A call is made for an even larger march. You initially jump in with enthusiasm. But it’s a slog. Many of your friends say they’re burned out by just marching without seeing changes. (“What’s the point?”) You know they’re wrong that rallies don’t matter. But you start getting clearer about when marches will benefit.
Marches are moments to show power. They show solidarity. They can inspire us. And in a vibrant democracy they can show passionate public opinion. But an autocrat doesn’t care about public opinion, so that tactic won’t work in isolation. You need more organizing to build power, nonsymbolic actions that shore up support against the dictator, and eventually direct confrontations in which large swathes of the population refuse to obey.
Just as you worried, the turnout for the march is half what it was last time. At first it’s still great fun — beautiful signs, large banners, and upbeat music at the march itself. But with smaller numbers, it’s a ripe target for right-wing counter-protestors. They swarm the march. Violence ensues. You get home safe, but a sinking feeling gnaws at you that other tactics might have been more effective.
Trump pounces. He decries the “violent WOKE mob” and invokes the Insurrection Act. Without people holding them accountable, military resistance to his orders collapses and the Army and National Guard begin coordinated raids to “put down protests” across the country. Sadly, others don’t heed your call to do more than just march, like exploring rolling strikes. As Trump entrenches his power, the major tactics of resistance are dwindling marches by well-meaning rebels.
THE END.
You didn’t win this time. Luckily, this is just a game. This is probably the most controversial ending — because marching and protesting are extremely important! But Trump is good at using PR. And the tactics you chose didn’t destabilize or challenge authority — they were just PR. Marches alone won’t save us. We need to learn quickly to add other tools into our toolbox.
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