America: The Land of Cosplaying Revolutionaries

When we use the term ‘cosplay’, it’s typically used to describe awkward aficionados pretending to be their favorite characters. But in the world of politics, we also have performance artists cosplaying as revolutionaries in a comfortable society.

Everyone likes the idea of being that person in the history books who stood out bravely against tyranny. They like believing they would be the man folding his arms as everyone else solutes to the Führer. The reality is that you would likely not be this person.

It is far easier to manufacture your heroism while living in comfort but the truth is that real revolution is bloody & gory. Historically, death is a common result for people who dared to fight against the majority; not mean tweets.

Purposeless people tend to cosplay being revolutionaries while knowing physical harm would be unlikely. I believe that history's fables, at times, have been romanticized without realizing the real world sacrifices that come from taking the revolutionary position.

For example, there are black people who see themselves as children of Malcolm X but would never want to have the fate of Malcolm X. There are people who wish they were George Washington fighting for the freedom of his people but would never want to see the carnage that he saw.

We are fortunate people to not live in a place like Yemen, where you are used to death of all ages & starvation is the norm. We are fortunate that we don't need militias of teenage boys fighting against another set of extremists or an outside force.

But to pretend that we are of the revolutionary ilk is fantasy and it shouldn't necessarily be sought after. When I hear people demand a revolution, I often ask myself if these people actually know what they are advocating for?

Thankfully, most of these types of cosplayers are simply playing a role and never go all the way through to acting upon their fantasies because when reality hits them, they don’t know how to handle the consequences.

Much in the way when you see leftists shouting at cops with vigor, once those cuffs get placed on them, they tear-up while calling for their parents to bail them out. These aren't revolutionaries, these are children wanting to feel something even if it isn't real.

Real revolutionaries either have nothing to lose or are willing to sacrifice everything they have for a cause, including their lives. In many ways, it is the last resort for making tyranny stop. Real revolution isn't holding signs with slogans asking for a $15 minimum wage.

Revolution is nothing to be taken lightly and I think many people do. It's perfectly fine to want change but procedural change should matter. It's also perfectly fine to want people in power to respect our liberties. However, neither requires a revolution to do so.

So, let's stop pretending to be what many of us aren't. Revolution isn't nothing to be played with. However, appreciation is something to highlighted.

Originally tweeted by Adam B. Coleman (@wrong_speak) on December 5, 2021.