are strikes even effective anymore

Yes, workers organizing, forming unions, going on strikes, and making demands are effective. They're not enough by themselves, but they are effective.

I haven't seen one that succeeded in the way that the ones described in the 30s did.

Taft Hartley did a number on union activity

They are not as effective as they used to be because of the whole historical context (for starters, we no longer have a great socialist nation serving as a practical example of what can happen to the bourgeoisie if it decides to completely ignore the demands of the workers) and the fact that the working class has never been less ideologically organized than it is today. Still, strikes continue to be one of the most effective ways to force the machine of capital to listen to the demands of the working class. The problem is organizing these demands.

Is anything Actually working anymore? It seems like the Capitalist diaspora learned from earlier movements and now they can defeat any protest or direct action or strike easily. Sorry to be doomer here but IDK what we're supposed to do that isn't

Some countries still have fairly effective strikes, France is one