Insurrection
/ˌɪnsəˈrɛkʃn/
noun
a violent uprising against an authority or government.
I was asked yesterday as to how far in the future and what might be the trigger for a global revolution, and while I can only speculate - I suspect it will be a shorter timeframe than many believe. All empires fall, and that collapse is rapid. Maybe we could visualise it like a skyscraper that takes a decade to build, but when it is demolished, it takes moments.
For instance, the Roman empire persisted for around 1000 years, yet when it fell, it took less than two decades. The Mongol empire was in power for over 160 years, but after Genghis Khan died, it spent the last forty years breaking apart due to infighting amongst the successors. And they all fall for one reason, which is hinted at in the last sentence - greed.
And we are at the greediest point in history.
The wealth distribution is shockingly bad currently, and it is getting worse. Not only this, due to the way the globalised economy functions with investment and finance mechanisms, it is happening simultaneously across pretty much all countries on earth, which means that when it collapses, it will be a global collapse.
But let's go back to the term at the top, insurrection. A violent uprising against authority or government. We have seen this in many forms in the past as well, for example, the Arab Spring about fifteen years ago saw protests, uprising and armed rebellions. And if you remember back that far, the Western world governments were cheering them on every step of the way, as the people overthrew oppressive regimes.
The US government is calling attacks on Tesla dealerships, "Domestic terrorism".
Sound familiar?
And there is an interesting thing going on now with this, because the current US government is supported by those who will fight for the right to be able to rise up against the government. But, as people are rising up, that same government is threatening them with deportation and imprisonment. Even the boycott of Tesla products has been called "an illegal boycott" by Trump.
An illegal boycott?
This is starting to sound like an insurrection, isn't it? And the difference is, it isn't in some distant region that no one cares about (except those living there), it is in the US - the shining example of a working democracy. But what people are fast discovering is, it has been an illusion of a democracy, and as expected, the real power lays in the hands of the wealthiest individuals who were pulling the strings in the background, but are now greedy enough to perform their puppetry skills, out in the open.
And it isn't just the economy that is a factor here, because society as a whole is crumbling - again, from greed. The economy is the tracker, but in the quest for profits, governments and corporations have built their business models in ways that not only extract more profit, but do so at the cost of wellbeing of people. And this degradation in health hits all aspects of a human, with the body failing, the mind failing, and the emotions failing. The kinds of people who would consider violence used to be at the extremes, but those extremes are moving toward the middle. Is it any wonder that more people are willing to firebomb a Tesla building?
Violence may not be the answer, but it is how we have been conditioned to react to threat. We have been guided by example. And when we are also increasingly mentally and emotionally unstable, it is pretty obvious that it is going to manifest in unpleasant forms against those who are perceived to be the problem.
Tesla, Musk and even Trump are not the problem.
They are symptoms of a sick system.
None of what is happening has happened suddenly, because it has been mounting for two decades already. It is just that people don't pay attention or choose to ignore it. The indicators are everywhere, from the obesity numbers, to the levels of depression and addiction. The widening wealth gap, to the formation of online groups of incels and extremists. From the safe spaces, to the platforms that incentivize outrage. We have been taught to be weak for the profit of corporations and investors, while simultaneously losing more and more possibility ourselves.
There is an inevitability to it, isn't there?
You might think me an alarmist. You might think me crazy. That is okay. I don't know what the timeframe will be for the collapse, but I believe that it is going to come, because the uprisings of the masses can only be dispersed and quelled so often, before they become overwhelming. And with each round, more and more people are joining the fight against authority and government, because they feel that they have no other choice - They want a good life, but no matter what they try, possibility keeps getting taken away. The bigger risk then becomes,
To do nothing.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I agree that chaos is coming. Especiallly here in the U.S. I don't see battlefields of the Civil War of old, but bombings and mass shootings galore. More so than we have now, multiplied many more times. I see several organized and sdisparate groups fighting against each other. It is not a good future.
I think this too. It is more the fall of the Mongol Horde, than the fall of Rome or the French revolution. Many vying for power and control - many more disorganised and out of control.
It will be much like Northern Ireland but with many groups I think.
I don't think you are an alarmist, I know a fair number of people who feel the same way and I can say from first hand experience there are definitely signs inside the US that many people either aren't seeing or are choosing to ignore. I saw a good meme the other day that said something about school shooting victims get thoughts and prayers from politicians, but vandalize a Tesla dealership and you are a domestic terrorist. We are definitely broken.
Quite an amazing comparison, isn't it? Children are worth less than corporate profits.
Indeed!
Those of us who made the lifestyle choice to refuse to submit to an experimental medical treatment were called domestic terrorists. These extreme words - another is "insurrection" - have come to have no meaning.
For some I guess. Depending on the narrative you choose to believe. Based on the definition insurrection seems to fit pretty well for Jan 6th.
They forgot to bring their weapons, I guess. I can't find that terribly scary, nor do I take it seriously.
According to the definition weapons don't seem to be mandatory for an insurrection. Ultimately we choose our own truth I guess.
I don't think you are an alarmist, I think you are being practical, and reading the signs correctly. I agree Trump, alone, is not the problem, but more the culmination of corrupt governments in the US for a very long time, since at least WWI and the creation of the Federal Reserve.
Violence will probably be unavoidable. It is already happening to us medically and chemically. Here in the US, we the people are largely armed. However, the US has manipulated, trained and funded armed rebellion in all parts of the world to effect overthrows of governments (Arab spring - we were not only cheering that on) and I have no doubt we will be psy-opped into compliance - remember 2020 and the covid con.
Never forget!
The ability to manipulate the masses only works for so long, because people start to feel the violence in their local neighbourhoods. It can only be swept away for so long, before people fight back. But I don't think being armed is going to help much, other than to be part of the post-apocalyptic world. I find it pretty sad that we aren't smarter than this.
Every system ultimately falls apart as there is saying in Urdu, Har arooj ko zawal h (Every rise has a fall) . It's not just from outside forces, but because people change and demand fairness and inclusion. As you mention Greed is at the heart of this downfall, as powerful groups hoard resources, silence others and twist ideas to keep control. Yet, each collapse also creates a chance to start over, pushing society to fight greed and build a fairer system that better reflects our changing values. Maybe or ofc, this is what happening right now, democracy and capitalism is halfway through its fall.
Just my perspective 😇
Democracy doesn't work, because what we have isn't actually democratic anyway. It has been hijacked by a few for control and power. Voting a leader doesn't make the system fair. And capitalism eats itself, because it is a maximisation process, inside a system with limited resources.
The more greed causes the more oppression on folks, thus violence can occur as a response.
It is pretty much a mathematical formula.
Your analysis is interesting, but it seems to lose sight of a key reality, “no one knows the leaks in the neighbour's house”. Each country has its own challenges and strengths, and reducing everything to a global diagnosis based on imminent collapse can be misleading. And the media are the best manipulators at the moment.
It is true that inequality and social dissatisfaction are worrisome, but so is the ability of societies to adapt and evolve without going to the extreme of total collapse. Historical comparisons are useful, but each era has unique contexts.
The world is not monochrome, nor is it all oppression or imminent collapse. There are nuances. And while some struggle against insensitive systems, others find local solutions within those same systems. Perhaps the greatest risk is to generalise too much.
When it comes to the economy of the present, there are no neighbours - it is all one unit.
The cracks in the system have been showing for a while, but now they’re turning into full on fractures. Maybe we're all just waiting for the moment it finally gives way. Scary, but not surprising but still scary a little
I probably won't survive a full collapse - that doesn't stop it from happening though.
yeah sadly won't stop it from happening
I think USA is really far away from a collapse. I would think that it would take a severe depression deeper than 1929 to make this system unstable enough to bring about a possibility of collapse.
Politically-motivated violence against civilians is pretty much the textbook definition of terrorism, so vandalism and violence against a car brand isn't as absurd as you might think.
Unfortunately, many people regardless of party affiliation seem primed for violence against people they oppose. And violence is what governments are built to address through violent responses. Peaceful civil disobedience doesn't seem to be in the cards.
No such thing. It is a very useful non-violent form of protest. I'm all for it!
The answer is better education so that people can figure out strategic ways to undermine and insurrect the minority at the top of the pyramid. I think the Target boycott, for example, is working, because the company is facing staggering losses of consumer spending!
Waiting for the bang while looking at the whimper.
Respect the hard times and prepare...
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