The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: The Theory and Practice of Resistance

Clasping hands against the background of a stone wall. Superimposed text says 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: The Theory and Practice of Resistance'

It often seems like today the world is going through a kind of slow apocalypse, with genocidal violence, devastating climate change, global pandemic, and on and on ... all horribly exacerbated by an awful rightward trend in politics in so many nations. As people who want to do something to make the world a better place, we have found it hard not to despair. But then we remembered that our various careers and lives have given us tools which we find useful, and which we hope may be useful to you, as we try to resist the slide into dystopia.

Episodes

Episode 1: The Nazi Seizure of Power

What are we up against? By looking at one town in Germany in the early 1930s, we can see how the atomization and isolation imposed on the residents by the incoming Nazis fueled the rise of fascism and we can discover practical ways to fight back within our communities today.

Keywords: #resistance #communities #nazis #fascism #isolation

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 1.

Episode 2: The Birth of the Internet

For both good and ill, many of us today seek community and solidarity online. But the Internet can be an insecure place filled with trolls and eavesdroppers. By looking at the early history of how the Internet came to be, we get some insight into where the basic technology makes us unsafe or safe, which we can then use in building authentic community online.

Keywords: #solidarity #community #security #internet #encryption #networking #privacy

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 2.

Here are technical notes to help with Episode 2's suggested actions.

Episode 3: Recruitment to High-Risk Activism

Why do some people get involved in activism while others don't? It's more than just about their beliefs. Looking at the Freedom Summer activists of 1964 helps us understand motivations to get involved in highly risky activism,

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #Activism #FreedomSummer #DougMcAdam, #MississippiSummerProject #HighRisk #Participation #socialmovements

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 3.

Episode 4: How to Send Messages Securely

In these deeply troubling times, individuals may need to communicate with allies about resistance activities, getting needed healthcare, or imminent danger in their lives. Others may wish to act as whistle-blowers or just citizen reporters to expose government or corporate corruption or other malfeasance that they have witnessed. To communicate securely over the internet for any of these purposes requires just a little background knowledge and a few easily available tools, all of which we cover in this episode.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #Encryption #Security #WhistleBlower, #PublicKeyCryptography #PGP #PrettyGoodPrivacy #SecureEmail

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 4.

Episode 5: Weapons of the Weak - Everyday Resistance

The opposing side is incredibly well-funded. How can we hope to defeat them? There are ways to undermine the edifice of fascism. Looking at the tactics of small-scale resistance gives us ideas of things we can do every day to slow down or even stop the onslaught.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #JamesScott #WorkToRule #Desertion #FeignedCompliance

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 5.

Episode 6: How to Surf Safely

We've talked about how to send encrypted email, but what if you want to surf the net, to get information or communicate with allies in other ways than email? This episode discusses what can be done to make accessing the internet as safe as possible both from phones and on laptops or desktops.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #TorBrowswer #Tails #FLOSS

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 6.

Episode 7: Accessing Abortion When It Is Outlawed

With abortion access limited, outlawed, or under attack all across the US, we are back again in the pre-Roe v. Wade era. But pregnant people have always found ways to get abortions and Nancy Howell Lee's classic study on how they did it in the 1960s can help us figure out how to do it today.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #Abortion #Networks

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 7.

Here is a reference for abortion access resources.

Episode 8: Emigrating from the United States - 17 Useful Tips, Facts & FAQs

Leaving can be an act of resistance. This episode offers 17 useful tips and facts, answering common questions we've been hearing a lot lately from friends in the US who are thinking of taking their lives, their skills and creativity and energy, elsewhere. We of course acknowledge that these tips are for folks with the privilege of not being in immediate danger and having some resources for their move.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #Emigrate #Visas

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 8.

Episode 9: Music and Mobilization

What role does music play in mobilizing resistance? Do protest songs actually matter? Looking at the example of the role that radio played in facilitating the textile worker strikes of the 1930s, we can learn lessons for today.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #ProtestMusic #Unionization #Strike #TextileMills #Radio

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 9.

Episode 10: Open Education Under Fascism

Students in higher education in the United States are bearing more of the costs of their education, even in "public" colleges and universities, going deeply into debt, and suffering appalling levels of housing and food insecurity ... all while the costs of commercial textbooks increase at many times the rate of inflation. Open educational resources are a powerful response to these ills, using Creative Commons licenses to get free -- and often better, more adaptable! -- learning materials into the hands of students. Open education can be thought of as a kind of positive analogue of the previously discussed Weapons of the Weak in the battle against fascism.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #OpenEducation #OER #StudentDebt #TextbookCost

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 10.

Episode 11: Sustaining the Movement in the Long Haul

We are in this for the long haul. Key features of sustaining the momentum for resistance are ways of finding pleasure and even joy in our solidarity with others during these dark times.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #AOC #BernieSanders #CoryBooker #Sustaining #JasperMJames #Protests

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Episode 11.

Resist-Ants

Resist-Ant 1: "Signalgate"

Morons in the Trump administration recently misused the excellent secure communications tool Signal. In this Resist-Ant, we correct some of the false impressions that may have been given by hasty press reports of this "Signalgate" story.

Keywords: #Resist #Resistance #Signal #E2EE #Encryption

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Resist-Ant 1.

Resist-Ant 2: Bloc Recruitment: The Quicker Picker-Upper

Fascism is coming in at an incredibly fast pace in the US and mobilization efforts for resistance need to happen at an equally fast pace. Bloc Recruitment is a way of quickly organizing large numbers of committed and trustworthy participants in social movements.

Keywords: #BlocRecruitment #Mobilization #Resist #Resistance #Oberschall

Here are the License, Attributions, and References for Resist-Ant 2.

Except where otherwise indicated, everything on this website is by Kathy Giuffre and Jonathan Poritz and is released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 International license. Creative Commons License