From: Blanc <blancw@cnw.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 17:32:30 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: What Will Revolution Look Like?
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971031012859.006c9b7c@cnw.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Tim May wrote:

>No, the revolution, when it comes, will likely be different from anything
>quite like we've seen to date.
....................................................

In the revolution against the British, the U.S. was a small colony sitting
on a vast "new" land, with the Natives but a minor obstacle to expansion.
Presently there is no such unoccupied place which could be claimed for the
cause of liberty, and revolutionaries are sitting in the middle of the
enemy camp, surrounded everywhere by people who "just want to save lives".

You could temporarily send a political message and get your names in the
news, but then totally lose the war from being outnumbered and overwhelmed
by non-sympathizers.   A long time ago it was possible, given the distance
of water and land between peoples, to make a break with them physically.
The enemy could be driven out, sent "home", and the winners could develop
their new living arrangements in the new setting.

But there is no new setting to go to, there is nowhere to send the
infidels.   The life of a new libertarian "society" would have to be
created as a virtual one, existing among or in-between the others.   Of
course the basis of the original setup is still mentioned every once in a
while, and so it is still in the minds of everyone, even if only as a dim
reference, so it could be said that the most a current revolution could
accomplish would be the return of the original ideal to the minds of the
population.  But I think that it would take much more than a few skirmishes
to accomplish that, as it doesn't appear that it carries all that much
support.   It would be like getting a kid to take down some medicine; many
don't really want to live so independently, nor feel the need to identify
what kind of life would be the more ideal (i.e. they don't identify
precisely the difference between a socialist atmosphere and a libertarian
one, nor concern themselves with why they should spend any time worrying
about the difference it makes.)

An intentional revolution, I fear, would just look like an attempt to make
people think.  And therefore not taken too seriously.  (And if the
revolutionaires lose?  tough luck.  Oh, well. Gotta go to work in the morning.)
    ..
Blanc