So too the landscape of protest and resistance across the United States. It takes cues from enduring civil rights movements and the urgency of today’s climate justice movement. The 2017 Women’s March did demonstrate an incredible breadth and depth. It was a turning point for the era of modern activism, sparking what millions believe was the beginning of an enduring resistance to the Trump administration that came to power shortly thereafter. This wave of activism has not let up and has taken shape in a multitude of ways around the country.
Recent protests against Tesla have brought this long-dormant spirit of resistance back to the surface. All of these demonstrations were precipitated by Elon Musk’s highly controversial and impactful choice to fire federal workers and impede federal funding. All over the world, activists have taken to the streets to demand climate justice. They’re calling on mutual funds to engage in Tesla related divestment. This multi-faceted approach highlights the creativity and flexibility of today’s resistance tactics. It makes comparisons to the tactics employed by historical democracy movements around the world.
Elected Republican officials have been under intense pressure too, with many bailing on town halls and shutting down constituents from outreach. This new reality highlights the stark, widening gulf between certain elected leaders and the people they represent, and just continues to stoke the fire of grassroots resistance. Groups like Indivisible played a pivotal role in saving the Affordable Care Act in 2017, showcasing the power of organized citizen pressure on Congress.
In fact, skeptics would have you believe that street protests today aren’t as large, frequent, or powerful as their predecessors. This boost in activism is reminiscent of past movements as witnessed in apartheid South Africa and communist Poland. In South Africa, economic pressure through boycotts, strikes, and divestments weakened the National party’s hold, while in Poland, the Solidarity movement leveraged general strikes to negotiate democratic reforms. These three instances underscore the tremendous good that can come from persistent noncooperation, the tactic that Americans are discovering again in large numbers today.
Adding to the political uncertainty is another strong factor pushing the Republican party – the ascendance of the Maga faction. This small group keeps an iron grip on power through ruthless discipline. They do it just as effectively through the threat of well-funded primary challenges, which chills dissent and quiets competing voices. This hasn’t stopped activists, who are dead set on taking the fight to the status quo via an array of nonviolent noncooperation.
Perhaps more importantly, noncooperation proved to be the most crucial weapon in defeating the Trump administration’s neo-fascistic takeover in 2025. This strategy takes its cue from historic acts of defiance such as the Boston Tea Party. There, colonists protested by boycotting the importation of as well as payment of taxes on British tea. These acts of noncooperation have, since time immemorial, been the basis of resistance movements, providing an effective and transformative means of achieving justice.
In recent weeks, Tesla’s stock price has dropped significantly, possibly influenced by Elon Musk’s controversial decisions and the resulting public backlash. This economic impact shows us that the might of organized resistance can shake the foundations of these powers. That’s especially the case when those efforts focus on fiscal impacts.
“When a Soviet soldier comes to you, YOU: 1. Don’t know 2. Don’t care 3. Don’t tell 4. Don’t have 5. Don’t know how to 6. Don’t give 7. Can’t do 8. Don’t sell 9. Don’t show 10. Do nothing.” – Večerní Praha
This quote encapsulates a mindset of passive resistance that resonates with current movements aiming to disrupt and challenge prevailing power structures through deliberate noncooperation.