Strikes We'd Like to See

Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their society--by not doing something

by Doug Collins, the Free Press

A Gasoline Strike

Life doesn't end when you can't use your car. It might even get better. Let's remind Seattle of that. On a specific Sunday, a coalition of public-transport advocates, environmentalists, pedestrian and bicycle activists, and suburban sprawl critics could sponsor a "gasoline-free" day. Voluntary compliance as well as rallies, barricades, or walkathons on I-5, I-90, and other arterials could go a long way to bringing car traffic to a halt. Pickets at gas stations could be held. Fun block-party-type neighborhood pedestrian events could be organized for those not wishing to stop traffic. Ask your favorite activist group to start forming a coalition for this.

A Consumer Strike

Why buy so much? Why not spend less money and spend more time simply and enjoyably with friends and family? Show the big retailers that you've got some spine. It's pathologically descriptive of US society that one of our biggest shopping days of the year is the day after Thanksgiving. What should be a shared social time for family and friends has become a stressed-out shopping frenzy for many and a stressed-out overtime work period for retail clerks. For some years now, the Canadian magazine Adbusters has advocated that the day after US Thanksgiving should be "Buy Nothing Day," in essence a consumer strike. (Of course, one Free Press member who is the co-owner of a wine shop suggests that we have a "Buy Nothing But Wine Day"!) The Buy Nothing Day movement has so far generated little publicity or enthusiasm among Seattleites. My suggestion: Buy Nothing Day advocates should try to team up with the Voluntary Simplicity movement, which has got a lot of news coverage locally.

A TV Strike

Commercial television is one of the most insidious influences on society. More hours spent watching the boob tube is associated with higher consumer spending, bad health from a sedentary lifestyle, and a culture that is ill-informed by info-tainment. "TV Turnoff Week" occurs each April. It'd be nice to have some local activism and education surrounding this event, and try to send the Nielson ratings on a spin. Independent radio stations in the area could be good allies for such a campaign, and so could local schools, who might see a decline in attention deficit disorder and other behavior problems if schoolkids became less glued to the TV.

A High-Tech Strike

Sure computers, email, and electronic goods are cool, but are we now their slaves? Nowadays, we use the telephone to call our friend in another state, and we send email to someone halfway across the globe, but we rarely talk face-to-face to our neighbor. Usually we play CDs rather than see live local music. We "interact" with video games rather than with real people. We spend an awful lot of time and money dealing with computer glitches and complications. Take a break and be a Luddite for a day. Unplug, take a walk, enjoy the fresh air, take up some crafts or activities the way people have been enjoying them for thousands of years: without silicon chips.

A Tax Strike

One of the least democratic aspects of our society is that everyday people have no direct say about how their tax money is spent. We should have yearly referenda on what percent of tax money each taxpayer believes should go to social services, what percent to military, what percent to education, etc. How about also having referenda on how much the rich and poor should pay in taxes? If April 15 became a day of raising these issues--and perhaps of not paying taxes--things might change. Locally, the Nonviolent Action Community of Cascadia (see the Do Something! Directory in this issue) has been active on military tax issues and has sponsored some April 15 events. The state sales tax, one of the most regressive taxes in existence, is particularly high in Washington. Retail companies are also not particularly fond of the tax. Boycotts or sit-ins at large retailers might convince these companies to lobby Olympia for an end to the state sales tax and the introduction of a fairer Oregon-style state income tax.