I've always found it interesting how many people purport to hate the ostensible status quo, and will go to great lengths to find ways — real or imaginary — to essentially "stick it to the man."
And yet?
Oftentimes these people who protest the way things are offer up virtually no tangible and functional solutions as an alternative.
Well... at least they don't offer up any viable solutions, they just offer up that we "need to tear the system down." However the problem with that tends to be that the "alternative" they are proposing is ultimately some form of "revolution" which is not actually a building solution it's purely a tearing down solution.
So then what?
The difficult fact that we often don't really want to face is that quietly altering the status quo is typically a much better solution for effective change than having an outright revolution.
Now, I use the term "revolution" somewhat loosely... taking it to mean the complete destruction of whatever system is in place and replacing it with something completely different. Typically, that's what revolutionaries do... or think they want to.
But if we look at parts of the world that have favored the approach of revolutions much of the time you end up with one revolution simply leading to another revolution as the pendulum of public opinion swings from one extreme to another.
I'm not here to criticize revolutionaries or "change agents" but more to point out that going from one extreme to another is seldom the answer to anything. In fact, when you do just that you typically end up with a situation in which about half the people are unhappy with the way you are doing things.
In terms of efficacy and longevity — assuming your objective in life isn't to spend your lifetime living in some version of a military banana republic — quiet grassroots change that slowly makes the infected and undesirable parts of the status quo largely irrelevant and powerless tends to have more chances of succeeding... in the long run.
But people tend to be impatient. They want results... now.
Regardless, I suppose we might label that form of gradual change as a "peaceful revolution" of sorts. Nothing huge and dramatic and world changing happened, but over a period of a generation or two the way things were done radically changed. But millions of people didn't have to die as part of the process and half the population didn't have to live with their homes in ruins as a result of violent sudden change.
Revolutionaries tend to run through the streets screaming "change now, change now!" but perhaps that is more of an effective tool to gain the attention of a broader segment of the population that something is out of order.
and so, movement can start, but it is not a hastily enacted summary decision to completely destroy what is and hope that something better grows from the ashes... because it's pretty rare that something better actually does grow from the ashes.
And there's always the risks that they violent revolution will simply replace one form of dominance and tyranny with a different form of dominance and tyranny.
Just a few random thoughts, pay no mind to me.
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Created at 2025.05.14 01:17 PDT
1364/2628
One of my frustrations with the anarcho-socialists is their idea of perpetual revolution. They focus on overthrowing and redistributing, not building and growing. They, in turn view the anarcho-capitalists as reactionary counter-revolutionaries who dare hold onto ideas of property and leadership and (sometimes) religion as a refusal to make the changes the communists see as necessary to achieve their envisioned end goal.
As I see it, the anarcho-socialists have a preexisting idea of what humanity and society must become, and the revolution cannot end until that happens. The market anarchists try to examine how humans are now, and find ways to circumvent the State and make its claimed authority obsolete. Market anarchists have been among the folks building cryptocurrency to undermine government monetary monopolies.
Meanwhile, the Democrats and Republicans bicker over what color to paint the prison walls.
But I know I'm a crazy extremist. No one cares what I think.
Yeah, much of my frustration and skepticism comes from the way so many — on both sides of the aisle — are always ready to tear down things, but they offer little in the way of tangible solutions that can be made to function (somewhat) in a world where consensus is all but impossible to arrive at.
My biggest issue with (many) anarcho-capitalists is this insistence that society must descend into total lawless chaos, with everything goverment and everything financial going into a total shambles, and the world exists only as a weird form of tribalism with survivalists sitting in theor basements surrounded by 10 years worth of food stores, guns and ammo... and, and big piles of gold and silver. It's too extreme, for my liking.
Actually, you're more sane than most I come across! I live near Seattle, though... which is a crazy place.
@topcomment, please consider @jacobtothe's comment, above.
I think it's less ancaps wanting chaos and more anticipating highly probable chaos. But yeah, there are some vocal collapsitarian accellerationists too.
"Collapsitarian."
That's an awesome word! Thank you for that.
For me, these random thoughts have made me meditate on certain things; is this system we live in already decadent, infunctory and dying?
I think so...
Is there a possibility of a new order?
Definitely; but I do not believe that it must be born from the existing, I believe and I am sure that it must be from a new proposal or perspective of life.
Is there any new focus, from situations that are not politically or geopolitically defined as right or left?
I am sure that such a process is already born.
But these, too, are just some randomly thrown out concerns, thoughts and beliefs.
The point is that it's good to read posts like these that, apparently emphasize the beauty of some impeccable photographs, but leave you thinking about other much more pressing things....
Thank you, @denmarkguy
It was good to read you.
And receive my regards from Venezuela.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment @emiliorios, appreciate you sharing your perspective.
Oftentimes, what we end up considering — to use a metaphor — is whether to tear the old house down completely, or whether to simply renovate it, leeping the good parts and getting rid of the bad. I was never a big supporter of the "tear it down" approach because we humans have a way of repeating the same mistakes we've made before.
Thanks for your kind words!
Thanks to you, @denmarkguy
The truth is that we always start over with the basics and along the way we make these and other mistakes.
Perhaps, if we were to start a new order....
Well, I am in favor of starting from scratch with solid bases, with complete guidelines.
Let's hope, this is changing rapidly.
And so are the paradigms...
Best regards from Venezuela.
An important reflection for the times we live in. I live in Venezuela, a country that 25 years ago began a process that calls itself revolutionary. In my opinion, the result of these 25 years has been disastrous, greater poverty, greater dependence on the great powers, a migration of eight million people. This is my assessment, like any other, completely subjective and personal. Our leaders continue to make the same promises as on the first day, as if they were newcomers. I for one have learned to be suspicious of anything that calls itself a revolution. Thank you for the publication dear @denmarkguy. A big hug from Maracay.
I can certainly appreciate your skepticism of anything that calls itself revolutionary... of course, I only have the perspective of an "outsider" through the news we see here, which is often limited and biased.
Does seem to be a common thing with politics that leaders make the same old promises and act like the people have never heard them before, even when it is just recycling what has always been.
Beautiful!
Thanks!