# October 18, 2025 "No Kings" Protests **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 15, 2025, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-18-2025-no-kings-protests/1023993 "2025-10-15T14:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 199
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2025, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-18-2025-no-kings-protests/1023993/199 "2025-10-19T11:57:12Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Agreed–but I feel **too often** that there’s no _next step_, no _escalation_, of any import. If it’s an introduction that doesn’t lead to escalation, it serves no meaningful purpose. My bold. _“Too often”_?? When, precisely, has our country been in these exact circumstances after the 1770s? Even during the Civil Rights and Vietnam protests, _there were still some grownups in government on the opposition side._ This is our **PRESIDENT** now: > [@The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues/1010068/8881): > > Trump posts AI video of airplane dropping diarrhea on protesters. > > [@atrupar.com on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m3jbffj3q22w) We are in a different ball game today. We are feeling our way and making this up as we go along. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Nonviolent civil disobedience seems to me to be the next reasonable step; but it needs to be coordinated and needs to have clear objectives, and these objectives need to be in line with American norms. Definitely, but > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Conditions are too different for many parallels to work. This isn’t a foreign occupation, nor is it one race against another (plenty of white folks on both sides, for one thing). **There’s no charismatic leader like Gandhi** to unite the masses and to coordinate actions. The population of India wasn’t almost evenly split on whether India should be independent and the Brits should leave. > > The most important thing is not to be silent. These demonstrations are a powerful way of speaking out. Of course they are not going to make him resign, I can think of no actions barring a civil war that would have anything like that effect. My bold. Maybe not THE next step, but **A** next step is for leadership to emerge. A charismatic leader would be great, but the movement needs inspired, focused leadership to grow in numbers and take part in nonviolent activities-- like these protests but **MORE** – that will have impact on society. There is momentum now and it will need to be directed. I believe that will happen… The sooner, the better. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-18-2025-no-kings-protests/1023993)._