Sloth Revolt

Revolution can be hard work. There's all that protesting in the streets, throwing of rocks, mixing of molotovs and clashing with riot police. It might be necessary to grab an assault rifle and head up to the mountains. Then there's all that shooting and slogging around in the mud. Work, work work.

Doesn't sound like anything most Americans are much interested in lately.

Of course, it's no longer necessary to fight the system. All one has to do is to disengage. Kick back on the sofa. Heck, might as well open a beer. Call it the slacker revolution.

You see, the whole military, industrial, corporate complex needs engagement -doesn't even matter all that much how people engage with the system. Becoming a corporate drone works for the system. Cubical farmed humans are like factory farmed chickens. Put them in their box, add inputs, and harvest production. Everyone who works within the system is stuck in the system. Very difficult to change it from within as the deck is stacked against the little guy.

Even fighting the system serves it. The Molotov throwing radical is justification for the total control system. The police, courts, prisons, and politicians all can benefit from the violent actions of the radical.

However, the "system" has overplayed its hand. It's gotten too greedy. When the loyal worker drones can no longer keep it together, the end is in sight. Even slave owners made sure the basic needs of the the slaves were met. Corporatism has discovered it's easier to have wage slaves. Since little is invested in them, it's easy to use they up and let them go.

At some point, people realize the promises of the old order aren't being kept. More and more people are just giving up. They stop paying their mortgage, don't earn enough money to pay taxes, stop making car payments and basically drop out.

Then a funny thing sometimes happens. The former drone heaves a sigh of relief. His burdens are lifted. The sun still shines on him, only now he has the time to sit out in it.

Now when a handful of people disengage, the system barely notices. However, when enough people throw in the towel, the wheels fall off the cart. We are seeing it with mortgage foreclosures. Many have learned that foreclosure can take a long long time. In the mean time, people live for free.

When people play by the rules, the system functions. Those who move out of their foreclosed houses and work within the system aid the system. Now people lay back and let the system come to them. They live in their foreclosed house until physically removed -and often just move right back in. They drive their cars, not making payments. Instead of returning it to the lender, they wait for the repo man. Enough slackers can overwhelm the system.

People aren't even filing for bankruptcy anymore. They do "unofficial" bankruptcy by just not paying their bills. Here's the thing: bankruptcy is part of the system. It clears the books. It keeps everything flowing. Not only that, it plugs the filer back into the system. The hamster is put back on the wheel. Unofficial bankruptcy gums up the work. No lawyers get paid. Everything is still on the books. Nothing is cleared up. It's messy and complicated.

People learn to live just fine without credit. In fact, many learn to live without "real" jobs.

The slackers just might win.

The thing is, people can get their needs met just fine outside the system. They can find community, caring, status, and love. Isn't that what people really want and the "system" hasn't been providing?

-Sixbears