This chapter offers a depressing window into how a certain kind of liberal conceives of collective action, primarily as individuals. Boycotts have a rich history of social movements and have put pressure on everything since their end. Segregation in the Jim Crow South with Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Traditionally, such boycotts have a goal and organizational structure that supports them. In the case of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, civil rights organizers created carpools for participants to get around the city, removing barriers to joining the movement and building solidarity along the way. Strikes (i.e. worker boycotts) aim to obtain certain concessions from bosses, often as part of contract negotiations.

It is notoriously difficult to challenge billionaires who often meddle in politics in ways far more significant than stopping a newspaper from endorsing a presidential candidate. For example, Elon Musk, who agrees with Trump, distributes $1 million a day To registered voters in Pennsylvania. The only strategy that stands a chance against such people is to organize large numbers of people to have a significant impact on their profitability. For example, Amazon recently loss The Amazon Workers Union’s bid before the National Labor Relations Board to nullify its historic victory to represent workers at the Staten Island fulfillment center. Will the existence of a unionized warehouse bring Amazon to its knees? Absolutely not. But a fledgling union’s uphill battle against the world’s second-largest employer could inspire others to make similar efforts to democratize their own workplaces.

With the presidential election just days away, it might be helpful to extend this lesson to include voting. Bezos himself reportedly green light the to mailThe shameful slogan of the Trump era is Democracy Died in Darkness. Whether it’s in Amazon warehouses or Congress, the truth is that democracy dies when billionaires are given carte blanche to pollute our politics. Canceling a newspaper subscription through foreclosure is a silly and symbolic way to change that. Of course, voting is much more important. But if the goal is truly to “save democracy,” voting for Kamala Harris matters mainly insofar as it makes that task easier.