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"There was a very popular thing the French did when things got out of hand. And they were not the only only to do it throughout the history." People convenient

"There was a very popular thing the French did when things got out of hand. And they were not the only only to do it throughout the history." People conveniently forget that the Terror soon turned against completely innocent victims and eventually led to establishment of an authoritarian military regime that set out to conquer entire Europe, creating vicious reactionary backlash from its enemies, which eventually stifled liberal thought and societal progress on the continent for two more generations. I will take the English "let us have a non-violent gradual development" way anytime. If Lavoisier could be guillotined because "the Republic does not need chemists", how much better do you think that programmers would fare in similar situations? There is plenty of people who resent them for just having bigger income than them. Once you run out of the rich, the mob and the guillotine will demand more victims, and neither will be particularly picky.

darth_avocado 2y ago
I never claimed it will be a great outcome. Only that the rich cannot perpetually get away with it. Revolutions often have people trying to personally benefit from all the anger and resentment. And revolutions often have innocents getting caught up unnecessarily. Minorities are also going to be blamed for their widespread discontent and they will be harmed before the rich because they are easier targets. The point being it’s not going to be pretty, and will be a lose lose situation, but it will be inevitable if the ruling class doesn’t slow down this race to the bottom.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> creating vicious reactionary backlash from its enemies, which eventually stifled liberal thought and societal progress on the continent for two more generations Yup [1]. If you're a billionaire, you almost certainly win in the aftermath of an American violent revolution à la the French or Russians. The country would fall into chaos while we hung our academics, minorities and upper middle classes. Then they would jet back in with foreign backing to carve up America's riches while becoming even more blazingly rich than they are under a democracy. [1] https://www.jstor.org/stable/650418 https://www.jstor.org/stable/650418
- bilbo0s 2y ago
  Hmm. Academics I could see being tried and hanged. Minorities you'd simply eliminate as everyone in every nation has done throughout history. There is no need to give a trial or hanging to minorities. You just off them. (But, I guess, to be fair, offing minorities happens in almost every nation revolution or no revolution.) Upper middle classes however? I don't know man? They're typically the ones doing the hanging. Not the ones being hanged. In fact, the upper middle classes were the ones most responsible for the French revolution. The upper middle classes came out of the revolution with rights, which they didn't have before. As well as a much larger share of the economic pie. They actually did the best in the French revolution as a class. And it came mostly at the expense of the poor on one end, and the aristocracy on the other. Still, terrible times. Nothing good ever comes of a society that hangs people who are deemed too learned, and therefore, suspicious. Nor of societies that off minorities. Historically, those societies typically meet their crashes much more swiftly. Only now the crash is met with no one left to blame but themselves. Add to all that chaos opportunistic people in the middle class denouncing their bosses in the aristocracy, and even each other, out of resentment. I mean, man, you're left with a place that's probably gonna be a really good place not to be.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > Upper middle classes however? I don't know man? They're typically the ones doing the hanging Doctors, lawyers, low-level executives. The ones with single and double-digit millions in retirement accounts and real estate value. For Exhibit A, see Mangioni: mid-level executive barely scraping into the 1% by wealth who didn’t have personal security. > Nothing good ever comes of a society that hangs people who are deemed too learned, and therefore, suspicious Right. This is the story of violent revolutions. The masses are told fever dreams of riches ahead. But they generally wind up poorer than before because the single track to date of revolutions that seek to depose not only the head of state but also the elite is bloodshed for the poor and evacuation for the rich.

darth_avocado 2y ago

I never claimed it will be a great outcome. Only that the rich cannot perpetually get away with it. Revolutions often have people trying to personally benefit from all the anger and resentment. And revolutions often have innocents getting caught up unnecessarily. Minorities are also going to be blamed for their widespread discontent and they will be harmed before the rich because they are easier targets. The point being it’s not going to be pretty, and will be a lose lose situation, but it will be inevitable if the ruling class doesn’t slow down this race to the bottom.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> creating vicious reactionary backlash from its enemies, which eventually stifled liberal thought and societal progress on the continent for two more generations Yup [1]. If you're a billionaire, you almost certainly win in the aftermath of an American violent revolution à la the French or Russians. The country would fall into chaos while we hung our academics, minorities and upper middle classes. Then they would jet back in with foreign backing to carve up America's riches while becoming even more blazingly rich than they are under a democracy. [1] https://www.jstor.org/stable/650418 https://www.jstor.org/stable/650418

bilbo0s 2y ago
Hmm. Academics I could see being tried and hanged. Minorities you'd simply eliminate as everyone in every nation has done throughout history. There is no need to give a trial or hanging to minorities. You just off them. (But, I guess, to be fair, offing minorities happens in almost every nation revolution or no revolution.) Upper middle classes however? I don't know man? They're typically the ones doing the hanging. Not the ones being hanged. In fact, the upper middle classes were the ones most responsible for the French revolution. The upper middle classes came out of the revolution with rights, which they didn't have before. As well as a much larger share of the economic pie. They actually did the best in the French revolution as a class. And it came mostly at the expense of the poor on one end, and the aristocracy on the other. Still, terrible times. Nothing good ever comes of a society that hangs people who are deemed too learned, and therefore, suspicious. Nor of societies that off minorities. Historically, those societies typically meet their crashes much more swiftly. Only now the crash is met with no one left to blame but themselves. Add to all that chaos opportunistic people in the middle class denouncing their bosses in the aristocracy, and even each other, out of resentment. I mean, man, you're left with a place that's probably gonna be a really good place not to be.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > Upper middle classes however? I don't know man? They're typically the ones doing the hanging Doctors, lawyers, low-level executives. The ones with single and double-digit millions in retirement accounts and real estate value. For Exhibit A, see Mangioni: mid-level executive barely scraping into the 1% by wealth who didn’t have personal security. > Nothing good ever comes of a society that hangs people who are deemed too learned, and therefore, suspicious Right. This is the story of violent revolutions. The masses are told fever dreams of riches ahead. But they generally wind up poorer than before because the single track to date of revolutions that seek to depose not only the head of state but also the elite is bloodshed for the poor and evacuation for the rich.