Purpose:
The purpose of this endeavor is to create a rough draft of my ideas to respond to our ever increasing destructive political and social environment. I do not mean for this to be overly political, but it is inescapable to have at least political undertones. I most certainly look for and welcome any suggestions and ideas to enhance the potential impact these actions could have.
Disclaimer: I do not like DJT very much, but I did vote for him twice. I did like many of his policies and loved his “America First” platform. He did not however “drain the swamp” as I had hoped but that project may be nothing more than political rhetoric and a pipe dream. As for me, I am (and have been for over 40 years) a registered independent. I have many problems and misgivings with the GOP but I think there is a modicum of hope that this party can clean themselves up and stage a turnabout. As for the Dems….well to say I loathe them would be understating my feelings. I think they are literally in bed with the evil one and act as little demon henchmen.
Ok, with that out of the way….
The Fight Back Plan:
This plan entails 3-4 stages of action, which probably overlap each other to a large degree but are separated by the level of action / radical involvement people may or may not be willing to take.
Stage 1 is a move against the “social media/ entertainment “industry.
Stage 2 would be a move against the financial industry.
Stage 3 would be the most difficult to accomplish in my humble opinion but would be the full “nail in the coffin”.
Stage 1 would be characterized by a boycott of those companies such as Starbucks, Disney, FaceBook, Netflix, Amazon (WaPo), Hulu, Roku, Google, YouTube, Dish and DirecTV, etc…Even if people are reluctant to do a permanent cancellation, at least a temporary one will have a great impact. People can always re-subscribe later on (perhaps even at a lower cost).
Stage 2 is much more involved and requires a more serious commitment.
*Taking all money out of major banks (Chase, Wells Fargo, B of A, etc..)
* Funding smaller local banks and preferably Credit Unions
* Using cash or debit cards only…no credit cards (cutting off the 2%-3%) streams of revenue.
Stage 3 (very hard):
It would entail the COMPLETE abandonment of any and all support of major college and professional sports. So many of us, me included, are “diehard” sports fans…but the premise behind this action is that we have been so conditioned to follow “entertainment” to the degree that it preoccupies us, sidetracks us, diverts us from the ability to honestly reflect upon the state of affairs we are currently in (i.e. the Colosseum in Rome).
Is anyone worth $40 million a year to dribble a basketball or throw a football? Only if that “superstar” brings enough fans to watch so that the mega companies can sell more crap to us that we do not need. The ad revenue that would be choked off would send reverberations throughout Madison Avenue and be felt by all the professional sports leagues that took the knee and were complicit in the tyrannical overreach!
Stage 4 (we make money):
Now, as an aside to this Plan, there is a way to handsomely profit from these actions. By shorting the market or buying put options against some or all of these companies as their revenues fall and guidance for future profits gets reduced you and I could make some good money. (look at charts of NFLX, FB and DIS to get a glimpse of what could happen) …hopefully, this would not be looked upon by some as an end in and of itself although the profit(s) may be substantial.
The one huge caveat here is that making money is entirely dependent on the level of the participation of those “on board”. No guarantees, but when NetFlix lost a mere 200k of subscribers out of around 22 million their stock took a 25% hit. I am not advocating boycotting these companies that control seemingly everything we do out of some profit-making scheme, but rather as statement that we are tired of their undo power and influence which is wielded heavy and one-sided. The chance to make money is but secondary and obviously not a sure thing.
I would like to think that it could be a way for the “ordinary “folks to have disposable $$ in order to get actively involved in political games in a new and impactful manner. This could be the beginning of the ultimate “end game” to the massive corruption, or at least the best chance we have of truly changing things. The true way to change the landscape of America from a political standpoint is to limit big government, and the MAIN way to do this is to enact “term limits”. Seeing as how this movement would be rejected across the board by all those currently holding elected positions and that these people would have to vote on this huge change……well this makes for an apparent “mission impossible “script.
We would need to actively fund new and current politicians who run under the pledge to make term limits happen. This may be something that takes several years to accomplish …turning the ship around will take time, but the sooner we start the better. Even something “modified” as 2 terms only with the chance of running for office again after sitting out a term may be a doable compromise, but we need to shake the establishment up in a big way, from top to bottom.
Once again, this is just a rough draft as some have asked to “have something written down”.
I am not an “influencer”....don’t wish to be but something of this magnitude would require many hands and many minds. It seems our voices only resound within our own circles but money talks to everyone across the spectrum irrespective of ideologies and political bias.
Any help or ideas are appreciated. I’m not looking for any recognition or financial gain from this effort (except perhaps taking advantage of the stock market reaction), not looking for anyone to “fund” anything at all.
I’m Looking for a way to do this effectively, powerfully, and meaningfully….but I need help, lots of it. Help in new ideas, help in pointing me in the correct direction, help with organization and mobilization…but not financially, so please rest assured I’m not asking for money. I’m asking for my voice to be heard in the most clear and impactful way possible in today’s weird and wacky world.
Thank you for the time you have spent reading this,
Gabby_Normal
Gaburns@gmail.com