SMOKERS’ CORNER: RELEASING THE PRESSURE |
The sentiment that ‘revolution was just around the corner’ serves as a poignant distillation of the 1960s ‘counterculture’ zeitgeist. It was a unique historical moment, where global currents of youthful middle-class dissent converged to create a sense of inevitability that the old order was about to collapse.
There is a distinct sense of melancholy attached to this sentiment today, stemming from the fact that the revolution never actually materialised. The capitalist structures and political hierarchies that drew the fire of youthful protestors proved resilient.
The survival of the status quo was largely due to the durability of the modern state. When pushed hard, governments effectively reinforced their ‘law and order’ platforms, a strategy that successfully appealed to a more cautious general public. They prioritised stability over radical change, allowing the state to reassert control.
Capitalism demonstrated a remarkable capacity to co-opt the rebellion. Instead of being dismantled by the ‘rebellion’, the market absorbed it, rapidly transforming the potent symbols of revolution into mass-produced commodities. This allowed individuals to buy the aesthetic of a revolutionary without ever actually threatening the financial institutions that issued them loans and credit.
However, despite the political failures of the era’s uprisings, they did usher in some social shifts. As noted by the American sociologist Todd Gitlin, while the movements of the 1960s failed to topple governments, a “cultural revolution” effectively took root, fundamentally altering how society perceives authority, gender roles, racial dynamics and environmental stewardship.
From the counterculture of the 1960s to today’s ‘Gen Z revolutions’, mass uprisings have repeatedly failed to dismantle power because the modern state has learned how to absorb dissent, co-opt its language and rebrand itself without changing its core
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