administration has outlined plans to dismantle environmental protections, roll back workplace anti-discrimination laws and eliminate federal oversight on police accountability, just to name a few.
The list of those being brought into the ‘brain trust,’ for lack of a better term, is full of undeniably alarming prospects, although they aren’t out of step with the last Trump administration and its inflammatory and absurdist appointments.
The unabashed nominations of those appointees almost seemed to purposely shine a light upon the threadbare veneer that had come to shield the public from the government’s otherwise secret dealings.
A Moment of Equalization
This moment represents a unique point in time—one of equilibrium, albeit not in the way many of us hoped.
Ideally, this sort of egalitarian moment would have come through the expansion of rights for the marginalized and a momentum toward a truly equitable society.
Instead, we now await the kind of equality that comes by way of the collective stripping away of rights, a sobering reality made inevitable by the very systems that claim to protect those rights.
For those voters who have long considered their rights secure—those who have viewed the plight of the oppressed through the disconnected lens of supremacy—this should serve as a reckoning.
Their so-called rights, long believed to be immutable, are revealed for what they truly are: privileges, fragile and revocable at the whims of the powerful.
This harsh reality, as bitter it may be, has the potential to stir awake those who still hold out hope for liberation through existing power structures.
“Wake up! Wake up! You’ve got free will again, and there’s work to do!” - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
For the first time, they may be realizing that the loss of one person’s rights imperils everyone’s freedoms. They are learning that no one is exempt from the oppressive machinery when it turns inward.
The Savior You’ve Been Waiting for Is You
This equalizing moment, grim as it may be, holds a profound truth: the struggle for liberation is not an individual endeavor but a collective one.
The illusion that personal freedom can exist independently of collective freedom has always been a dangerous fallacy. As this becomes evident to more people, we are presented with an opportunity to transform despair into action.
The epiphany awaiting those who now see the fragility of their freedoms is simple but revolutionary; that is, rights cannot be safeguarded through complacency or piecemeal reforms; they must be fought for through collective struggle.
Liberation is not something we achieve for ourselves alone—it is a shared endeavor, achieved only when every member of humanity stands as an equal.
What Comes Next?
This understanding must translate into action. Acknowledging the interconnectedness of our struggles is only the beginning.
The path forward lies in building coalitions across lines of identity, geography, and circumstance. It lies in dismantling systems of oppression that serve the few at the expense of the many.
It’s time to step beyond the bounds of electoral politics and start supporting a society that can subsist, even thrive, by circumventing the current system. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to promote this way of life.
Direct Action and Civil Disobedience: Large-scale participation in strikes, protests, and acts of civil disobedience can disrupt the systems that perpetuate injustice and inequality.
Mutual Aid Networks: Decentralized and community-driven, these networks provide immediate support to those most affected while fostering solidarity. In Phoenix, for example, one might look into orgs like Mutual Aid Phx, or even starting their own neighborhood pod.
Community Building goes beyond immediate aid to focus on creating long-term systems of empowerment and self-sufficiency. It involves cultivating local resource-sharing initiatives, such as cooperatives, community gardens, and neighborhood safety programs.
Volunteerism serves as a direct and impactful way to support your community and contribute to collective change. By offering your time and skills, you can strengthen existing initiatives, provide essential services, and build relationships within your community. Getting involved in your local Food Not Bombs is a great way to volunteer.
Deconstructing the Illusion of Privilege: Recognize that privileges rooted in systemic oppression are not rights worth preserving but rather mechanisms of division that weaken collective power. Remember, any freedom that can be taken away is not a right, it’s a privilege.
Educate Yourself and Employ Critical Thinking
Liberation requires understanding the structures we aim to dismantle. Engage in continuous learning—study history, systemic oppression, and the interconnectedness of struggles. Critical thinking allows you to assess information thoughtfully, extract context, and transform insights into actionable strategies.Pass On Knowledge Freely
The free flow of information is a cornerstone of liberation. Share what you’ve learned not as an authority, but as a collaborator in collective growth. Avoid gatekeeping knowledge or restricting access. Instead, create open spaces for dialogue and resource sharing, ensuring knowledge is a tool for empowerment and action.Become Ungovernable
Reject systems of control that perpetuate oppression by actively resisting compliance with unjust laws and policies. Imagine and implement elements of a new world. Create protest art and plaster it everywhere. Yell on a street corner. Chain yourself to some machinery! Remember, these are absurd times, so don’t be afraid to make your own absurdity.
Finding a Silver Lining
The bleak occasion of Trump’s return to power offers a unique opportunity for reflection and transformation—a moment for individuals and communities to reevaluate their roles within systems of power—indeed, within society itself.
While the challenges ahead may seem daunting, they do not have to be faced alone. Liberation is not some foregone conclusion, arrived at through checking a box once every few years. It isn’t some divine, inalienable right, either, but a state of being obtained through common struggle.
The systems that perpetuate inequality and oppression thrive on division and complacency. By embracing solidarity and rejecting the illusion that anyone is immune to the harm of an unjust system, we have a chance to unite in a shared struggle for equity and justice.
This is the moment for voters—especially those who desire to change the world for the better—to realize that collective struggle is the only path to liberation. Only by embracing this truth can we hope to dismantle the structures that oppress us and build a better future for everyone.