r/AlternateHistory • u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! • May 12 '24
The 2033 Walmart Struggles 2000s
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Context: This scenario takes place in a world where Walmart has a large security force, which includes tanks, APCs, helicopters and guards with combat gear.
In 2032, worker strikes began in Walmart, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Protesters soon organised themselves into the Anti-Walmart Coalition. When Walmart refused to concede, the several left-wing groups, including Antifa and the Anti-Walmart Coalition, united to form the United Red Front, which then began launching small arson attacks against Walmart's stores. Tensions continued to rise until the 22nd March 2033, when an informant tipped the URF on the planned route of Walmart CEO Mike Smith's armoured convoy, of US Army soldiers and Walmart Security Forces. Between 600 to 800 guerrillas, largely from the Super Soldier Brigade, ambushed the convoy, killing 52 enemy combatants (3 wounded US soldier would escape), as well as Walmart CEO Mike Smith. The URF was invigorated, and launched a full scale offensive across Walmarts across the country, marking the start of the 2033 Walmart Struggles.
Despite Walmart fortifying several of its stores, the initial URF offensive was a success, with large many large urban areas, across the USA, being captured and administered by the rebel alliance. However, after almost two weeks of fighting, the US Army was deployed, via the Insurrection Act, and began retaking large areas of territory from the URF. By the middle of April, most of the early URF successes were reversed, but as civilian and rebel casualties began to mount, the political situation in Washington D.C forced the implementation of a ceasefire, with lines of control being established in cities. The URF would take advantage of this ceasefire to launch an assault on Walmart Store 2152, the largest Walmart in the world. After six hours of fighting, most of the store's fortifications were breached, and the Walmart store's 8,000 strong garrison was forced to surrender.
At the same time, right-wing groups organised themselves into the Patriot Alliance, which consisted of the Federalist Army, and the smaller Holy Guard, as well as several local militias. The main intention of these groups was to resist the URF, and clashes soon began. Taking advantage of the chaos, criminal gangs, including cartels from Mexico, began launching large-scale attacks, killing many, and allowing them to expand their business operations. The situation eventually became unbearable for the US Federal Government, which decided to raid a large Antifa base, located in Sacramento, California. Special Task Force 141 was established, under the command of Joint Special Operations Command, and consisting of elements of Navy SEAL Team Six, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the Night Stalkers Regiment. The Antifa fort was duly captured on the 11th August 2033, in an operation which left 867 Antifa members dead. This marked the end of the 2033 Walmart Struggles, as the URF agreed to a complete ceasefire and halting of operations. However, this only marked the third year of what became known as the Decade of the Turmoil.
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u/Thecognoscenti_I May 12 '24
What was the collaboration between the US Army and Walmart Security like? Were there any tensions, for example when the convoy carrying Walmart's CEO was ambushed?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I haven't completely worked on that aspect of the conflict. In general, however, the US military saw the Walmart Security Forces as poorly trained, and preferred to not fight alongside them. US commanders were also more inclined to treat them as cannon fodder, while the US military focused on specific raids and operations, knowing that public opinion may be swayed by the deaths of servicemen.
On the contrary, Walmart's forces were frustrated at the US military's unwillingness to defend their stores, forcing their personnel to engage in suicidal defensive operations. The US military, however, argued that the defence of specific Walmart stores was not in their strategic interest.
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u/Coolscee-Brooski May 13 '24
Lfmao, I'm loving the idea of a battle map but it's just wallmart interior maps with shit like "Aisle #13 Defensive Line"
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
I did say the Walmarts were fortified. Maybe the cashier lines are the first lines of defence, while the aisles can quickly be knocked over to form the second line. If everything goes wrong, retreat to the storage room and barricade the doors.
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u/cocaine_jaguar May 13 '24
Makeshift defenses are always viable but letās be real, Walmart would begin installing automated defenses, using drones to scout inside and outside of stores and would have a panic button that would raise barricades throughout the store. Probably even have secured areas where customers would hole up in (if they had the premium Walmart membership, it comes with Paramount plus, a real bargain).
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u/Coolscee-Brooski May 13 '24
I know but I'm just imagining the downfall scene but it's the CEO of wallmart
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u/GayBBC_NaziWizard May 13 '24
āMr. CEOā¦. The managers counter attackā¦. It didnāt happenā¦.ā
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u/Coolscee-Brooski May 13 '24
"...everyone leave this room, the following stay here: Sales Rep, PR manager, distribution manager and the supervisor..."
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
''That was an order! I ordered the delivery drivers to use their trucks to block the entrances!''
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u/TrollEden252 May 12 '24
Interesting lore. I'm assuming this takes place in semi-dystopian universe, given that Walmart, a grocerry store, have their own private army for whatever reason.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Yeah, the idea is that Walmart provided security contracts for the US government, in a similar fashion to Blackwater in our timeline. But as their power grew, so did their tendency to abuse worker rights, leading to mass protests and the civil uprising.
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u/awakenDeepBlue May 13 '24
I wonder if Walmart acquired the Pinkerton Detective Agency, initially for anti-union security, and eventually expanding into private security.
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u/radagastdabrowen May 13 '24
Pinkerton are muscle for the bosses, as if the bosses aināt got enough muscle
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u/NSAPD May 12 '24
If we remember the story of CHAZ in 2020, it does make sense that, even if the US Army could easily crush the rebels, it would be politically difficult too. This makes some sense in that regard.
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u/hdufort May 12 '24
Reminds me a bit of "Jennifer Government" by Max Barry, a dystopian novel about a world where corporations are as powerful as governments.
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u/thiefsthemetaken May 12 '24
A world where Antifa is more than a right-wing boogie man/left wing larpers
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u/sndream May 13 '24
How much force was deployed by the Red Front at the siege of Store 2152? Also, is the Super Soldier Brigade actually enhanced solider?
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u/CTRd2097 May 13 '24 edited May 13 '24
I imagine the so called āSuper Soldier Brigadeā is just a fancy name for the elite forces of the URF. Theyāre probably just regular dudes with better equipment and training,
plus being high as fuck on physical / mental enhancement drugs (?)3
u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
Yeah, it's just Antifa's elite/shock troops. They're called super soldiers because of this meme.
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u/BroseppeVerdi May 13 '24
I'm interested in hearing the lore behind how Antifa coalesced into an organization.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
This scenario is the first part of a wider series known as the ''Decade of Turmoil,'' a scenario where the USA sees significant civil unrest in the 2030s.
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u/Thecognoscenti_I May 12 '24
Sounds interesting, can't wait to hear more of it
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u/Ittoravap May 12 '24
Don't you worry, if you just wait till the end of the decade you'll be around to witness it yourself.
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u/Mickey_thicky May 13 '24
You should create a subreddit dedicated to this alternate world, Iād love to see how this timeline unfolds
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u/zman021200 May 13 '24
I enjoy how much thought was put into this. Very interested in hearing more about this scenario.
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u/TrollEden252 May 12 '24
This is a very interesting scenario. I like how you made each battle have somewhat realistic casualty figures. The different faction are interesting too.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Thanks! I took inspiration from other conflicts with significant amounts of urban warfare, especially the Lebanese Civil War.
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u/ImEatingYourWall May 12 '24
That's some good quality content right there
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Thanks! I hope you liked some of the smaller details, like all the US Army units being real life units from their respective states, or the scenery in the pictures somewhat matching the location of the battles.
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u/Maumee-Issues May 14 '24
The catholic battalion for Pittsburgh is perfect. Especially considering how conservative the catholic diocese is here
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u/Archelector May 12 '24
Why is the Federalist Army using the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I imagined them having a royalist style coat of arms as their symbol, and just chose that one because Wikipedia Commons had a high quality image of it (I'm editing on Wikipedia itself, instead of using the infobox editor website).
That's also why I decided to call their units 'regiments' instead of 'brigades,' since the French royalists preferred the former term, although it's not important to the story.
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u/Archelector May 12 '24
Why do you imagine them being royalists?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
Not so much royalist as much royalist inspired, a bit like the Federalist Party in the early USA. As to exactly why, I didn't put much thought into it. Maybe they were angry that the US Government wasn't dealing with the left-wing rebels effectively.
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u/HUGOCC0113 Modern Sealion! May 12 '24
I also love how the anti - walmart coalition uses the socialist independentist Galician flag - but really interesting scenario!
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u/AnjinSoprano420 May 12 '24
This sounds very interesting ngl. Make some maps bro. Flesh this out. Love it
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I'll try to. A nationwide map might be hard, since the uprisings are supposed to be concentrated in big cities, but I think tactical maps for individual cities would work.
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u/bingbingbangenjoyer May 12 '24
i think 80 thousand police officers would just lose to the MILLION PROTESTORS
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Large scale protests do have these scale of numbers. There simply aren't that many police officers in every department, but the riot gear and organisation gives a massive advantage.
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u/Alboralix May 12 '24
Realistic casualty figures? Upvoted! (Also good scenario)
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24 edited May 12 '24
Yeah, I've seen far too many scenarios here where the rebels are able to have a positive K/D against professional armies, which makes no sense.
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u/No_Talk_4836 May 12 '24
How did the ceasefire look? Did it benefit Walmart or the workers?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I haven't worked on the full story, but the general outline is:
Some degree of amnesty is offered to those taking part in insurrection.
The URF agree to disband and evacuate all territories it occupies.
Walmart is broken up into smaller corporations, though one of these may retain the Walmart name.
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u/trident_hole May 12 '24
Imagine people dying for Walmart
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u/marcimerci May 13 '24
Getting put up on the wall because you fought in the name of Walmart Security
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u/Mossad_Operative May 12 '24
Would honestly be better if Target jumped into the fray. I can just imagine Walmart soldiers vs Target soldiers having gunbattles in the middle of their respective parking lots and in the streets.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
Maybe once Walmart is weakened by Antifa, Target will see their chance.
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u/Zestyclose_Jello6192 May 12 '24
This is really good, what's the lore beyond the 0/867 KD radio in the last battle.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
The US Government had been pressured by the military to take decisive action against the rebels, instead of the peacekeeping-style forces which were deployed to most major cities. In August, the President agreed, and allowed JSOC to attack a heavily fortified Antifa base.
The outskirts of the base are first captured by the 75th Ranger Regiment, before Navy SEALs launch an attack against the citadel, leading to the remaining garrison surrendering. The Night Stalkers Regiment provides air support throughout the operation. Antifa, of course, are no match for the SOF, hence the K/D ratio. I might try to make a map showing the general battleplan at some point.
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u/King_Chad_The_69th May 12 '24
What is the International Commerce Center doing in New York lol?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Maybe they built a replica in less than nine years.
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u/King_Chad_The_69th May 12 '24
I mean, itās doable, but I donāt know why New York would need an International Commerce Center. Alliance with Hong Kong maybe?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Maybe. The real reason is that I needed a picture of a large protest, and that was the best one I could find on Wikipedia Commons.
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u/Its_maitiv May 12 '24
Why is the Anti-Walmart movement using the independentist Galician flag??
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I just used somewhat random flags that I could find on Wikipedia Commons, that looked cool, and somewhat fitted the ideology of the group they were assigned to. The Federalist Army also uses the CoA of the House of Bourbon, while the Holy Guard uses the banner of the Swiss Guard.
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u/FiggyPuddingExpert May 13 '24
The interesting aspect is the privatization of security and use of it for political power.
The Marian military reforms in Rome put the onus on outfitting troops on Generals, which essentially encouraged ultra wealthy to own legions (e.g. Crassus) or conduct wars to gain wealth for legions (Julius Caesar). That led to the breakdown order in the form of elite based civil wars.
Who is to stop Amazon, letās say, from creating a drone army to protect its supply chains and shipping? Amazon would control an international force integral to international economic trade. The East India Company and others set precedent for that, too.
Given the weakening of efforts to maintain a monopoly on force and growing trend since Perot to buy political power (jumping to more senior elections without other experience) such as Yang, Bloomberg, Trumpā¦ the US may well be on that path
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u/sukarno10 May 12 '24
Really cool concept, but how is the US army failing to defeat protestors and losing the city of Dallas?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
Walmart and the Dallas PD lost control of the city. The Texas National Guard (36th Infantry Division) then retook most of it, but Antifa held on the eastern side of the city, and the government ordered a ceasefire to prevent more bloodshed.
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u/filetmigno May 13 '24
Seeing Walmart listed as a belligerent underneath the United States is hilarious
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u/spaceghost350 May 13 '24
Left-wing group starves after taking over supermarket and realizing that the food doesn't actually come from there.
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u/AaronTriplay May 12 '24
THE WORKING CLASS WILL WIN THE WAR! FUCK THE GOVERNMENT! FUCK WALMART! FUCK MEGACORP! RAHHHHHH
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u/WoodyHayes72 May 12 '24
This is good. We all know Walmart is a battlefield. Itās a good place to be robbed, mugged, shot, assaulted, and to see bad fashion choices.
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u/Fozzation May 12 '24
Is there like a template or a website to make the fake Wikipedia statistic pages?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 12 '24
I just edit Wikipedia articles, but don't publish the changes. Switch to ''visual editing,'' and then click ''enter template'' and type ''infobox military conflict,'' or ''infobox civil conflict'' for the protest scenario. It will then allow you to type in various combatants, locations, units etc.
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u/That-Busy-Gamer May 12 '24
As a Walmart associate, I approve of this. I can imagine our AP getting more and more militarized.
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u/Mayonaze-Supreme May 13 '24 edited May 13 '24
Leftists donāt go to Walmart, they sell hygiene items there
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u/Genchri May 13 '24
Is that the Swiss guard flag on the holy guard? Why is the pope fighting over Walmart?!
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u/SheDoesnEvenGoHere May 13 '24 edited May 13 '24
This just reads like a fever dream you'd get after consuming too much Fox News propaganda. Got all the fear-mongering with a side of complimentary buzzwords.
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u/NonCreativeMinds May 13 '24
Did you drop two ENTIRE Ranger Batts on the rebels at the end? Thatās some serious overkill right there and I love it, lmfao.
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u/Tusupervieja505 May 13 '24
Antifa army would fall the moment the first JDAM strike their positions.
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u/Southern-Business-60 May 13 '24
Iām sorry but the second slide, 2 million vs 80,000? Yea the police are cooked
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u/zDefiant May 13 '24
this is awesome! did Black Water never change names in this history?
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
I just thought the Blackwater name was more iconic and so used that.
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u/dimasli May 13 '24
Ah hell nahh the CJNG got involvedšš
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
I'm going to make another post about their raids across the border, fighting the US Border and Coast Guards, as well as left and right wing militias.
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u/dimasli May 13 '24
Yessss letās fucking go bro, I canāt wait to see more of this universe lmao itās like a near-future cyberpunk dystopia that feels more satirical or something
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u/moooooooooonriver May 14 '24
Bc Iām curious, why was the CEO one in Covelo???
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u/Salty_Dog2917 May 14 '24
Congrats. You just wrote a better story than Alex Garland did for the movie civil war.
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u/OmniRocknRoll May 15 '24
What happens to the shoppers who will get their groceries from walmart. Do they have to go under some kind of clearance to get their groceries. Or is the walmart shutdown and the security are just defending the building and whats inside.
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 15 '24
Walmart loses those customers and they go to Target instead.
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u/Glum_Student5521 May 17 '24
Iām imaging a scenario where youāre shopping at Walmart but someone comes over the the intercom to announce that an army of a couple hundred is en route to assault the store and that you could get a discount if you muck in with the troops or pay a fee to go into the panic room with surveillance footage
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 17 '24
Or the Walmart Security Forces just conscript you.
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u/ciprule Jun 03 '24
Anti-Walmart Coalition bearing an independentist Galician Flag made me chuckle. Why?
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u/ReaperTyson May 12 '24
By 2033 you donāt need to call it the United States of America, itāll probably be the United Corporate Properties of America
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u/Warskandic May 12 '24
Yet another person who doesnt understand what "Antifa" actually is beyond what they be heard in the right wing media.
I am amazed that youve manage to assign a decentralized antifascist loosely organized group with an army.
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u/WillBeBanned83 May 12 '24
They were literally marching around in groups of hundreds in 2020, itās not that much of a stretch for large groups of them to be engaging in something like this
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u/cheapgamingpchelper May 12 '24
For a bit better accuracy I wouldnāt use black water pmc in this hypothetical future as the company changed its name to āAcademiā and more recently go by āConstellisā
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u/fullmetal66 May 12 '24
Uhhhh your years are just a few too many forward, 2024 is gonna either reset everything to normal or start this exact timeline 5 years earlier
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u/sch0olnurd May 12 '24
HeyĀ at the top of picture 2, is that meant to be 2022-2023?
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u/Mestrecker May 13 '24
Lost the opportunity to name the post "What if leftists actually firebombed walmarts?"
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u/KarlGustafArmfeldt Sealion Geographer! May 13 '24
I actually posted this a few days ago under a ''what if'' title, and it got downvoted. I think after all the troll questions that were posted, people don't like ''what if'' posts of any sort.
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u/RelentlessFlowOfTime The history of all hitherto existing society... May 13 '24
Why's the federalist army French?
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u/weenboi420 May 13 '24
The Puerto Rican national guard doing convoy security in California wallmarts is based
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u/Graingy May 13 '24
This has got to be one of the goofiest ways for a communist revolution to occur
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u/Silver-Poetry-3432 May 13 '24
Imagine if antifa and the Palestinians joined forces, they would take over the world in like a day, and I'm not talking alt history
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u/Commonmemesenjoyer May 13 '24
The anti Walmart coalitionās flag reminds me of Galicia
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u/Dutch_Ministry May 12 '24
This might be alternative history. But sometimes it feels like predictions