savvydissent

[savvydissent]

not really sure what else to say at this point. these opinions being platformed in the mainstream media is just so catastrophic for the way that people view minorities in this already extremely racist-by-nature country. gasoline on a bonfire.

[savvydissent]

[savvydissent]

at the end of the day, this is a stupid, racist, selfish, necrotizing country

[savvydissent]

thats the thing thats missing from america-centric discussion of fascism: this shit is global. every country in “the west” is seeing the same rise of fascism in real time, all of it focused on murdering migrants. like giorgia meloni is campaigning to deport people to “migrant camps” in albania. last year the greek coast guard outright drowned a boat of 500 asylum seekers. and as that last post said im not dismissing the suffering of people within the US, i’m just saying its so supremely frustrating that every conversation is about the minutiae of american domestic policy and not the horrifying ultranationalist global trend scapegoating arabs and africans.

[savvydissent]

its almost as if trumps loss in 2020 was in-fact a bellwether for the continued rise of neo-fascism... its almost like, just maybe, when a liberal party responds to reactionary ideologies with centrism and militant nationalism it doesn't exactly offer a counter to fascism but instead offers nutritive soil for its roots to grow... you could almost argue that a state that extracts its power from violent exploitation will inevitably fall to fascism... perhaps, just maybe, this is the inherent trajectory of a nation built on genocide... weird...

[savvydissent]

Introducing SavvyDissent

Friends, it's time (I'm sorry to say) to bring back the chain e-mail, the reply all, and the mass text. Security and safe use of the internet just became critical.

I hope you will (securely) spread it through your social circles in person, or by secured email or text.

We're all in shock from the election, and we're all wishing we could do something. Protests and resistance will increase over the next years. My hope, and my advice, is that we take the threat seriously. You (and I) are not overreacting; they tell us their plans. Trump promised at the beginning of this campaign way back in 2023 to overhaul the federal government into his personal bureaucracy. He specified that will include surveillance departments.

This is real, and it's critical to understand the the US is not immune to fascism and authoritarianism. American exceptionalism is a dangerous lie. With the technology we have now, the rise of fascism will look radically different that our historical imaginations conjure, and the administration will be very different than his 2016-2020 presidency.

The 2016 Trump was chaotic and vague, and even then he left destruction in his wake. Now, the far-right have had years to organize for a second Trump regime.

They have concrete plans they didn't have before. Trump is less coherent now, but he's surrounded by people with purpose and competence that in he didn't have in his first administration. His health is declining fast, and JD Vance is potentially even worse ideologically. The Trump administration will likely involve RFK, Jr. and Elon Musk, both of whom are extremely dangerous.

Audaciously, the richest man in the world has warned us to expect austerity. He's in a position to become Trump's propagandist (and has played the role already.)

The Heritage Foundation, an extreme Chisto-fascist organization, are the architects of this coming regime. Their agenda in Project 2025 should terrify us. One of my only sources of hope is that it seems Trump/MAGA are telling us their plans. That advantage is lost when we don't believe them.

We need to accept some harsh truths, and one of these is that social media is not the place for a resistance movement.

It is not our friend or ally; it is demonstrably dangerous. Learning this is part of the mission inherent in the popular phrase, "Don't obey in advance." Don't hand them your information. The CEOs of the major sites are collaborators--they helped manifest this outcome, and they've already demonstrated their willingness to help quell dissent (your photos are used in face-recognition software to identify protesters) and aid the police in hunting down and arresting abortion patients.

We have to rethink organizing, and we have to do it securely.

I must stress that Trump has included leftists (by which he means even moderate liberals and democrats) in his speech about "the enemy within." Even if we are white, Christian, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied, he has declared us the enemy.

Each of us has a decision to make. We either become publicly dissident--risking personal safety to a degree we can't know--or we wage our opposition in the safest way possible.

Social media? They're cops. If we are going to have any hope of staying safe and organizing, we must accept this truth.

We must assess the risk of posting our affiliations and circulate petitions and direct actions on the public web. Most of us are easily identified where data miners and AI can detect this information. For the most part, that's out there, permanently. When you delete an account, the company retains copies of your data.

I am not a security expert, but I have some beginner tips for safer communication.

● Download an end-to-end encrypted messenger app and stop using SMS texting and social media DMs. I recommend Signal or Discord, but would not trust WhatsApp, as it's owned by Meta.

● Look in to data removal services like DeleteMe or Incogni; these will help your reclaim as much of your data.

● Turn off your phone's location tracking.

● Install a VPN and sign up for a secured email. Proton Mail and storage are good; Gmail and Google Drive are the enemy. A VPN (virtual private network) hides your IP address that would otherwise out your location and other info.

● There are cheap anf free options for VPNs and you can find secure email free.

● Install TOR or other secured browsers. Chrome especially is a security nightmare. Incognito or private browsing on your regular browsers is not a safe option.

● Reject site cookies and use best practices for password security.

● Don't make plans online. Circulate information directly using these secure practices. If you volunteer or join protests or see calls to action on public social media, talk with the organizer to urge a move off social media.

● If you attend a protest, read into Black Bloc tactics for anonymity and health/safety, or at least wear a face-obscuring mask. Police have already used face-matching software to arrest protesters in the US.

● Speaking of masking, follow Covid protocols. Our health system will be gutted soon and any measures to prevent communicable disease are going to be on us. (Vaccines could be banned; the CDC eroded even further.) There are dangerous flu strains as well- please take precautions.

● Disable face recognition or thumbprint logins on your phone. Currently the cops are allowed to use these to access your phone, but they can't force you to give them the PIN or pattern drawing. Be aware that could change.

● If you are trans, discuss privacy concerns with your doctor.

● Along that vein, if you're seeking an autism diagnosis *and your level of support needs can be met without it* rethink having your neurodivergence documented. The fate of disabled folks is precarious, and authoritarian/fascist movements are dangerous for us. I'm not sure if ADHD or other neurotypes are at risk, but there is historical precedence for autistics and other divergent people to be targeted.

● Protect each other: Do not out trans, queer, racialized, or any other vulnerable people in your friends groups. Note that includes any pregnant person--Whether you're excited your best friend is having another baby or your kid sister is late for her period, keep that offline. (For the love of all that's holy delete your period trackers.)

● If you know travel plans for someone to travel or move to a safer blue state, you shut the fuck up about it.

If you have further knowledge about privacy and security, add it when you forward this to friends.

I'm planning for this to become an anonymous zine/newsletter where we can distribute info under-the-radar communications network. To opt in to occasional newsletter posts,

email "add me" to savvydissent@proton.me, visit tumblr.com/savvydissent message via Discord or Telegram @savvydissent

Print & distribute on paper.

Share this with your contacts, and circulate it safely. Please message me to share any direct actions, mutual aid organizing, or any relevant info you want to spread. Please take good care of yourself.