Post-2024 U.S. Political Climate
With Trump’s return to power in 2025, there have been concerted efforts to weaken institutional checks and manipulate information channels, hallmark tactics of Phase 2. Many of these efforts build on trends from Trump’s first term, but they are now being executed more systematically and with fewer restraints given the GOP’s unified control of government. Key developments include
COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION: THE ANTIDOTE TO AUTHORITARIAN AILMENTS
By J. Reynolds, Contributor-at-Large, The Pragmatic Revolution Let’s be real: authoritarianism doesn’t sleep. It doesn’t take weekends off, it doesn’t clock out, and it sure as hell doesn’t care about your self-care Sundays. It marches on with goose-stepping efficiency, powered by propaganda, prejudice, and just enough populist gaslighting to make your uncle start […]
Marked for Death at 16
“The group’s underground zine, Cirrosis, encouraged violent action. They named bars to be firebombed. They listed the addresses of activists to be attacked. They gave step-by-step instructions on how to infiltrate our spaces—“Dress like an anarchist, scream slogans like ‘Gora ETA,’ and leave with a notebook full of addresses.” They encouraged stalking family members. They fantasized about burning us alive.
I saw that fantasy attempted firsthand.”
A Memory from the Frontlines
Now, decades later, I look back with a deeper understanding. Editors made choices. Words were softened. Identities were reduced to initials. But the heart of my message remained:
“If they come for me, I’ll fight.”
Why Antifascism Is Necessary — And Why Stereotyping Is the Enemy of Liberation
By Josh Reynolds | WokeStoic.com The World Isn’t Black and White — But Fascism Always Is We live in an age where people crave simple answers to complex problems. That’s why fascism is appealing to some — it gives them a clean hierarchy, a clear enemy, and a permission slip to punch down. But the […]
Meet the Antifascists You Never Learned About in School
By Josh Reynolds | WokeStoic.com History Sanitizes Resistance Crack open most history books, and you’ll see the same antifascist stories on repeat: the Allied armies storming the beaches of Normandy, the fall of Berlin, Winston Churchill shaking his fist at the Third Reich. But here’s what they don’t tell you: the most dangerous antifascists were […]
Laugh in the Face of Tyrants
“Here’s the secret they don’t want you to know:
You don’t need money.
You don’t need permission.
You don’t need an army.
You just need to laugh at them.
Loudly. Publicly. Relentlessly.
Because when people laugh at power, they stop fearing it.
And when they stop fearing it, they start fighting back.”
No Masters, No Kings, No Surrender.
“No Masters, No Kings, No Surrender
The world can feel overwhelming — a storm of authoritarian creep, corporate greed, rising fascism, and systems designed to make you feel small and alone.
But here’s the truth they never want you to remember:
You are not alone.
You are not powerless.
And you are not doomed.
Every moment you stand up,
every time you refuse to obey,
every time you organize, educate, or defend —
you punch a hole in the walls they build to keep you caged.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be fearless.
You just need to act — with others, with purpose, with heart.”
