#people want blood and spectacle and i frankly can't trust this wouldn't end up different from public lynchings

[brehaaorgana]

I think you're confusing the actual text of this post with what you think people are saying about major social change/revolution in general.

This post is specifically about the fantasy of a Glorious Violent Revolution. The noble and "righteous" Guillotine revolution. This isn't about the concept of revolution in general. This isn't about denying the current status quo is violent. It's also not stating that what exists now is immutable, unchangeable, or human nature. It's not a defense of capitalism.

It's a criticism of bloodthirsty violent fantasy (and imo that fantasy IN LIEU OF genuine reform, revolution, or social change). It's a criticism of the spectacular and bloody imaginings that get glorified because people are idiots who only care about the Guillotine Killing The Rich Like The Glorious French Revolution and don't bother to consider small details like The September Massacres, The Terror, the White Terror, how many people in the National Convention were executed, imprisoned, or committed suicide, or the fact that one of their most well known leaders was also ultimately executed. y'know — basically the thousands of people who died and weren't the aristocracy but instead also revolutionaries, or non-political prisoners, or anyone "suspicious," per the Law of 22 Prairial.

The big fantasy of the guillotine is about feeding an impulse for violent, gladiatorial drama for the masses, it's a fantasy that speaks to people whose grasp of the reality of a "revolution" is basically the just theatrical release of Les Mis.

It's not a criticism of the idea that we should demand and agitate for large-scale and necessary change. This seems fairly obvious.

“LOL. You think your vote matters? ROFL and LOL.” Yes, I am aware my vote carries less and less relative power the more people I’m voting with, but unlike your glorious violent revolution, it actually exists.