A Velvet Revolution?

I. A SPECTER is haunting The United Sates: the specter of what in the West is called “America haters”. This specter has not appeared out of thin air. It is a natural and inevitable consequence of the present historical phase of the system it is haunting. It was born at a time when this system ‘democracy’, for a thousand reasons, can no longer base itself on the ideals of the Founding Generation, of the rule of law, and that all Men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and thus seeks to eliminate all expression of nonconformity. What is more, the system has become so ossified politically that there is practically no way for such nonconformist ideals to be implemented within its official structures. Who are these so-called ‘terrorist lovers’? Where does their point of view come from and what importance does it have? What is the significance of the 'independent initiatives' of ‘grassroots democracy’ in which ‘flag burning traitors’ collaborate; and what real chances do such initiatives have of success? Is it appropriate to refer to ‘The People’ as an opposition? If so, what exactly is such an opposition within the framework of this system? What does it do? What role does it play in society? What are its hopes and on what are they based? Is it within the power of the ‘Middle Class’-as a category of subcitizen outside the power establishment-to have any influence at all on society and the social system? Can they actually change anything? I think that an examination of these questions-an examination of the potential of the 'powerless'-can only begin with an examination of the nature of power in the circumstances in which these powerless people operate.

II. Our system is most frequently characterized as a democracy... Well , you get my drift. If you’re going to have a velvet revolution, you have to read Václav Havel’s The Power of the Powerless. Just remember you’ll really be reading about the good old U.S.A. You’ll have to switch some words around in your head.