Getting involved in some local leftist groups has been the biggest infusion of hope in this respect for me. They’ve gotten two open socialists elected to nearby city councils (and are working on a 3rd!), run some successful salting / strike support campaigns, and are a growing problem for a local big business that I shan’t name because things are ongoing.

Talking to some of the older heads there, tons of recent events have been followed by waves of people signing up. The Bernie campaign, Trump’s presidency, the George Floyd protests, the recent overturning of Roe. Every one of these has moved more and more people to action. I won’t pretend to know if it’s enough to make meaningful change on a national / global scale, but it’s been good for my outlook on life to see it happen near me, especially in the American south.

Welcome to the club! I love my P1S. Biggest problem so far has been some squeaky pulleys, but a little bit of oil fixed that right up.

In the US, there is a history of white performers using blackface to play caricatures of black people, leaning hard on racist ethnic stereotypes. From Wikipedia:

The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century.[1] The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of comically portraying racial stereotypes of African Americans. There were also some African-American performers and black-only minstrel groups that formed and toured. Minstrel shows stereotyped blacks as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, cowardly, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky.[2][3] Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent.

Euros, as they’re currently worth a bit more.

True. They just visit to play poker.

Exactly this. If they are making the same product as a local team that generates the same revenue, you’re just taking a bigger slice of their surplus value. In other words, exploiting them harder.

Relevant XKCD