SPENDING BLACKOUT FEB 28

I’ve been on social media much less these days, but when I first heard about this, I thought it was solid stuff. I’m not incredibly well versed on how it’ll work (you might know more about it than me), but the beauty seems to be that you don’t need to.

Basically, it’s this: don’t buy anything, this friday (Or, if you have to, do it at independent/ small/ not corporate venues).

There is a lot of feeling right now of big picture collective helplessness. I certainly feel it. Things are rolling hard, and all impediments to that roll are…rolled over, or ignored, with total impunity. And here, to me, is the rare idea that WOULD have an actual impact, if people do it.

If a million people just don’t buy anything for a day, that is a blip that would…be noticed, I think. Even a little. If 5 or 10 million people did it, even more so. If a third of the country does it…it’s no joke. Some serious gears would grind.

And no, I do not necessarily think that it’ll be crazy huge this friday. But I very much hope that it‘s something; and that if it’s something this month, it could be even more of something next month, and 6 months from now it could be an leverage point for…something. Fuck, anything.

And yes, it’s an unfocussed, broad, collective gesture. I like that too.

You can be any stripe of liberal/ conservative/ republican/ democrat/ socialist/ anti-capitalist whatever you want to be. It doesn’t matter, in this case (for once). You can be just a little peeved about eggs or pissed all the fucking way off. And you’re not “doing” anything. In fact, you're not doing anything on purpose*.

The only thing that matters to the current Powers That Be right now is, in the end, money (and the power/control/ attention that comes with it). Period. Everything else is bullshit, and a smokescreen. And the idea that people who “don’t understand that” are morons and mooncalves.

So, that is where this potentially hits (And also, not giving corporations your $ is, to me, a solid idea no matter when you can do it).

You’re just not spending money, for a day. That’s it. And honestly, it takes almost zero effort. I’m doing it, and I hope a lot of other people will too. The more the better.

I don’t have many illusions about stopping this train. But it’s something.

This idea also came up when I went to the Capitol for the “50 Protests In 50 States” rally, a few weeks back. I wanted to be there, but felt ambivalent, driving across town.

It wasn’t that I felt it didn’t matter, or was pointless. It was more a deep sense that…the forces in play right now do not care, in the least. The days in which protests like this made politicians prick up their ears and pay attention— that is not now, unfortunately. Protesting is effective as a deterrent when there is bread buttered in responding. When, even on some small level, there was a reciprocal sense of: “this is a set of concerns that I have to acknowledge and pay attention to, because if I do not there could be repercussions that my affect or limit MY concerns and actions”. But come on— that’s not where we’re at, right now. There seems to be an actual performative glee in making people being pissed and upset (and that attitude and belief filters from the top, right down to the dude at the grocery store, but lets not get into that, now).

I was glad I went. The crowd was not overwhelmingly huge. But seeing people gather to express whatever varied feelings they have along those lines (AND THERE WERE MANY)— yeah. That is always important and valuable. And hitting that in real life, with real humans, who got off the couch/ screen to do it— More important than ever, I think. I saw some people, had some good talks.

At a certain point one of the organizers gave up an open bullhorn for people to speak their piece. As someone did, I leaned in and thanked this organizer lady for her efforts in this deal. And then I asked “Is anyone speaking about this no buy boycott I heard rumblings about? You know anything about that? Because I honestly feel like this is great but the people and structures we‘re addressing here do not give a single fuck. They probably think it’s funny and cute and maybe even enjoy that people are pissed.” Without hesitation, she said: I totally agree, they don’t care, at all. And then she said yeah I know about the no-buy day (actually I heard it was also “don’t go to work that day as well” but that’s a big ask for a lot of folks) it’s a great idea, and it‘s trying to gain traction as an ongoing, monthly deal.

At that point I wished I’d made some flyers, on my Riso.

Again, we’ll see.

This other interesting thing happened at that protest.

So, like I said, a lot of folks, varied concerns, common sense of sadness/ outrage for where things sit. I went to the back of the crowd to try to find a friend, and there was this….dude. Sort of trench coat type, but wearing some kind of homemade jesters cap with weird symbols and shit scrawled on it. Carrying some kind of homemade wooden…mallet? Like a novelty (punch and Judy?) deal. He looked kind of “out there”, but a lot of folks here are in a getup of some kind. Also it was cold.

While people are talking through the bullhorn 40 feet away (and barely audible even then), he sets down a portable speaker at his feet and turns it on, starts playing some pretty loud… British circus music? It’s not super aggressive, but also purposely disruptive. Hard to tell what’s going on, here. Someone walks up and says something to him, which he appears to ignore. Then they stand directly in front of the speaker to block the noise, a bit. He moves it. All of this is not super crazy and confrontational, but still obviously not good. Finally, a lady walks up and talks to him, then hits the power button, turning off the speaker. He reaches down to turn it back on, they are getting into it, it‘s still relatively subdued but ramping up, she’s moving the speaker he's trying to get it back, and the speaker tips and falls down a couple stairs. I’m still 15 feet from this, but watching, trying to figure out the deal. She walks away, he pauses for a minute, then goes to grab the speaker to turn it back on again. People are now getting uncomfortable.

So, I walk over to the dude and ask what’s going on.

Let’s avoid this sounding like a humble brag; confrontation/ conflict is NOT my favorite thing by a long shot, and I do not consider myself a particularly brave person (I know some of those people, so I know the difference). It was just some part of me that, in that situation, and in that context, was like— go talk to this person like a human being. Don’t be riled, don’t get riled. Just see what happens if you don’t be a dick to this guy.

In answer to my question, he said “they knocked over my speaker, they are trying to silence me“ (or something. Do not trust my relating this verbatim, it was…pretty convoluted). And I said well, most folks are trying to hear what’s coming out of the bullhorn, there, and the stuff you’re playing is making that more difficult. Can you tell me what’s going on here, what the beef is? And he says “Did you listen to the SONG?!?!(the circus music, I assume?) IT’S ALL IN THERE” and I said no honestly I didn’t but can you really just tell me what you want, here?

He pointed to the crowd, and said “You want me to think that …(and I honestly don’t remember what he said he thought I wanted, but it was pretty messy)”

And I (gently) said no, no. It’s just you and me talking. I don’t “want you to think” anything, I’m not ”them”. You don’t know what I think and I don’t know what you think, we’ve never met. I’m just a guy asking what you're upset about here, because I don’t understand. He seemed slightly surprised, and then proceeded to tell me about…I’m not even sure what, really. A couple minutes of fully off the chain convoluted…something. But it ended with that he’d give Trump 2 years and if “it wasn’t better” he’d release his “Einstein‘s secret 2nd law (?!?)” and destroy us all? I mean, he was not well. Either mentally ill or deep conspiracy, or some combination of both. Hard and sad to listen to, really. But as he was talking to me, I could feel him running out of steam. I’d like to think it’s because I wasn’t…judging him, or making a face at him, or whatever, just listened and that’s it. But that might be giving myself too much credit. Could have been any number of things, who knows. But the whole point of it is, he slowly…ran out of juice.

He just sort of…short circuited. Like— he didn’t know what to do with someone not getting angry at him, or making fun of him, or clapping back and telling him he was fucking crazy and cut it out you asshole.

And then he kind of petered out, grabbed his speaker, and left the crowd. I saw him hanging on the outskirts for a bit, but as far as I know, that was it, for him.

I don’t know. With another person maybe I would have got shot or wooden hammered, and I don’t know what compelled me to approach him that way.

Look, I’m not writing this all out as a “hooray for me”, or “DO THIS”; just more as an example of…well, I gave it a whirl. And in this instance, it diffused the situation pretty good. Surprised the hell out of me, really. Yeah, in retrospect he could have smashed me with that hammer or shot me, but the point is, it sort of worked. It’s foolhardy and stupid to think this can and would be effective in every case, but it did here.

So that’s worth mentioning.

Sorry this is late. This flu really knocked me on my ass.

*Just like Drone Not Drones. Go figure. But let’s be clear that in both cases not just “doing nothing”, it’s doing nothing on purpose, for a purpose. That’s different.