We Are Not Ready For Revolution
People fail to understand what it means to be an actual radical
I recently stumbled upon a tweet that declared the Right fails because it refuses to adopt a “revolutionary mindset.” It was left unstated what that would entail, but it’s a common sentiment on the Right. It underlies calls for “national divorce,” civil war, and a more authoritarian government.
It’s a romantic image to see yourself as a revolutionary. Popular media reinforces this perception, routinely portraying the lives of rebels as one of constant adventure and excitement. Compared to the boredom of daily life, a revolutionary life–as seen on film–looks really fun. A revolution is also more enticing than the mundanity of American politics. No longer do you have to deal with the compromises, pettiness, and inanity of campaigning and legislating. Revolutions promise politics in a grand key where the radical can remake the world according to his ideals.
The call for revolution can sound nice, but few grasp that we don’t live in a revolutionary moment. Even fewer are prepared for the consequences of taking up an armed revolt against the state. Ultimately, calling for a revolutionary mindset is part of the Online Right’s issues with comprehending reality.
America is an insane place right now, but it’s not 1917 Russia. People are not starving in the streets. America is not in a destructive war costing millions of lives, nor does it have a navy and army filled with millions of disgruntled conscripts. There is a lot more petty crime in the country, but it’s not the public disorder of Moscow and St. Petersburg over a century ago. Only Palestinian protesters are taking to the streets, and they are easily controlled.
While we face serious economic problems, America is still a prosperous place. Millions of Americans have enough disposable income to waste on sports betting. People can buy iPhones and other expensive trinkets on credit. Instead of famine, we have a majority-obese population. Instead of a youthful, wild society, we are an aging population (at least among whites), and only a tiny percentage of young people are fit for military service. Every revolution requires a large surplus of angry young men to make it possible. Many young guys may be dissatisfied with life, but they’re focusing their passions on FanDuel or video games.
It’s completely untrue to say that America is fundamentally alright and we have no serious problems. There is something deeply wrong with this country. But a terrible situation doesn’t always lead to a revolution.
The Right, in particular, is not ripe for a revolution. The vast majority of our people have something to lose. They have a decent job, a family, and a home. They don’t want to lose all that for the sake of political activism. The people who start revolutions are those with nothing to lose. Karl Marx declared to the proletariat: “you have nothing to lose but your chains.” In contrast, a right-wing revolutionary would include a long list of items his audience would lose.
Leftists are able to build street movements because they boast large reserves of people with nothing to lose. They can call upon petty criminals, drug addicts, and other elements of the new lumpenbourgeoisie to engage in real-world action. They know they have people who will put their bodies on the line to block traffic, disrupt conservative events, fight police, and even torch city blocks. Outside of January 6, the right shows no inkling for that kind of action. The state reaction to J6 neutralized the Right’s appetite for public demonstrations. The radical elements of the Right are entirely online-based. They are not actually going to take up revolutionary action.
Being a revolutionary isn’t the romantic image in movies. It means you can’t have a job, you’re in prison, and society despises you. The government doesn’t just let revolutionaries have an adventurous lifestyle with zero repercussions. If you’re perceived as a threat, the regime comes down hard on you. Right-wingers aren’t prepared for this.
After Charlottesville, many members of the alt-right found themselves doxed, publicly condemned, and ostracized by their family and friends. A few even found themselves arrested. Cville was a small demonstration, not an insurrection of any sort. It was primarily non-state actors (Big Tech, journalists, employers, personal friends, etc.) that ensured the alt right faced severe consequences after the rally. The response wasn’t a case of “iron sharpening iron.” It killed the movement, proving any radical right-wing force isn’t prepared to withstand the blowback. Even if some posters say they’re prepared for the consequences, most aren’t. Many right-wingers disavow their beliefs or disappear after doxings, indicating few are ready for what would happen if they set out to cause a revolution.
The bigger problem is that there is no constituency for a revolutionary right-wing. The Trumpist base wants to get rid of wokeness, not overthrow the government. They are not willing to sacrifice what they have on behalf of a political cause. The majority of our base is over 45. There has never been a revolution in human history where well-off middle-aged and elderly people serve as the foot soldiers of a violent rebellion. Does anyone seriously believe the Villages will be our Paris Commune?
Young people with nothing to lose tend to be left-wing in this country. Many of these people you don’t want to win over in the first place. We are better off without mentally ill druggies. If a revolutionary movement emerged in this country, it would come from the Left. We saw a preview of it during the George Floyd riots.
The Right is extremely online, for better and for worse. Outside of the GOP and Conservative Inc., we have no organizations or institutions. Our presence is only experienced on social media. When you argue for revolution, you’re essentially telling shitpoasters to become guerrillas. That illustrates how silly this argument is.
A lot of people want to create a safe space online where all their dreams come true in opposition to the bleak world outside. It’s understandable that people pine for a better world than the one before us. However, the online sphere often mistakes the dream worlds for reality, conjuring up imaginary constituencies out of thin air and thinking their LARP ideology is about to take power. Realism is sorely needed to ground ourselves.
Modern America is a unique place that requires a strategy relevant to the times to create change. The alt right adopted a quasi-revolutionary mindset and failed miserably. The exact same would happen to those who don’t learn the lessons from the past.
Change will come incrementally. We have to work to get our views out there without being absolutely crushed by the regime. Challenging the regime with a few dozen people is suicidal and counter-productive. It’s better to adopt a metapolitical mindset that seeks to educate and inform people rather than to embrace a revolutionary mindset where you pretend you have the masses on your side.
Scott
You should do a podcast on what people can do!
This is what will keep people positive and not conspiratorial. Like showing up to local republican groups and talking about anti white policies and immigration downsides would be extremely effective and within the average persons ability.
I agree that the situation we are in is not revolutionary. But it is, by God, infuriating. Watching the criminal left dismantle Vdare, as well as hounding a lawyer like John Eastman ….. to say nothing of the martyrs in jail, from blameless J6 people to Derek Chauvin ….
The right is online and has no real organization that can protect people. The left is online but can act in real terms. We can’t do that. Educating people matters but sometime, somehow, the right has to get into real life.