THE FORKIE PHILOSOPHER

“I won’t be coming home tonight

My generation will put it right

We’re not just making promises

That we know we’ll never keep”

“Land of Confusion” Genesis

That song came out in 1986 and was a protest against the proliferation of greed and abuse of power while living under the threat of nuclear annihilation – happy days. I’m sure Mr Collins and his compadres influenced a huge number of Gen-Xers who then decided to fight back against the tyranny of Reagan, Thatcher and their corporate overlords. They didn’t go full batshit revolution, but they agitated, vandalised and made their grievances known.

46 years later we seem to be in a worse mess, and the youth are as fired up as ever and swearing ‘they’ will sort things out. I hope they do better than the generations before them without having to burn everything down.

The masses being repressed and exploited by the people who clawed their way or were born into the top spots is a story as old as ‘civilisation’. One I hope I don’t need to go into again at this point of this thread.

Unrest, riots, insurrections and civil war are yet more common denominators of our glorious ‘civilisation’. The cause is usually a most righteous one. The powers-that-be have been pushing their luck and have stopped even feigning any interest in the suffering of the masses.

It begins with protests and attempts at change through official channels. Failing that there will be worker strikes and a growing animosity on both sides. The authorities will try to crush the rebels and set a firm example. This may frighten the majority into submission, or it may just be the catalyst for riots, violence and destruction.

At this crucial point comes the test of just how pissed off the population is. The leaders must put on the iron gloves here if they want to hold their positions. For the insurgents to continue means certain bloodshed and incarceration. This is going to get very ugly!

This is not a choice that can be logically pondered and democratically decided. Angry voices will scream for war, drowning out any calls for moderation. If the people are that fed up with their treatment and conditions the fuse has been lit and nothing, short of retribution or defeat will stop them.

The finer points no longer matter; the precise reasons listed in history books hold no weight at this moment. The resentment has reached its critical mass, and the furious mob has mobilised.

I’ll use the French Revolution as the first example because it illustrates my earlier points most clearly. An overthrow of the aristocracy by an enraged peasant population, sick and tired of living in horrendous squalor while the aristocracy live in opulent splendour. Add to that the indignity of having little to no rights and being treated like shit in general and you have a seething hatred so overwhelming that aristocratic heads will literally roll.

The contemptible elites were eliminated, and a new system was put in place to prevent such hoarding of power and wealth ever happening again. Limiting the overall authority of the monarchy and installing a parliament with members who represent the people, thus sharing the power and responsibility. Founded on the principles of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”.

The concept being that all men are brothers (women’s rights being the first obvious blind spot) and leaders should serve the will of the people. A lot of flowery speech which boils down to “we want things to be fair!”. A very subjective statement indeed.

With the continuation of the slave trade and French colonisation, it was pretty obvious that this ‘brotherhood’ was a selective one. “All men” just sounds so much more high-minded than “all Frenchmen”.

Things need to be fair in the sense that any industrious Frenchman, regardless of his social status should be able to use his entrepreneurial skills and make his fortune. It is only fair that this go-getter should have access to slaves and stolen land to advance his quest for riches. The bottom line is so much easier to maintain without paying a fair price for land, environmental resources and labour. “Those rich bastards did it before the revolution! It’s only fair that we should get a crack at it now.”

Next, Napolean decides it’s time to expand the empire and proceeds to invade his neighbours. Congratulations! You are now part of France whether you like it or not. Don’t worry we’ll be fair; didn’t you read our revolutionary slogan? Just don’t rock the boat. Remember you lost, so know your place. Don’t overextend our kindness.

The hypocrisy is only exceeded in absurdity by the ignorance of itself. I genuinely reckon the ones profiting from the pillaging were so focused on their own enrichment that they were oblivious to the concept that they were now treating non-French people just as abhorrently as the aristocracy had treated them in the bad old days.

Flash forward and you will undoubtedly find that many of the new elites who rose via such cruel exploitation now look down at the lower classes with contempt. Lower classes that were not supposed to exist mind you. Lower classes of ‘brothers’.

The concept was a noble, albeit naïve, one: “equality etc.” Things should be fair. There should not exist such a huge gap between the haves and have nots. A democratically elected government certainly seems fairer than royal families and such; and it was undoubtably a good thing to spread the power across a larger group.

Unfortunately, in my weary and cynical opinion, they merely succeeded in removing the current tyrants and then changing the rules. A victory for sure! Although without a cure for the many flaws in the human condition they had simply cleared the field and planted new flowers in the hope that the weeds would not return.

The haves are not always born into their ‘haveness’. Many of them pursue that goal obsessively. Change the rules and they will adapt. They will find the loopholes; they will use everything at their disposal to thrive in the game; whatever it may be. They will HAVE again!