A group of friends vow to do whatever it takes to stop evil corporate overlords from destroying the Earth. How? They aren’t sure. They explore various strategies, but so far nothing has worked. As they build a resistance movement, those who love them the most can be their biggest obstacles.
© Stephanie McMillan - All Rights Reserved.
Mike du Jour by Mike Lester
Moderately Confused by Jeff Stahler
Comments (10) (Please sign in to comment)
Ms. Ima said, 6 months ago
Really, we want to know what steps are needed to take over the illegally elected government, destroying the value of the dollar, destroying our bank accounts and retirement futures, throw the country into anarchy and how important it is to own guns among other things.
moderateisntleft said, 6 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Back to your cave IMA! We can have your prescription delivered there.
Stephanie McMillan
said, 6 months ago
Opportunities for revolution are few and far between. Most people in history live out their lives within a relatively stable social order. Whether they like it or not, there’s not much they can do about it. You can’t conjure a revolution out of stability any more than you can force an apple to ripen faster on the tree.
But we are living in a special time. Revolutionary conditions are maturing, and we have a decision to make. Do we bite, or let this fruit fall and rot on the ground?
For a revolution to occur, three conditions must exist:
1. A ruling class that is crippled by internal conflict, so much so that it can no longer effectively assert its dominance over society.
2. A general feeling among broad numbers of people that they can no longer live in the old way, that the risk of change is less frightening than the risk of continuing as we are.
3. Revolutionary organizations through which the people focus their aspirations and power, forging unity that strengthens our struggle and reduces its chance of defeat, diversion, dissipation or co-optation by the enemy.
The existence of these conditions doesn’t guarantee a revolution. Throughout history, there have been times when they have been present, but revolutions did not occur. But no radical transformation of any society has ever occurred without them.
We don’t have much control over the first two. They’re developing without our help, inevitably and naturally as the American Empire folds in on itself along with the decline of the entire global economic system.
The existence of the third condition is entirely in our hands, and our responsibility to ensure. We didn’t create this sucky situation, but here it is and we have to deal with it. If we don’t develop a solid revolutionary movement with a viable strategy, the consequences will be extremely ugly.
Norman Baron
said, 6 months ago
It seems that the first condition is being met as we speak. We are facing what they call the “fiscal cliff” where the Bush era tax cuts are set to expire at the end of this year, Obama has a set of new taxes ready to go and we all get the hosing of a lifetime. Plus the speaker of the house has said that they should wait until the new congress has been seated before they do anything. Which means that we have to fall off of the cliff before the chin pullers in congress even start to work on the process of fixing the problem, assuming that it can be fixed. If there is a cliff there are two ways to deal with it. One is to build a fence to keep people from falling off or two is to put a whole bunch of ambulances at the bottom to cart away the people that do fall off. The current congress seems to be heading toward choice #2.
Concerning item #2, a lot of people are happy with the status quo. The well to do, the welfare nicks, etc. are ok with the way things are. Maybe there is “critical mass” for a revolution or maybe not. Until we actually fall off of the fiscal cliff methinks that we may be a bit lite on troops.
As to numer three, putting together a revolutionary organization and staying under the radar while doing it would seem to be very difficult even if there was a newsletter and rent a car discounts.
I don’t know if you have spent anytime in the so called third world countries but compared to them we have relatively little to complain about. As an example the mayor of Lagos Nigeria was being interviewed on TV and was accused of stealing 10 million Niara (about 5 million US at that time). He became enraged and shouted at the reporter that he was insulted because he would never steal so little. In short, which this isn’t, I’m not sure we have enough steam to punch a pee hole in the snow let along start a revolution.
College-Student said, 6 months ago
you want a revolution in 2 easy steps?
1. take away football
2. take away American Idol
Night-Gaunt49 said, 6 months ago
The Plutocrats have already started a revolution. Buying law makers and having laws written by them for them. Infiltration of our govt by the corporate state making it now impossible for certain segments of the govt to operate without them. Especially in our over sized military. Owning or creating parallel organizations for Media, Education, Religion etc to make sure they own the house. Unless we can regain the balance we had between the rich and the rest of us we will lose without a shot being fired. We will become a third world nation.
banjoaah said, 6 months ago
Stephanie’s theorizing contains the same failing as all political and social theorizing. She creates an excessively intellectualized paradigm of “reality”.
She fails to take into consideration the behavioral sciences, the scientific understanding of how people actually behave. Without such vital understanding no change can be achieved or be lasting.
Lack of understanding of human behavior is the reason Marxism fell, the reason Libertarianism would fall. It is the reason economics isn’t a science and Neo-liberal economics is outright superstition.
No amount of political, religious, economic or societal dogma will create a just society. It will take a scientific understanding of human behavior and evolution to create any revolution.
Norman Baron
said, 6 months ago
Well said banjoaah, As Shakespeare put it “There are more things under the sun Horatio than are covered in your philosophy.” What you are missing in your philosophy are two guys named Vinnie and Guido to make sure that the “scientific understanding” takes the right direction.
Ms. Ima said, 6 months ago
@moderateisntleft
I’ll remember that when there is no electricity, gas, water, access to money that you will be delivering medication to people. Where will you get the medication?
moderateisntleft said, 6 months ago
@Ms. Ima
Says IMA: “The sky is fallingm the sky is falling!” W.E.