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Entertainment

Revolution is not an AOL Keyword* 411

pdw writes "Revolution is not an AOL Keyword* is an entertaining piece of prose, which has been floating around the blogspace for the past month. In reinterpreting Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Eddan Katz has given us quick worldview, common to most Slashdoters, and of course reminds us of what is most important to all, to go out and enjoy life!"
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Revolution is not an AOL Keyword*

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  • Groovy... (Score:4, Funny)

    by TopShelf ( 92521 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:26PM (#5771388) Homepage Journal
    So am I supposed to smoke clove cigarettes and snap my fingers to this???
  • by rdewald ( 229443 ) <rdewald AT gmail DOT com> on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:28PM (#5771394) Homepage Journal
    The one thing that seemed off about the langauge in the homage to GSH's insightful song about the ultimate irreverence of mass media was the attempt to address "geeks" via a reference to AOL keywords.

    I don't know any geeks that use AOL.

    Besides, the revolution, if there is one, will probably have a web site, but it will run on Apache and Perl Scripts. There won't be an AOL keyword....

    The web isn't mass media, it just has mass distribution.
  • Revolution (Score:5, Interesting)

    by IIRCAFAIKIANAL ( 572786 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:34PM (#5771420) Journal
    Has a revolution ever happened in a true democracy (or at least as true as you find in North America)?

    Considering up here in Canada we've held referendums to determine if we should divide the country (first Quebec, and now Alberta is talking about it too) I find it hard to believe we would ever see such an event take place.

    Even with Bush going a bit nuts with the whole "You must give up your rights to be safe, citizen." power grab in the US, he can easily be voted out at the next election. No revolution (violent or otherwise) necessary.

    You need the support of the majority to have a revolution, otherwise it's called other things.
    • Re:Revolution (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:38PM (#5771443)
      Well, that depends. Would you consider the United States Civil War a revolution by the southern states?
      • Re:Revolution (Score:3, Interesting)

        Yes, against colonial powers, though I admit I know little of the US Civil War so feel free to enlighten me if I am wrong...
    • you just need power to have a revolution.
      • Clint Eastwood A lot of crap's coming down tonight. You wanna be a player or not. Wanna know what happened that night or don't ya. Cause I was there

        -absolute power
    • Re:Revolution (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      he can easily be voted out at the next election

      That was written on the assumption that he was voted in fair and square the first time... ... which is debatable.
    • Re:Revolution (Score:4, Insightful)

      by moonbender ( 547943 ) <moonbender AT gmail DOT com> on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:52PM (#5771498)
      Perhabs Hitler's takeover of the Weimar Republic, which was a modern democracy, converting into an absolutist fascist regime in 1933 could be called a revolution. It was very much inside the system, though, it was not a violent public uprise.

      Apart from that, the couple of modern democracies - including first and foremost the USA, the right to bear arms nonwithstanding - have taken great care to keep up a large enough and well-equipped military to prevent a public, violent revolution from happening. And of course, in a working democracy, a revolution is made unlikely since the majority gets what it wants anyway.

      • Re:Revolution (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Associate ( 317603 )
        And of course, in a working democracy, a revolution is made unlikely since the majority gets what it wants anyway.
        Which is oh so convienent since it seems like we are being told more and more what it is we want instead of thinking for ourselves, which is of course part of the message of The Revolution will not be Televised.
    • Re:Revolution (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rdewald ( 229443 ) <rdewald AT gmail DOT com> on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:58PM (#5771519) Homepage Journal
      The word revolution in this context refers to the overthrow of a government, or form of government, or social system by those governed, usually by forceful means, with another government or social system taking its place.

      In recent history, this has happened because of, or has been attempted by, people seeking a democracy is the new form of government. Maybe this is why a revolution in this sense will not happen in a democracy. It's not that it is impossible, it's that it has already happened.

      The word can also mean a radical change of any kind. This is sometimes necessary in any social system. Democracy allows for a non-violent method to achieve this kind of revolution every election. While the change from Carter to Reagan in 1981 was not a revolution in the former sense of the word, it was in the latter sense. So, the answer depends in some measure on just what one means by revolution.
      • by NigelJohnstone ( 242811 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @05:17AM (#5772179)
        "Maybe this is why a revolution in this sense will not happen in a democracy"

        If democracy is the base state of a country, then we would long ago have all become democracies. Clearly that is not the case, since many dictatorships exist throughout the world.

        George Orwell's Animal Farm is a very insightful piece of work you might like to read:

        http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/animf.htm

        Its basically the story of how Russian went from Tzars to Democracy to Dictatorship, transposed into Animals on a farm.

        The pigs SLOWLY amass power and control, the rest of the Animals SLOWLY lose power and control, and the balance shifts until the pigs attack the Farmer and depose him.
        A SLOW bypassing of Judicial review, a SLOW move to gain more control is how the US democracy will die, but its still a revolution, just in slow-mo.

    • Re:Revolution (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The Soviet Communist revolution happened shortly after their democratic revolution, although that was short lived and unstable.
    • Re:Revolution (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Silent_E ( 592458 )
      Well, given that Bush wasn't elected by the majority, one could argue that the electorial college system actually promotes a kind of revolution. Once you have Texas and Florida, plus the middle states you can ignore the majority opinion for President. Maybe bloodless coup is a better word.

      • Once you have Texas and Florida, plus the middle states you can ignore the majority opinion for President.

        Think about what `majority opinion' means, then: the opinion of the East and Left coasts. Why is it considered inherently better that we submit to their whim for president than that they submit to ours?
        • Re:Revolution (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Silent_E ( 592458 )
          Well, in the case of the 2000 election, what the "majority opinion" meant was literally more than half of the voters. It isn't whim, but objective, countable (ahem--not counted) votes. Voting makes our system legitimate.

          We can bicker about the how legitimate our voting numbers are (my memory is that it was actually about 40% of the registered voters, which was half? (perhaps less) of the eligible voters). But if you are going to call voting a "whim," then you are dumping the premise of democratic governm
    • Re:Revolution (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:25PM (#5771606)
      Has a revolution ever happened in a true democracy (or at least as true as you find in North America)?

      Chile was a democracy prior to Sept 11, 1973 when it was overthrown by a US-supported military coup and became a brutal dictatorship. A new leader wasn't elected until 1989.

    • by Anonymous Coward
      Even with Bush going a bit nuts with the whole "You must give up your rights to be safe, citizen." power grab in the US, he can easily be voted out at the next election. No revolution (violent or otherwise) necessary.

      <TINFOILHAT>... unless the elections are "postponed" due to a terrorist threat. </TINFOILHAT>

    • Hmm... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Galvatron ( 115029 )
      I guess it depends how you want to account for France. They went though many different governments from 1789 to the modern day. You could probably get technical and say "France wasn't a democracy here, this wasn't a revolution, that was an outside conquest" etc. But the fact remains that France has had several democracies fail, and the failures accompanied bloodshed.

      I believe that Kerensky was in the process of setting up a democracy in Russia when he was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. He ruled for such

      • Umm... the declaration of Independence split the US colonies from a British Govt (constitutional Monarchy). This would obviously make the British Govt (still a constitutional Monarchy, last time I checked) older then the US Govt. The House of Commons has existed constantly during this time, and if you consider the Monarch must request that the Govt form (strictly speaking they do so only at her behest) the British Moanarchy has lasted in a constant line since at least Cromwell. So no, the US can't really
      • Re:Hmm... (Score:4, Informative)

        by Simon Brooke ( 45012 ) <stillyet@googlemail.com> on Monday April 21, 2003 @08:21AM (#5772721) Homepage Journal
        Some have made the claim that the United States government is the oldest government in the world, which may very well be true, depending on how you want to define the end of a government.

        They have what? Do citizens of the United States know nothing of what happens overseas? What about

        I'm sure you could find other examples.

    • Re:Revolution (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Cyberdyne ( 104305 )
      Has a revolution ever happened in a true democracy (or at least as true as you find in North America)?

      I'd say the American Civil War would probably qualify; the English Civil War might - Parliament certainly existed at the time, and the House of Commons was made up of elected members, although the Civil War was fought to remove an unelected head of state (King Charles). It was also followed by a military coup (Cromwell dismissing the Long Parliament).

      In modern times, however, it would be very unlikely.

    • Re:Revolution (Score:3, Insightful)

      by will_die ( 586523 )
      You get some who say that the US Civil War was the United States second revolution.
      Now if you consider revolution as a shift from one system to another then thier have been numberious ones in the US. From looking at them they seem to have a couple of similar factors.
      They get started in college and higher learning institutions.
      They start small and slowwly grow, thoses that start small and quickly grow usally are just a fad and die out after the fun is over.

      In this case then yes thier have been numerous
  • by j1mmy ( 43634 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:37PM (#5771439) Journal
    Just because it's not an AOL keyword doesn't mean you can't find it. Try googling, dammit.
  • excuse me (Score:4, Insightful)

    by deadsaijinx* ( 637410 ) <animemeken@hotmail.com> on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:39PM (#5771450) Homepage
    if i seem to be trolling, but this is just some blog poem with a bunch of links. Thats all, just a load of links. The message isn't very original either. Of course the revolution wont be a mass media, everybody and their grandma's doing it, we stand united as a nation sort of deal. that's what makes it a REVOLUTION! By definition it is an underground movement. If it was mainstream, it wouldnt be a revolution, it would be a reinforcement of the status quo. Maybe it sounds like i'm trolling, but this is just my two cents.

    • No doubt. I prefer a more subtle homage myself ala the KMFDM/MDFMK lyrics in the song "©control" - too bad the album was only so-so...:

      Fight the power and the power will fight back
      You're only as good as the system you hack
      If you become a problem you will be replaced
      Banned, shut down, erased
      The world has capsized, gone erratic
      Constitutional rights have dissolved into static
      The truth is based on misinformation
      Reality is only a hallucination
      Another decade gone terribly wrong
      Effectively affecting generati
    • Re:excuse me (Score:2, Insightful)

      by bogie ( 31020 )
      No your not missing anything, I don't know why this story was even posted in the first place.

      My submission that got rejected which talked about how Microsoft is now threating people with the EULA who are trying to run MS programs via WINE was a lot more interesting.

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/30325.htm l

      • you're right. far more interesting. But, what the hell, it is a holiday.

        on an unrelated note, i think there should be a designated place on slashdot for people to post their rejected articles. I can only imagine what kind of gems i'm missing.

        • you do have a journal.

          but your right a central place would be cool

          and hey while we are at it...
          why don't we take this central place and let people moderate it ...
          untill some stories get put to the main page....

          or why isn't there feedback as to why your story never got posted..

          or why don't we let people vote on book reviews.

          or why don't we pre-cash content from small web servers....

          or why isn't slashdot updated produce valid html 4 or better.

          or why is isn't it easier to submit patches to fix slashcode
  • Revolution? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Sounds like a challenge.

    It'll probably be slashdotted before it gets too far....
  • by Toasty16 ( 586358 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:43PM (#5771465) Homepage
    ...include pr0n?
  • So, uh.. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by TheKey ( 465831 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:45PM (#5771472) Journal
    So, hm.. yeah, we not what the revolution is not. It's not a whole bunch of things. So, what exactly is it?
    • Re:So, uh.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Jerf ( 17166 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:21PM (#5771600) Journal
      Morpheus: No one can tell you what The Revolution is. You have to see it for yourself.

      Seriously, people talking about "The Revolution" typically mean it as the magical event that will make People Like Them run the world, after which it will be a magical place of flowing milk and honey where everybody is happy all of the time, except the people the speaker hates. Everybody talks about what it isn't because it's a lot easier then trying to nail down exactly what this magical event is and giving yourself a testable prediction about it that might fail miserably.

      I don't see why this is a problem though, because if there's one thing we're good at as a species, it's rationalizing things. That's like all our frontal lobe is good for.

      People talking about "The Revolution" are better off not talking about it and doing something to make the world a better place in a concrete way. It's really a pernicious meme, similar to the old "Envision World Peace" meme; while you're busy "envisioning world peace", you're not doing anything helpful to anybody. You're not even making an honest buck, which partially goes to taxes, which partially goes to helpful social programs.

      Upshot: I wouldn't spend much time getting trying to figure out what they mean. Whatever concrete thing you suggest, that's not it, but it's 100% guarenteed to be better then that. Been here, done this. That's the same diseased thinking that makes people alive today continue to think that damn it, despite repeated undeniable miserable Communism will work in the real world someday if I just try hard enough.
      • I'm lactose-intolerant you insensitive clod!

        In Soviet Russia, the revolution does y.... hmmm, no second thought, lets not do that. --- Comrad Red sez "It is a GLORIOUS day for REVOLUTION!" .... much better.

  • Hmm (Score:2, Insightful)

    by bogie ( 31020 )
    I read the first few "stanzas", clicked a link or two and then got bored. Was something funny or interesting supposed to happen?
    • patience [lycos.com] keep poking the links and see what happens... you just have no patience
    • by DaveAtFraud ( 460127 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @12:45AM (#5771819) Homepage Journal
      You say you want a revolution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change the world
      You tell me that it's evolution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change the world
      But when you talk about destruction
      Don't you know that you can count me out
      Don't you know it's gonna be all right
      all right, all right

      You say you got a real solution
      Well, you know
      We'd all love to see the plan
      You ask me for a contribution
      Well, you know
      We're doing what we can
      But when you want money
      for people with minds that hate
      All I can tell is brother you have to wait
      Don't you know it's gonna be all right
      all right, all right
      Ah

      ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...

      You say you'll change the constitution
      Well, you know
      We all want to change your head
      You tell me it's the institution
      Well, you know
      You better free you mind instead
      But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
      You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
      Don't you know it's gonna be all right
      all right, all right
      all right, all right, all right
      all right, all right, all right

      From "The White Album" (The Beatles for those of you who don't remember or weren't alive then).
  • Sarah Jones (Score:2, Interesting)

    by ABetterRoss ( 216217 )
    Not Foxy Brown...

    Her take on 'Revolution' is worthwhile too...

    http://www.endmisogyny.com/sarah_jones.htm
  • Katz (Score:5, Funny)

    by DanThe1Man ( 46872 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @10:50PM (#5771495)
    Did anyone else read the name Katz and start to shake a little bit?
    • Re:Katz (Score:2, Funny)

      by seldolivaw ( 179178 )
      Seriously though, are they related? And can we stop them before they breed again?
    • by CvD ( 94050 )
      Definately. I thought: Brother of Katz? Does he write as horrible articles?

      Did they really fire him from Slashdot? I turned him off in my profile fairly quickly, and his name would only turn up in comments, usually when there was some Katz-esque article written.

      Good thing he's gone...
  • by skraps ( 650379 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:00PM (#5771531)

    The poem is well done, perhaps even motivational - but the predictions won't necessarily hold up. Revolutions are sociological; they require lots and lots of interaction and communication. Bidirectional communication. So television obviously won't work, but there's no reason the Internet won't. The Internet is as bidirectional and decentralized as it gets. It already reproduces most every existing social network. It models real-world news outlets and idle chit-chat flawlessly, and takes them a step further by widening the audience and speeding the delivery. It also brings new forms of communication that weren't previously possible - weblogs, for example.

  • Whitey's on the Moon (Score:5, Interesting)

    by waldoj ( 8229 ) <waldo&jaquith,org> on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:02PM (#5771540) Homepage Journal
    For any newfound Gil Scott-Heron fans, my favorite GSH piece:

    Whitey's on the Moon

    A rat done bit my sister Nell
    With whitey on the moon
    Her face and arms began to swell
    And whitey's on the moon
    I can't pay no doctor bills
    And whitey's on the moon
    Ten years from now, I'll be payin' still
    While whitey's on the moon
    You know, the man just upped my rent last night
    'Cos whitey's on the moon
    No hot water, no toilets, no lights
    But whitey's on the moon
    I wonder why he's uppin' me
    'Cos whitey's on the moon?
    Well, I was already givin' him fifty a week
    And now whitey's on the moon
    Taxes takin' my whole damn check
    The junkies make me a nervous wreck
    The price of food is goin' up
    And as if all that crap wasn't enough
    A rat done bit my sister Nell
    With whitey on the moon...
  • If nothing else, this will have served well by reminding us of Gil Scott-Heron whose voice and words have haunted me since I first heard him many years ago. If you don't know his work, give it a listen. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is likely to be the easiest to find - but there's more than that worth listening to.
  • by MichaelCrawford ( 610140 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:10PM (#5771565) Homepage Journal
    A little over a hundred years ago, John J. Chapman gave a commencement address that I found so inspiring that I copied it to my website after I first came across it:

    I found it in the dead-tree edition of The Cluetrain Manifesto [cluetrain.com], which I think makes the case that the revolution will be networked. However I agree that it won't be taking place on a sanitized, controlled system like AOL, but on the wilds of the real Internet.

    And to show that I walk the walk, I invite you to read my recent article, "Living with Schizoaffective Disorder" parts I [kuro5hin.org], II [kuro5hin.org] and III [kuro5hin.org].

  • or did anyone else go through that looking for links they regularly click on?
  • by huphtur ( 259961 ) on Sunday April 20, 2003 @11:50PM (#5771687)
    answer... [googlism.com]
  • by Daniel Quinlan ( 153105 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @12:11AM (#5771743) Homepage
    Speak for yourself.

    I'm not a citizen of the net. I'm a citizen of my country. Most of the people on the net could really care less about me and my well-being. Many -- I don't know if it is "most" or "some" -- of them are downright hostile to me and the things I believe in. There's no need to go into a full list. Actually, I'd love to go into a full list, but I'd probably just be moderated down by the people who are hostile to my views.

    There is nothing magical about the net. People are still people. Some of them are out for power, some are not. Some agree with me, some do not. Some people will be able to manipulate net media just like some people can manipulate mass media now.

    What obvious to me is that many bloggers have just as overinflated ego about their importance that many talking heads in the media have right now. For the moment, I'm avoiding the blog popularity contest. While I do read a few interesting blogs, I try to avoid ones run by people with big heads who think (right or wrong) that the internet will be the vehicle that will make them powerful. I'd rather vote in an election (even with limited realistic choices) than let pagerank decide what I believe.

    Daniel

    • I'm a citizen of my country. Most of the people in my country could really care less about me and my well-being. Many -- I don't know if it is "most" or "some" -- of them are downright hostile to me and the things I believe in. There's no need to go into a full list. Actually, I'd love to go into a full list, but I'd probably just be beaten and imprisoned by the people who are hostile to my views.

      There is nothing magical about my country. People are still people. Some of them are out for power, some are n
    • Well nobody cares about you in your country either. Other then your familiy and few friends nobody really cares about you anyplace. Even then I don't think you'd want to know how much your friends are willing to stand by you if the cops ever questioned them about anything.
    • Dan,

      There are a lot of people who don't think the interet will make them powerful per se, but believe that the internet will make the world a better place and help them lead a happy and fulfilled life at the same time. That's where I and my blog stand. I think if there's one thing that the internet can do, it's to increase the prevalence and vitality of communty/personal-level networks and culture (e.g. things that only 100 - 1000 or so people pay attention to and tend to be responsive and lively) in respo
  • by Anonymous Coward
    and of course reminds us of what is most important to all, to go out and enjoy life!

    If you're reminded of how important this is, why the hell are you sitting on your can posting on /.?
  • Fascist Revolution (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 21, 2003 @12:36AM (#5771804)
    The late 20th Century has seen a global fascist revolution, pushing the world towards an "Orwellian State". The concentration of wealth into the hands of a few has seen "the masses" being herded like sheep as never seen before. With Television promoting the mythes of the two-faced so called democracies the world over, people are duped into a life of consumerism and apathy, leaving the gate right open for the rulers to wage war on weaker nations, and tighten their grip on their own populations in name of "security".....ahhh fuck it, who is listening, this is slashdot....
    • by beakburke ( 550627 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @01:44AM (#5771907) Homepage
      "The concentration of wealth into the hands of a few has seen "the masses" being herded like sheep as never seen before."

      Do you realize that on balance that income equality became much greater over the last century? Yes, it really sorta peaked during the 50s in the US, but on the whole, the industrial revolution and the end of the Guilded Age created and cemented the concept and notion of the middle class. Before that, you had subsistance farming (everyone was poor) with a very few well to do people in the ruling class and the later robber-barrons of the 19th century. You will never achive perfect income equality, and even if you could, the costs of doing so would be far greater than whatever benefits it would provide. At some point, the redistribution of wealth ceases to be productive to the overall well being of the people.

  • In Revolutions (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Nikkos ( 544004 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @12:37AM (#5771806)
    In Revolutions people die.

    How many slashdotters would truly be willing to die in order to see their beliefs come to light? How many would be willing to kill friends/neighbors because they don't agree?

    It's too late for first-world countries to have a revolution that would help them more than hurt them. The intelligent use of democracy is the only way - and that would take getting off one's ass, turning off the computer, writing letters, actually _voting_, and being active in society. Things _I_ can say truthfully I've done.

    If you don't have a solution, stop screaming about the problem.

    Nikkos
    • Re:In Revolutions (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Beautyon ( 214567 )
      That definition of revolution is way too narrow.

      A revolution happened in South Africa, and not a shot was fired. No one has to die or even suffer for a revolution to take place. It is in no way too late for first world countries to have revolutions.

      There is a revolution going on right now in the first world; everyone is switching to the Euro as their currency of choice for all transactions.

      The effect of this will be felt world wide. The face of everything will be changed.

      That is revolution.
  • I feel rather nifty, as I know at least a few of the people whose websites where linked too. :)

    But yah, they are right, it is NOT an AOL keyword. We all know that AOL censors free speech too much to let any revolutions happen on it. ;)
  • Question (Score:2, Funny)

    by visvogel ( 590102 )
    and of course reminds us of what is most important to all, to go out and enjoy life!

    Have you been watching Oprah again?
  • full of sound and fury, signifying nothing...

    C'mon people, you have free will. Especially if this is America, you have a choice.

    --
    hecubas
  • Lies! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Tuxinatorium ( 463682 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @01:58AM (#5771930) Homepage
    "Revolution is not an AOL keyword"

    Yes it is! [aol.com]
  • ... The Matrix, Revolutions!
  • Reference (Score:3, Informative)

    by tastydarb ( 600297 ) on Monday April 21, 2003 @09:20AM (#5773002) Journal
    This reference sounds more like Mao's quote:

    "A revolution is not a dinner party."

    While it is close in idea to "the revolution will not be televised," this also got its base from Mao; "... is not an AOL keyword" is closer to the original germ.

It is clear that the individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he is not of the same opinion, is a monster. - Voltaire

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