#abstention

Introduction 14 %. Emmanuel Macron égale François Hollande dans les abysses de la défiance populaire. Mais cette chute ne dit pas seulement la fin d’un président, elle révèle l’épuisement total du modèle démocratique. Les Français ne votent plus par conviction, mais par réflexe défensif. Ils ne choisissent plus un projet, ils écartent un danger. Et ce simulacre électoral, répété tous les…

Setting all the initial issues of that ideology aside, let's say you do have your glorious revolution. The ruling class have been guillotined or chased out.

What now?

Initial overthrows tend to consist of a broad base, followed by a powerful faction being the one to ultimately come on top (Russia, China, Iran, etc). The very few times you have a relatively peaceful revolution followed by relatively peaceful transition (Velvet Revolution, dissolution of Soviet Union, etc), you have a structures intact and a populace largely on the same page.

But what if you have competing ideologies?

It's pertinent to look at the makeup of this country. In 2020, African Americans number at around 47 million or 14% of the population, and combined Native Americans/Alaskans/Hawaiians number at 10.5 million or 3%. A Gallup poll in 2023 determined that roughly 7.2% of adults identified as LGBT, with 7% not responding. In contrast, the number of people who voted for Trump was 74.2 million or 22%.

When you look at other revolutionary governments, the ones that acknowledged previously marginalized communities did so because they were a good chunk or majority of their population (eg Cuba); even in those cases you may still have marginalized groups. Whereas for most post-revolutionary governments, you either get more of the same marginalization/discrimination (eg Vietnam) or, worse, systematic targeting/genocide (eg Cambodia).

So with all that in mind, are you able and willing to fight to secure your "egalitarian paradise" and keep it from becoming Gilead? I'm not asking metaphorically.

Among the various partisan factions in the US there are armed left-wing militia groups, but guess which side is way more armed. So are you dispensing any talk of gun control and instead buying all the military-grade hardware? Are you learning how to use that rifle and basic combat tactics? Are you willing to use that gun on another human being?

If you are not prepared for that or the effect of infrastructural collapse, you could actually participate in this imperfect system by voting for a president that you may not like but can function better as damage control. All while you not only focus on your senators and representatives, but also your state government, to continue pushing the needle and making it easier for progressive causes to get passed and stay in place. All while you make sure to vote in municipal elections to have school boards that reflect your views. All while you actually reach out to communities you may not agree with to at least try and dissuade them from reactionary populism.

Coluche

Romantic Abstention: abstaining oneself from romantic love, for any reason. Not necessarily romancelessness, as one can still show romantic traits.

“Le doute n'est que la première phase de l'abstention et du désespoir...” 🗳

Marcel Larche