A second American Revolution?

This is just a thought that I've been toying with, but I feel that America holds our history of the orderly transition of Government as a sort of point of pride. For as long as there has been a United States of America votes have been cast, someone has been elected president, and that person has taken power in a fairly predictable procedure with never a military coup to be seen. For the last two hundred years, regardless of who fixed what elections and who cheated on what ballots, the people of America, as a whole, accept the new president and continue to work within the established system.

So, the question that arises would be do you, as an American, consider the American nation's history of peaceful transition of power to be a point of pride?

Bah, okay, I need to expand on this a bit more for the title to make sense. I personally believe that because there has never been a serious threat of military coup or rebellion on the part of a significant minority of people, and because of the tradition of working within the American system to change the American system, Americans are highly unlikely to consider revolution as a viable method of acheiving a redress of grievances.

[Edited on Feb 17, 2005 by Frank]

im not sure that nobody ever hasnt tried. but i think that the government is so busy watching everyone that they squash anything perceived as a threat like a grape before it ever has a chance to materialize. and its not liek your going to read about that.

Civil War maybe?

Also, we have it way too good in this country to consider a revolution. Are people gonna take up arms against the oppressor and risk having their digital cable cut off so they can't see Desperate Survivor Idol? I think not. We're way too fat and happy to have a revolution here.



[Edited on Feb 17, 2005 by PsychoMagnet]

Oh yah, forgot about that one. Okay, I admit it, I didn't think this through before I started writing.

"Oh yah, forgot about that one. Okay, I admit it, I didn't think this through before I started writing."


I do that ALL the time.

It's still an interesting question though. I just can't see it happening, it's like the capitalist system has empowered some (the rich and middle class) and the govt has subsidised the poor through social programs (and I don't want to argue if those social programs are adequate because i'm sure some of them are and some of them are not.) So those people probably aren't going to revolt against their "meal ticket." So who is going to revolt? Not that many people I don't think.

Sounds like you're one of them terrorists attempting to plant your evil seed of doubt in the innocent mind of good ol Joe American.






good try though

I mostly agree with you, psycho, though I'm not sure that it's really 'too fat and happy', so much as 'too fat and happy and/or hopeful'. America has always had oppressed and (relatively) impoverished classes, even among the enfranchised. What's kept real revolutionary zeal dormant here is that we've fostered the myth of unlimited social mobility, horatio alger blah blah blah, so you've got rednecks in double-wides voting for dreadfully regressive tax-breaks, or poor immigrant groups willing to blame marginally less-poor immigrant groups for their poverty and degradation. I'm not suggesting that it's the intended consequence of our national ideology, but it's certainly functioned that way.

Two words "patriot act"... Just so your all aware, big brother is always watching you

check your history and try again. then tell us what happened following the election of 1860.

Agreed, those are good points. My eyebrows go up a little when I hear about poor immigrant groups, because liek it or not they came here, and stay here for a reason. That reason is whatever poverty they live in here is usually far better than the poverty they lived in before they got here. It's an oversimplification for me to say that, to some extent, but by and large I think it's the truth.

werd

Enfant_Terrible makes a valid point.

If there wasnt an armed rebbellion in the 1960's, I doubt we are anywhere near one now

Thing about revolutions is all those dead people.

Wouldn't you agree?

Er, Antietam?

While most people in this neck of the woods like to reminisce lovingly when they come across one of those Robert E Lee slept here signs in front of a Chic Filet, my primary thought is god damn, revolution sucks ass.

What you seem to be asking is "What about violence as a way to redress grievances?"

I mean, cmon, violence is a grievance.

I can't believe I'm replying to this.

Grew a mustache and a mullet
got a job at chic fillet
citing artistic differences
the band broke up in may
and in june reformed without me
and they got a different name
nuked another grandma's apple pie
and hung my head in shame



Everyone back in the boobie hatch!

That was the civil war, though. But I think the point still stands.

I've actually thought about this recently.
I think the american people as a whole are too afraid of pain/suffering/death to take part in an armed revolution unless its for something really really big. I can't even imagine anything that would cause the american people to rise up in enough numbers to do anything.

The last example of revolution in our history i think would be the black panthers, they saw issues that needed to be addressed, and the government wasn't doing anything about it, so they took matters into their own hands, ran an ambulance service, started the free breakfast at school program, and were infiltrated by the government and eventually brought down.
this is most likely what would happen if a revolution of any kind were to take place nowadays, spies, infiltration, internal fighting, all engineered to destroy the organization

There is a revolution, and it's called the internet.

I'm going to start my own revolution and we're not going to do it the old-fashioned way. These are new times and new measures are called for. In my revolution, we will show our dissatisfaction by not shaving more than once every couple of days, about at the point where stubble starts to become a beard. Partially because shaving is annoying and my skin is sensitive, but mostly because I'm a fucking rebel and I'm not afraid to tell the world. Via stubble.

I'm sure most of them will be able to interpret my stubble and stand aside when I get in line at the supermarket because they will know that I am a badass, not to be trifled with.

we are too comfortable and satisfied. Revolution does still come in very small doses though. We aren't completely afraid of change and progression.

Black Panthers.

Native American revolts. Both in the 1800's and the 1970's.

I know a Chicano group "took" an island off the CA coast in the 1970's.

White Supremists, first as the KKK. Oklahoma city bombing. Now, there are Nazi's in Daytona Beach as we debate this. Handing out flyers during race week. Since most NASCAR fans are white, race week has taken on a new meaning.

These are in tha last 40 years. Think of all the crap before that.

I think it is more because our government has nukes and there isn't much we could do.

Also all the crazy liberals want to take away our guns.

current tyrannical government = republicans

ergo, revolution = democrats

most democrats = gun control/banning/etc

revolution = not possible without guns (at least in the context of this thread)




gun control advocates need to rethink their positions or they'll legislate themselves right out of their last means of resistance once the Republican Gestapo begins it's 21st century "Night of Broken Glass."

[Edited on Feb 17, 2005 by painbearer]

Well, in fairness, our government has nukes and there isn't much we could do. Hey, waitasec....