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Comment by Ben Roberts on October 27, 2011 at 10:38am

Also wanted to let you know, Drew, that you've managed to get La Marseillaise totally stuck in my head for the morning!

Comment by Ben Roberts on October 27, 2011 at 9:15am

It's certainly energizing.  And I've heard people making the French comparison elsewhere--it does seem to be evoked by what's going on.  I wonder though, do we want a rebellion/revolution?  The "ancien regime" is largely crumbling under its own weight.  As Sharif Abdullah noted on Monday's call, what we need is a powerfully shared vision for what is possible.  How is calling for blood going to create anything new?

I absolutely adorewhat Peter Block has this to say about "Rebellion" in Community: the Structure of Belonging...

Rebellion is more complex. It lives in reaction to the world. On the surface, rebellion claims to be against monarchy, dominion, or oppression.Too often it turns out to be a vote for monarchy, dominion, or patriarchy.  Rebellion is most often not a call for transformation or a new context, butsimply a complaint that others control the monarchy and not us. This is why most revolutions fail—because nothing changes, only the name ofthe monarch.

The community form of rebellion is protest. It is noble in tradition but still often keeps us in perpetual reaction to the stances of others. There is safety in building an identity on what we do not want. The extremists on both sides of any issue are more wedded to their positions than to creating a new possibility. That is why they make unfulfillable demands. The AM radioband is populated with this non-conversation. Any time we act in reaction,even to evil, we are giving power to what we are in reaction to.

I have heard John McKnight say that advisory groups speak quietly to power, protestors scream at power, and neither chooses to reclaim or produce power. The real problem with rebellion is that it is such fun. It avoids taking responsibility, operates on the high ground, is fueled by righteousness,gives legitimacy to blame, and is a delightful escape from the unbearable burden of being accountable. It has much to recommend it.

That last line never fails to crack me up!