We've Tried Nothing (and We're All Out Of Ideas)

People have organized in hard times before. There's almost always something that can be done.

Read the post that inspired this episode: https://degenerateart.beehiiv.com/p/going-to-roanoke

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This episode looks at what regular people can do when a government aims to actively oppress those it’s meant to serve. Andrea Pitzer discusses ways individuals have come together in the face of repressive measures to build community and protect the most vulnerable. Looking at examples from Myanmar to Soviet Russia and Chile, she finds commonalities in very different settings. Then turning toward America, she shows how simple yet extraordinary resistance has a history going back to before the end of the Revolutionary War. Taking a trip this month to Roanoke, Virginia, to be part of one woman’s attempt to organize her city, Andrea outlines the community’s strong response and offers an adaptable blueprint for anyone who wants to do the same in their hometown.