Pivoting From Defense to Offense

The Strategic Shift

Defense (necessary but insufficient):

• Protests: Express opposition but often reinforce the system by asking for permission and staying within prescribed boundaries

• Critique: Names the problem but doesn't disrupt power relations

• Legal challenges: Important but rely on institutions that authoritarians are capturing

• Electoral politics alone: Playing by rules that authoritarians are rewriting in order to assure they can’t lose elections

Offense (power-shifting):

• Mass noncooperation: Withdraws the consent and compliance that all governments require

• Economic disruption: Hits power where it matters most - profit and economic stability

• Joy and celebration: Creates magnetic alternative culture that draws people in

• Prefigurative organizing: Builds the democracy we want (diversity, pluralism, power-sharing, transparency) while fighting the authoritarianism we reject

Moving from Defense to Offense: Strategic Actions

Mass Noncooperation: The Core Strategy

Labor Actions:

• Strategic strikes in key sectors (healthcare, education, transportation, logistics)

• Sick-outs and coordinated work slowdowns

• Refusal to implement authoritarian policies by government workers

• Professional associations withdrawing cooperation (doctors, teachers, engineers)

Economic Noncooperation:

• Targeted boycotts of businesses supporting authoritarianism

• Bank redirects from institutions funding authoritarian projects

• Tax resistance campaigns in coordination with legal support

• Divestment from authoritarian-aligned investments (shareholder activism 2.0)

Civil Disobedience:

• Mass refusal to comply with unconstitutional orders

• Sanctuary city/state implementation and expansion

• Protection of vulnerable communities through direct action

• Occupation of public spaces essential for democracy (libraries, schools, community centers)

Institutional Noncooperation

Government Workers:

• Slow-walking harmful policies

• Information transparency (strategic leaks of public interest)

• Professional ethics refusals to implement unconstitutional orders

Business Community:

• Corporate resistance to authoritarian demands

• Protection of workers from political retaliation

• Maintenance of democratic norms in business operations

Formations to Build and Join

Resistance Networks

Local Formations:

• Neighborhood defense committees for mutual aid and protection

• Workplace organizing committees across industries

• Faith-based social justice networks

• Community resilience hubs providing essential services

Regional and State-Level:

• Resistant state coalitions coordinating sanctuary policies

• Interstate compacts for democratic governance

• Regional economic networks reducing dependence on authoritarian-controlled supply chains

Sectoral Networks:

• Cross-union solidarity beyond traditional labor boundaries

• Professional resistance networks (lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc.)

• Cultural worker collectives (artists, writers, performers)

• Tech worker resistance to surveillance and disinformation

Prefigurative Institutions

Economic Democracy:

• Cooperative businesses and community-owned enterprises

• Community land trusts and housing cooperatives

• Alternative financial institutions (credit unions, community banks)

• Solidarity economy networks

Community Governance:

• Participatory budgeting initiatives

• Community assemblies for local decision-making

• Restorative justice programs as alternatives to carceral systems

• Community-controlled education initiatives

Building Insurgency Mentality + Joyful Community

The Mindset Shift

From Victim to Agent:

• "We are the ones we've been waiting for" rather than waiting for electoral salvation

• Strategic thinking about power rather than moral appeals to authority

• Collective efficacy rather than individual helplessness

• Historical perspective that change comes from organized people, not politicians

From Scarcity to Abundance:

• Mutual aid as community building, not charity

• Shared resources and skill-sharing networks

• Cultural commons (art, music, storytelling) as resistance tools

• Celebration and joy as acts of political defiance

Creating Magnetic Culture

Joyful Resistance:

• Block parties and community celebrations with political purpose

• Art builds and cultural actions that engage broader communities

• Community gardens and skill-shares that prefigure the world we want

• Festivals of resistance that combine fun with political education

Storytelling and Narrative:

• "We're winning" stories that build confidence and momentum

• Local heroes and success stories that people can relate to

• Vision of the future that's tangible and appealing

• Cultural products (music, art, memes) that spread organically

Community Care Infrastructure

Mutual Aid Beyond Crisis:

• Childcare cooperatives for activists and working families

• Community kitchens and food security networks

• Mental health support for sustainable organizing

• Housing support and eviction defense

Security Culture:

• Digital security training and practices

• Know Your Rights training for interactions with authorities

• Jail solidarity and legal support networks

• Community self-defense (physical and digital)

Strategic Sequencing: Building Power Over Time

Phase 1: Base Building (Current)Mutual aid networks that meet immediate needs

• Issue-based campaigns that bring people together

• Community assemblies for democratic practice

• Cultural events that build relationships and shared identity

Phase 2: Escalation

• Coordinated noncooperation campaigns

• Economic pressure on key pillars of authoritarian support

• Mass mobilizations that demonstrate popular power

• Institutional resistance by government workers and professionals

Phase 3: Alternative Power

• Parallel institutions providing essential services

• Democratic governance structures at community level

• Economic alternatives reducing dependence on extractive systems

• Cultural hegemony where democratic values become common sense

Key Principles for Offensive Strategy

Strategic Nonviolence

• Mass participation rather than militant minorities

• Diversity of tactics within nonviolent framework

• Security culture that protects participants

• Discipline that maintains movement integrity

Intersectional Solidarity

• Multi-issue organizing that connects struggles

• Leadership development across all affected communities

• Resource sharing between movements

• Mutual defense against state repression

Prefigurative Politics

• Practice democracy while fighting authoritarianism

• Model the change we want to see

• Build sustainable movement culture

• Integrate joy and resistance

Overcoming Fear Through Community

Collective Courage

• Courage is contagious - people take risks when they see others doing so

• Shared responsibility reduces individual risk

• Community support provides safety net for taking action

• Celebration of courage rather than shaming of fear

Joy as Resistance

• They want us to be afraid and isolated - joy and community are acts of defiance

• Cultural resistance through art, music, and celebration

• Humor and irreverence that deflates authoritarian pomposity

• Hope through action rather than passive optimism

The key is understanding that authoritarianism requires mass compliance to function. When significant numbers of people withdraw their cooperation, from workers refusing to implement harmful policies to communities protecting each other, to businesses refusing authoritarian demands, the system becomes unstable.

This isn't about perfect people making perfect choices. It's about creating conditions where the right choice becomes the easy choice because you have community support, alternative resources, and a culture that celebrates resistance rather than compliance.

The goal isn't just to stop authoritarianism. It's to build a democratic, equitable, joyful society that makes authoritarianism impossible.