The Revolution Is Here

Back when the Baby Boomers took to the streets to register their discontent, the standard phrase was “when the revolution comes. . . .” We were speaking about that time in the not-too-distant future when the people would win their struggle and the oppressors would be overthrown. Well, the revolution's here. How do you like it?

Of course this ain't the revolution we were hoping to tip our hat to. But this revolution is just as profound as the Industrial Revolution was to the 18th and 19th centuries, resulting in a sea change in the way people in modern societies live, work, recreate and even die.

Permit me to get a bit academic on you. In this country, the Industrial Revolution had its most profound effect on rural America, resulting in the migration of millions from farms to cities. In 1890, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were roughly 63 million Americans; 43 percent were farmers and farm laborers. By 1920, as industrialization took hold, that figure had dropped to 27 percent. By 1970, the U.S. population had risen to 204 million, and the farm population had plummeted to barely 5 percent. Millions of people had to find new ways of living. For those who couldn't cope, lifestyles and lives were shattered.

Which brings us to the new revolution. Historians may call it the Technological Revolution, and its impact may not be totally realized for centuries. It began when automation started eliminating manufacturing jobs, and it's still continuing, evidenced by the outsourcing of white-collar jobs. We don't know when this revolution will end (probably when the next one begins). But we do know that like the Industrial Revolution, it includes the potential for massive political and social upheaval.

So far we have escaped catastrophic unrest, because previous leaders have been wise enough to recognize when innovation and change was called for. The Great Depression could have destroyed America but for President Franklin Roosevelt's government interventions such as social security, unemployment insurance and federally sponsored public works projects that put people back on payrolls. (Oddly enough, the right has excoriated FDR's New Deal reforms as anathema to capitalism, but they just might have saved the Republic.)

Today's society is a witch's brew: unease created by the ongoing Technological Revolution, plus a mighty dollop of fear resulting from 9/11 – which Georgedick Bushcheney has shamelessly exploited. Ever since 9/11 Bushcheney has played the role of Mommy, saying to us, “Hold my hand, trust me, love me, and it'll be all right.”

But kids soon learn not to trust parents who tell them everything's all right when it's not. So it's up to progressives to show everyone that we know how to get it together. Because the revolution sure as hell is here.

Contact Ira Lacher here.