As a Canadian, I ask that Americans do more than stand there.
this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2026
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I would say that people are doing stuff, but we're constrained by several things:
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Fixed election cycles: Once in office, only the fellow officers of the federal government, whether Congress or the top tiers of the Executive, are able to recall, expel, or remove officials in the government. Since all the branches of our government are held by one political faction, the chance of this is vanishingly small
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Lifetime appointment of judges: As a consequence of the actions of some key figures (cough cough, RBG) we're stuck with an extremely conservative and Trump allied Supreme Court that won't block or overturn any of the administration's actions
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The leaders of Congress have decided not to exercise their power which for the 249 years prior to 2025 has been the main check against something like this happening. Per point number 1 there's no recourse for citizens until this November essentially. I don't know the statistics in countries like the US vs Canada, but at least here in the South, Senators or Representatives in leadership positions get essentially a free walk at least to the general election, most of them through to reelection
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Due to how it was set up, the US Senate, whose main roll is essentially being the red or green light on much of the President's agenda, changes extremely slowly because we don't elect them all at once. Luckily this year, a majority of the Senate incumbents facing reelection (20 out of the 35) are Republicans, so the Democrats could (in theory) make significant gains or at least have more of a chance to
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This administration has shown that it really doesn't care about popular opinion at all about anything
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As others have mentioned in this thread, the administration has made it a habit of locating and locking up under terrorism charges people that publicly speak out against it and has made it practice to murder people in the street trying to help those in need, so the stakes are significantly higher than political change has been in the past
The main thing Trump has done is exposed just how much of our government has been de facto. I think one of the main issues is that the founders of the country basically assumed good faith in much of the mechanics the built into the system because that was more of a component of high class culture back then.
I think it's important to remember for us Americans too though that almost to a man, most of these guys hated each other and did everything in their power to undermine each other. People talk about polarisation in politics today like it's a new thing and totally unprecedented. The Era of Good Feelings lasted like 5 years people, democracy needs disagreement to survive
And I'd like to add that 'hopefully' people have learned a lesson here. I too was incredibly frustrated by the fact that Congress just doesn't get anything done... but I'm not electing a dictator to solve it, wtf
Radical change requires radical action.
A system built to stall/slow progress to retain the levers of power rarely changes from within.
We, Americans, should know this better than most. We've grown up with it after all. Propaganda and platitudes are just the smokescreen for the corporate owner classes that own the levers of control.
Reformation always follows a revolutionary time (violent or not). They're two sides of the same coin.
We're literally fighting pedophiles and rapists in office (or those who share their ideologies of gaslighting and DARVO.) Do you think they take no for an answer?
We want bike lanes, public transit, better social services, parks, etc. Well, you have 623 pieces of paper to file, 221 meetings, 73 votes to collect...
Meanwhile, look how fast those Flock cameras went up with barely any approval. Look how fast those data centers got approved and built. Closed, backroom deals with no input, or even just mayors outright vetoing the town's votes. They have the ideology of rapists.
And sitting here with all the reasons against us changes nothing.
I'm proud when they call us radical. Because we're radically fighting to make people's lives better. And the political mechanisms in place are designed to stop that. We live under neoliberal capitalism that is supposed to deliver us freedom and democracy. It has many underlying tensions. One is the freedom to grow capital vs the freedom of peoples. Our systems have been built on the freedom to grow capital OVER the freedom of peoples.
So the only way left for us to make change is to be disruptive. To get up and do something. And be willing to sacrifice for the greater good because the system is designed to take from us if we step out of line. It's designed to protect those with capital over those who deserve justice.
Just do whatever you can. I realize it's tough, I'm facing the same choices, putting food on the table, making sure my family is safe. But if we do nothing put complain and post online, what will we accomplish? Show your representatives that they should fear you. They are your employee, you pay them. Maybe stop paying them? Look at the war tax resistors for more info on that. Maybe protest in public spaces outside their residences and offices. Be a nuisance. Don't let them rest. They won't let you rest while they threaten our neighbors and our lives. And please, people, force some democracy into the workplace. We live most of our lives under these little kings. Force legislators to give us worker protections, amend the god damned constitution to give workers the protected right to strike.
I could go on and on...but vent over. I understand Canadians being frustrated, the world being frustrated, because I'm frustrated with how little Americans have accomplished so far. We're angry but we're still going to work and following the rules mostly because we're still scared. We rely too much on the capitalist machine. Start getting involved locally and building alternatives to the reliance on big corpos as much as possible.
People are being imprisoned under terrorist charges for life for standing up to this government in peaceful protest
Maybe should learn how to protest from the French.
The French police aren't trying to kill the protesters. They literally shoot you in the head with bullets here.
So what's the plan? Good luck on that vote you've got coming up, but let's not be naive about what might happen. Hiding and hoping didn't work out very well for Anne Frank, it won't work for Americans either.
I thought you had a second amendment just for this?! If we believe the amount of Americans here telling everyone to arm themselves, and that they are ready to defend themselves if a police officer looks menacing, you'd all be ready for this.
Americans are cowards. That 2nd amendment is only good for the NRA to defend guns when idiots kill children in schools in order to send out thoughts and prayers.
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Good thing you guys keep screaming about your Second amendment just for this. Or maybe get rid of it and most of the weapons.
It ain't gonna get better by lying down or bending over.
Let me speak in my American voice: βlol, what are you doing? Iβll follow you.β
And Iβm saying this in a voice that just sprinted a mile and is out of breath.
"Please solve our problems for us"
Sorry Americans, we don't tend to interfere in other country's affairs - that's kinda your shtick. Go primary an incumbent or something.
Gotcha overthrow the government in bloody Civil War for your convenience.
Wow, pretty awful comments here so far.
Thanks neighbour. I hate your government, but I don't hate you. You are not your government. Keep resisting in anyway you can.
We're trying to while avoiding terrorist charges for simple things like carrying pamphlets that isn't right wing approved
what is the 2nd amendment for?
Guess that depends on how you understand the second amendment. Many modern Americans believe itβs a green light to own ARs to take lives indiscriminately. American forefathers envisioned something much closer to an armed militia to stand up to a tyrannical government.
I think it boils down to a lot of frustration on our part. Every time he threatens us or another ally everyone says how sorry they are, but nothing comes of it and it just keeps happening.
It's just as easy for us to commit sedition as it is for them to commit treason.
What are we doing to help them organize their revolution?
That shit ain't easy. We need to support any resistance we can, no matter how small.
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Leave it to an American to come here, express sorrow to us, and then expect grace from us when all they do is type a sentence in a community that isn't targeted for them.
I'm sick of Americans coming into other communities, getting on their soap box, and then saying the bare minimum to expect praise. People have stereotypes about us saying sorry all the time, but online all it ever seems to be is self-deprecating Americans coming into communities of other countries saying "sorry we're like this..." and "I'm sorry for being American"
If you truly cared you wouldn't be here begging for internet points in a performative confessional, get out and do something, showcase it, and then maybe you get a pass because ten years of this crap in varying degrees has gotten extremely tiring.
fair.
This post is probably a bot. If you think you're tired of it, just imagine how we feel.
Then. Go. Do. Something. You literally voted that shit mess in, or your family, or your friends or coworkers did. We don't give a fuck how you feel. That ship has long sailed.
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Come back to us when you have done something about it.
As a working class human I stand for the working and poor classes. Fuck nationalism.
I agree. Globalism is the best way forward for the whole planet. A universal collective moving forward positively into the future. The powers that be, however, make "globalism" sound like a conspiracy by the elites who eat children. Fuck this timeline.
No Globalism sucks and got us where we are. Look at what happened the world depends on America so much they don't want to upset them.
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I personally can't stand these kinds of posts since they're just so pointless. Are you expecting a pat on the back for making an internet post about how sowwy you are?
Maybe put in a bit more effort if you actually stand with us. Share links about communities with like-minded individuals. Show us what you have been doing to change your country. Show us how we can help you guys.
Edit: I'd love to know why I'm being downvoted.
Thank you.
Then protest. At least weekly. Not every 4 months. Even if itβs just you doing it. It has to start somewhere
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