In 1970, the author Tom Wolfe wrote a magazine article entitled “Radical Chic: That Party At Lenny’s.” “Lenny” was Leonard Bernstein who with his wife held a party in his New York City penthouse to raise money for the Black Panther Party.
Wolfe thought celebrities and socialites, and the Bernstein’s were definitely both, who espoused radical politics were vested in particular causes only to the extent that they were able to advance their social standing. These socialites were seen as frivolous, unwilling to do the hard work, posers espousing radical left positions while living their upper class lives.
For at least two decades, we’ve seen the growth of what I’d call “Revolutionary Chic.” This is where mostly white males, often feeling ignored or displaced in a changing world, suffering the effects of increasing economic inequality, and feeling the impact of being marginalized in a society to which they have sworn allegiance resort to brandishing arms and harboring anti-government sentiments.
Nominally religious and patriotic, these are people living in a complex world yearning for simpler times. They band together, joining social and political groups, self-reinforcing echo chambers confirming what they already ”know.” They engage with others on the internet, likeminded people offering simplistic reasons as to why the world has become more distant. And afraid of living in a multicultural, multiracial world where they will soon be in the minority, they seek protection by joining militias, thus the “Revolutionary Chic.”
Most of these people aren’t really revolutionaries. Revolution is the last act of desperate people. Revolutionaries are committed to sacrificing all to achieve an end. Failure can never be an option and once started there’s no pulling back, no utterances of “my bad.”
The Declaration of Independence is a revolutionary document. It states a specific list of grievances. It declares a specific course of action. And most importantly, it affirms an acceptance that those signing and others who would eventually take up its cause were committing the lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. John Hancock wrote his name so large so that King George could read it without his “specs.” Whatever else they might be, our modern day disaffected posers are not “revolutionaries.” Thus the appellation, Revolutionary Chic.
Awaiting for a savior to arise and lead a return to a simpler past, they become even more invested in the rejection of their complex world, along with a deepening resentment of a government seen as serving the interests of a few at the expense of the many, and become more deeply fearful of the “others.”
When all seemed lost, in 2015 a savior arrived via a golden escalator. Ignoring that this purported billionaire had nothing in common with them, he spoke the language of disaffection, fear, and resentment. In a one hour announcement speech he confirmed much of what the disaffected “knew.” This “savior” continued in this vein until he was inaugurated as the 45th President of The United States.
For four years this presidential savior blamed his failures on others. He strategically vilified the media, the “elites”, the liberals, the others in preventing him from making America great again. In so doing, this president confirmed what the disaffected already “knew” and experienced.
Then came the repudiation of this presidential savior in the 2020 election. But the president did not lose the election, instead it was stolen by all the bogeymen he railed against for the past four years. And it wasn’t that it was stolen from him, it was also stolen from them, his supporters. Thus was born the “stop the steal” campaign.
On Wednesday, January 6, the president assembled his forces, many of whom were armed, and exhorted them to go to the Capitol and prevent the certification of the 2020 election. He even said he would lead those forces right before he got into his armored vehicle and headed back to the White House.
But they didn’t need a leader. The president had already done his job. He got the crowd to a frenzy and set them lose to do his bidding. Once more, President Bone-spurs led from behind - at a very safe distance. But these supporters didn’t need him, they had already decided what they’d do - and did it by breaching the Capitol and stopping the certification process.
This last effort of using others for him to hold on to power was destined to fail. These people, when it came down to it, were not revolutionaries. Revolution is binary - the revolution succeeds or the revolutionary is severely punished, sometimes at the loss of his life. Rather, these were terrorists - Hitler had his brown shirts, this president had his red hats. They were satisfied with the propaganda of the deed itself, anything more was beyond their abilities.
The growing Black Power movement in the 1960s used a slogan, “the revolution will not be televised.” Sixty years later the non-revolution was broadcast throughout the world. While it was bad, it could have been worse, and it must be punished. In a democracy where all voices can be heard, the actions of last Wednesday are inexcusable. Arrests are being made as of this writing. Rule one for budding revolutionaries: don’t stop for photo ops or selfies and then publish them on social media.
But what of the instigator of Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol? What of President Bone-Spurs, too gutless to lead his assembled forces? Three options come to mind: Amendment 25 where he would be determined incapable of doing his job, resignation, and with 9 days left impeachment. I favor the last option.
There are many practical reasons why impeachment should not be commenced. There isn’t sufficient time, or the process will be truncated thus setting a bad precedent. Numerous others come to mind but they all pale compared to the two reasons why the president should be impeached - because it is the right and necessary thing to do.
To clutch our respective pearls leaving us unable to punish acts of sedition committed by the president against the country he purportedly leads will begin the end of democracy as we know it and set us on a glide path to...? Who knows but it won’t be good.
There are numerous things that can be done to prevent other demagogues from preying on the fears and hatreds of a group of people. By creating the certainty that any future seditious demagogues will be punished, we can prevent actions similar to those we witnessed last Wednesday. This starts by holding the instigator to account and informing the world and history that we are a nation that abides by the rule of law and not mob rule.
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