This is an enormous topic that cannot be discussed in any meaningful detail in this format. So, very briefly…

We can’t possibly beat oligarchical power on their playing field. But that is where principles of asymmetric warfare apply; Afghanistan managed to beat the shit out of two superpowers, both of whom just quietly backed away. Asymmetric techniques, and hopefully with a lot less physical violence* than what happened in Afghanistan. There is no silver bullet and definitely nothing that is one-size-fits-all. There is a very large array of resistances from which to choose; it’s up to you to find what works best for you.

*The economic and ecological violence are already being perpetrated on us.

There is the obvious form of resistance: unionization. It is a very effective hedge against power when deployed in significant enough numbers. I also threw out some examples in my comment to which you replied. [Extremely broad generalization warning] effective resistances are not going to happen from our keyboards; memes and quips on social media are not going to win over any hearts and minds to our cause.

I don’t know where you are in your resistance journey, so I can only make very general, abstract suggestions. I apologize in advance if any of these are obvious or already in your quiver. Resistance could be anything that stems the tide (off the top of my head and in no particular order or priority):

• contribute to open source software
• contribute to the FULU knowledgebase
• setup a local mesh network
• repair, reuse, donate directly (e.g. Freecycle)
• learn to repair and tailor your clothes, then do it for others or teach them
• tutor or mentor in your field(s) of expertise
• join your local or regional timebank
• start a tool library if your area lacks one; take a volunteer shift if it already exists
• get physically out and about in your community and actually talk to people
• go for a walk and clean up all the trash you see on your walk (bring a bucket and picker-grabber)
• bicycle
• drive less or not at all
• attend city council meetings and make sure your concerns are being addressed
• volunteer at your local foodbank
• start a food garden, bucket garden, hydroponics, or window planter
• have your neighbors over for dinner
• organize work parties - bike moves, barn raising, beach cleanup, etc.; many hands make short work plus connections get forged
• learn about the history of resistances

Some of these may seem meaningless, and to be sure, they do not all apply to every person’s context. But anything that shores up and strengthens the connections within your community, gets you out into the community, shows your neighbors that you’re making stone soup… is a net win. Small things add up and pretty soon make big piles. Basically, light a candle rather than just curse the darkness.

Gee, I wonder how everything got so fucked up.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is right now. A journey of a million miles begins with a step… blah blah blah taco.

But in order to effect any change, we have to start working towards that change. We have the numbers. The Conservative/fash overthrow didn’t happen overnight or even in a couple decades. It was a widespread, manifold effort on multiple fronts. But now that pretty much everyone has seen its effects, people are broadly growing sick of their policies. We can and are building something better. More than that, the systems we can build are resistant to infiltration and interference by entrenched oligarchical powers.

Timebanks, Truly Free Markets (bring your extras, take what you need), clothing repair/tailoring, and fix-it clinics are some of the ways my partner and I invest our time in our community. It amounts to about two hours per week spread over the year. I mentor and tutor in writing, math, and engineering, and write software for community projects. One of my close friends coordinates gardening efforts and free food exchanges in his impoverished community. He builds window boxes, indoor hydroponic systems, automated systems for those without yards/garden area. **There are myriad ways to build and everyone has worthwhile skills to contribute. **

There’s so much I love about Aurora. Every time I boot up my video editing laptop or rendering desktop, it’s like… slipping into a hot tub on a cold winter night.

Funny you say that… my previous job was on Win 11 and a sovereign cloud version of Copilot, the latter of which we were “strongly encouraged” to use for everything. That went nowhere fast.

It could potentially look like a timebank (https://www.timebanks.org/). Timebanks are a means of exchanging labor wherein everyone’s time is valued equally. By performing services for someone anywhere in a timebank network, e.g. hOurworld.org, you receive that time which you can then use to receive services from someone else.

You’re not gonna believe this… there’s totally a system to enable exactly that, called timebanks. It’s a means of exchanging labor wherein everyone’s time is valued equally. https://www.timebanks.org/timebank-map-and-directory

Disclosure: I’m a founding board member and the treasurer for my regional timebank. I’m all in on the timebank kool-aid.

The “safety” is a secondary lever on the trigger.