/r/50501 Mirror

Originally Posted By u/Difficult_Strain3456 At 2025-04-03 02:29:47 PM | Source

I’ll be attending several baseball games in the near future and don’t know the best way to react to the national anthem being played. I can’t decide if I should sit in protest or stand in defiance.

Originally Posted By u/UniqueMintChip At 2025-04-03 11:02:59 AM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Infamous-Echo-3949 At 2025-04-03 01:31:28 PM | Source

Yesterday was the cherry on top of a continuous line of unilaterally harmful orders pushed by the Trump admin.

I'm starting to see even the most devout Trump groups starting to question and outright turn on him. Their own constituents in town halls are furious. Fox News is starting to turn on him, perhaps because they sense the tide. Joe Rogan is giving some slight dissent. No one seems to like Musk still. No one really understands the tariffs. A few Republican senators have voted against him. The market is tumbling. Trump makes less sense each day, seems less enthused, and rants and mumbles more than ever.

None of these things in themselves point to an inflection point, but the signals are there that his support is finally waning. The momentum is changing in our favor and we must act to (1) Not destroy public support by engaging in needless violence and (2) Show up in large numbers in DC and our towns/cities to represent the will of the people.

I feel, especially with the latest inane tariffs, that April 5th may be a larger day than anyone realizes. It may even be historic - historic in the way we view society-changing protests of the past.

I was scared initially, but now I'm excited. I want to be part of the wave. I want to be part of the right side of history. I want to be able to say I acted with integrity and courage when it all happened.

Momentum is on our side. The power of conviction in truth and integrity is on our side. We have a north star. We the people. Let's go. April 5th.

Originally Posted By u/zeustheranger At 2025-04-03 12:09:31 PM | Source

knowing elderly white dudes that worked their entire lives and padded their retirement plans intelligently just to vote for this administration and essentially lose what they worked for…is vindicating, yet i can’t help but empathize with how angry they should feel that they did this to themselves.

i wanna say “i told you so,” but i also wanna fight on their behalf. what a weird world we’re in.

Originally Posted By u/muthertuck At 2025-04-03 12:43:28 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/greenascanbe At 2025-04-03 02:48:54 PM | Source

The Lincoln Project has launched a new campaign: “We’re Taking Back the Flag.” The American flag belongs to all of us—not MAGA.

MAGA has co-opted patriotic symbols to push an agenda that doesn’t represent most Americans. It’s time to reclaim the flag as a symbol of democracy, inclusion, and hope. A promise of freedom.

Fly it right side up or upside down as a show of distress. Both are valid.

Thoughts? Have you ever hesitated to display the flag because of what it’s come to represent? Can we reshape its meaning in our communities?

Originally Posted By u/TheSleepy_Nurse At 2025-04-03 11:25:05 AM | Source

I'll keep it short. All over Reddit, I still see people falling into the trappings that got us here in the first place. We don't fight fascism, we laugh at it. Mocking lets us feel superior. It lets us feel in control of a country that is becoming more confusing and unstable by the day. It normalizes.

Well, these aren't normal times, and the only way we start admitting that in a truly real sense is to start admitting we're scared. We're scared for our kids, our futures, our autonomy, and maybe even our lives. Whether you're a little scared or a lot scared, it's ok. It's a normal feeling. It's time to share it. Not loudly, but calmly. Let others know you are scared, but you're in control of your fear. Because fear is real and this is all real.

Originally Posted By u/ThatKaleidoscope3388 At 2025-04-03 03:21:40 PM | Source

Some interesting insights.

Originally Posted By u/texasinauguststudio At 2025-04-03 02:25:57 PM | Source

Tesla (TSLA) Ownership

Elon Musk may be (allegedly) stepping back from DOGE, but the damage has been done. As the largest individual donor in the 2024 election cycle, Musk contributed $291 million to support Trump and Republican candidates. And he's not stopping—in just the first few months of 2025, his PACs poured over $6.2 million into Wisconsin's Supreme Court race.

For those of us whose interaction with the stock market is limited to our 401(k)s and IRAs, you’ve likely heard advice from people like Warren Buffett to invest in low-cost S&P 500 index funds, such as exchange-traded and mutual funds.

These funds are transparent about their holdings, so I recently reviewed the allocation percentages. What I found gave me pause. 

For every $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 fund, $15-20 automatically goes to Tesla.

I'm sure we could debate the ethics of many companies in the index, but Tesla stands apart—its CEO has personally spent hundreds of millions to influence our government and elections in unprecedented ways.

My retirement savings, meant to secure my future, would first support another's political ambitions. In following sound financial advice, I would betray my own principles. 

Everyone wants a well-funded retirement. No one wants to fund the richest man in the world.

This project grew from conversations with people in my community, including my parents who are approaching retirement. We're everyday Americans with diverse political views, yet we found agreement on this particular issue. We're not political operatives—we're just regular people concerned about our futures.

There are three companies that manage millions of ordinary people’s capital, channeled through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, often via default retirement-plan options. 

• Vanguard
• BlackRock
• State Street Corporation

These three are among the world’s largest asset managers, and play a significant role in shaping global finances.They control a combined 12.57% of Tesla stock.

Every dollar invested in Tesla—whether through direct stock purchases or bundled in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—helps to sustain Tesla’s stock price, indirectly enriching Musk. As Tesla’s largest shareholder, Musk leverages his stock holdings to access vast sums of cash without selling shares, using a strategy common among billionaires: securities-based lending.

We may have signed up to invest in the stock market in order to retire, but none of us signed up to fund Musk's political ambitions.

We're done being silent shareholders. Our retirement savings shouldn't be used to finance the economic tyranny of billionaires. We need an S&P 500 fund that excludes Tesla.

We can't create these funds on our own, but if enough of us speak up, these financial institutions will have to listen. They respond to demand—that's capitalism, right?

If you're with us, here's what we can do:

• Email asset managers here.
• Submit a request via asset managers’ customer portals here.
• Call asset managers and brokerage companies here.

We've pulled together resources at https://divestfromtesla.com/

Connect with others who feel the same way: 

Instagram: u/divestfromtesla 

BlueSky: u/divestfromtesla.bsky.social

Email: info@divestfromtesla.com 

This is about having a say in how our money is used. We believe we deserve that choice. If you feel the same, we’d love to hear from you.

Originally Posted By u/Beneficial_Pattern_5 At 2025-04-03 09:34:02 AM | Source

Here's and idea: if your cost of goods has been increasing or is set to increase due to Trump's tariffs, instead of rolling that cost increase into your total to your customers, add it as a separate line item on your invoice and title it "Trump Tariffs" or something similar.

Trump loves getting credit for everything, we should give it to him each and every time we deliver a price increase to customers so they know who to thank.

Originally Posted By u/whisperpickler At 2025-04-03 09:49:58 AM | Source

From the Senator's twitter page (linked here using xcancel so as not to give Elon the clicks:

Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive. No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.

This week you will read many confused economists and political pundits who won’t understand how the tariffs make economic sense. That’s because they don’t. They aren’t designed as economic policy. The tariffs are simply a new, super dangerous political tool.

You see, our founders created a President with limited and checked powers. They specifically put the power of spending and taxation in the hands of the legislature. Why? Because they watched how kings and despots used spending and taxes to control their subjects. British kings used taxation to reward loyalty and punish dissent. Our own revolution was spurred by the King’s use of heavy taxation of the colonies to punish our push for self governance. The King’s message was simple: stop protesting and I’ll stop taxing.

Trump knows that he can weaken (and maybe destroy) democracy by using spending and taxation in the same way. He is using access to government funds to bully universities, law firms and state and local governments into loyalty pledges. Healthy democracies rely on an independent legal profession to maintain the rule of law, independent universities to guard objective truth and provide forums for dissent to authority, and independent state/local government to counterbalance a powerful federal government. But the private sector also plays a rule to protect democracy. Independent industry has power.

The tariffs are Trump’s tool to erode that independence. Now, one by one, every industry or company will need to pledge loyalty to Trump in order to get sanctions relief. What could Trump demand as part of a quiet loyalty pledge? Public shows of support from executives for all his economic policy. Contributions to his political efforts. Promises to police employees’ support for his political opposition.

The tariffs are DESIGNED to create economic hardship. Why? So that Trump has a straight face rationale for releasing them, business by business or industry by industry. As he adjusts or grants relief, it’s a win-win: the economy improves and dissent disappears. And once Trump has the lawyers, colleges and industry under his thumb, it becomes very hard for the opposition to have any viable space to maneuver.

Trump didn’t invent this strategy. It’s the playbook for democratically elected leaders who want to stay in power forever. The tariffs aren’t economic policy. They are political weapons. But as long as we see this clearly, we can stop him. Public mobilization is working. Today, a few Republicans joined Democrats to vote against one set of tariffs.

The people still have the power.

Originally Posted By u/Far_Shore At 2025-04-03 11:10:29 AM | Source

He and his entire corrupt administration need to be removed. They are guilty of corruption, treason against the American people, and so many illegal activities that I will have to come back with sources (disobeying orders from a Federal Judge, violation of the 1st amendment, violating the 5th amendment, and more).

I'm tired of just seeing No Kings, F*** Donald Trump, or other things that don't have any direct action tied to them. The rallying cry should be calling for his impeachment and the removal of his ENTIRE administration.

Originally Posted By u/Throwy_throw At 2025-04-03 11:23:11 AM | Source

Be disruptive. Everybody here is more concerned with peacefulness and legality than they are about actually making a difference. The truth is if you work within the rules of the very people you're protesting, you aren't going to acheive squat. Ignore permits, stay as long as possible, become a problem for cops/secret service. See y'all on the 5th.

Originally Posted By u/sleepy_guts At 2025-04-03 08:46:40 AM | Source

What's next? Are they going to outlaw homosexual penguins from raising young together???

Originally Posted By u/BumblingBard42 At 2025-04-03 05:01:42 AM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Eunice_Peppercorn At 2025-04-02 11:02:25 PM | Source

If you are protesting this Saturday, and someone violent shows up to cause trouble. Kneel or crouch and point, literally point, at the violent agitator.

Yell, "False Flag!" Or , "Sabotage!"

Do not let oppurtunists, criminals, or political opposition hijack our protest. Everyone from the event organizers, to protestors, to supporters want to be peaceful.

Be safe, be sane, and be good!

Originally Posted By u/Sarik704 At 2025-04-03 07:15:54 AM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Schoolywooly At 2025-04-03 07:02:51 AM | Source

Seriously. Thanks, moron, for massively pissing everyone off by declaring a trade war on the entire world, just two days before nation-wide protests against you are set to take place.

Like, I'm not sure which pisses me off more: Trump's attempt at overthrowing our democracy, or just how fucking incompetent he is at it after having the entire US government handed to him.

Let's make the most of it. See you all out there on Saturday.

Originally Posted By u/A_Whole_Costco_Pizza At 2025-04-03 12:37:43 AM | Source

Originally Posted By u/Shinji_Okami At 2025-04-02 04:03:31 PM | Source

Today I went to get food at a fast food chain.

Every person I talked to I said “Also! Don’t forget to call your reps! Tell them to get the Nazis out of office!”

And you know what guys? THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING.

THIS IS A SILENT WAR!

They want us quiet so don’t be! Make the uncomfortable LOUD. If someone gets upset or offended ask them to”Why?” Or tell them “Your silence is suspicious” or so on and so forth but I’m in a red state with a lot of Trump supporters and I don’t care anymore I’m going to speak up because people don’t change unless they’re uncomfortable!

Please speak up I’m talking the grocery cashier the gas pump operators etc etc START TALKING BC THEY WANT US QUIET.

Thank you and I hope you’ll join me. Cory inspired me to stand up for what’s right I hope we all can agree we need to stand up.

Edit: imagine if you make the uncomfortable come out front and loud people gonna start talking abt it. Bitching or supporting. But the point is to get PEOPLE TALKING

Originally Posted By u/Ok_Plenty_3029 At 2025-04-02 09:04:37 PM | Source

Originally Posted By u/kristiNAPS At 2025-04-02 05:04:26 PM | Source