There is a direct correlation between the presence of these types of signs and the overall ineffectiveness of a "protest." While there, take some time to evaluate and determine how or if your actions make a meaningful demand to structures of power.

We're still not understanding the concept of anonymous in 2025? Wild.

It's an attempt to disuade others from joining

That's all a layer removed. Concisely: he couldn't do (it) if the public stopped him.

Anti intellectualism in American life - Richard hofstadter

On freedom - Timothy Sydney

Capitalist Realism - Mark fisher

Which side are you on - T Geoghegan

Counter history of the present - Gabriel rockhill

In the ruins of neoliberalism- Brown

How to hide an empire - D. Immerwahr

due to her prior success with weaponizing her office to remove those who disagree with her.

Blackburn went on to receive $215,000 from the pharmaceutical industry between 2017 and 2022.

who had criticized her. This taking place while Blackburn was raging against cancel-culture and as she was taking part in a Senate hearing on freedom of speech.

While many criticized her overreach as a demonstration of an out-of-touch politician, not many knew she was so casual to the approach

...them what the consequences of that bill would be way back in July of ’14."

Rannazzisi was then pushed out of the DEA after complaints from Blackburn. In a callback-turned-satire, Blackburn made news in 2020 when she asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai whether he had fired an employee yet

about the exact effect her laws would have. Rannazzisi spoke during Blackburn's heated race with former Dem Governor, Phil Dredsden, "for (Blackburn) to say she didn’t know, or those were unintended consequences, that’s nonsense because I told them what the consequences would be. I explained to...

The subsequent donations from law enforcement and private prisons allowed her to purchase her mansion on the outskirts of Nashville. Joe Rannazzisi, the former head of the DEA's Office of Diversion control became a whistleblower in 2017 detailing how he had spoken to Blackburn and her team

The opiod epidemic went on to kill around 18 out of every 100,000 people in TN. Blackburn, looking to double-down, aggressively campaigned as a Law & Order republican seeking to prosecute low level drug offenses of those addicted to the drugs she helped push.

If this upsets you: it was supposed to. You're the target audience. There's no defense of inaction, cowardice, comfort, money, tradition, family, or religion that soothes the wounds of those trampled underfoot.

Accept that yours is the goal of the state or acknowledge that you've more to give.

This is the insidious nature of fascist creep: it infects those at the precipice who think they're helping but lack the critique to know they're aiding the state.

It's a conversation we won't have or will have too late because it hurts people to admit that their stunts are the wool of the sheep.

This protest-as-theatre goes beyond the "maybe if we make mean nicknames we can call ourselves activists" crowd and extends to the other ineffectual, uncoordinated insertion of ego into the current moment.

Making a funny sign doesn't stop a fascist's bullet nor does getting arrested (or watching)

It's not a move that delivers material results that undo the current effects of fascism and that's because the center doesn't care about that sort of work: it's difficult.

They'd accept things exactly as they are now so long as they don't get worse and they can maintain whatever comfort they have.