It doesn't seem like anything these days is in the interest of the people. Has it slipped through our fingers? Can we ever take it back other than through violence?
Yes. If 1% of the population were to stop paying taxes and seize control of the means of production through peaceful labor movements, then it would quickly spread to the majority of the workforce and overturn the current economic system.
Bolivia had a worker-based revolution, and this empowered their democratically-elected leader to do anything. Because the
strongest, most powerful force in any nation is its
workforce.
Instead, we are encouraged to blame each other for the systemic corruption in the power structure, which incentivizes exploitation. Polarization of the workforce allows the political, economic, military and intel elite to 'divide and conquer' the people.
Revolutions are easy to nip in the bud:1) The risk of labor movements can be culled through right-to-work laws and firing anyone who attempts to unionize.
2) Tax evasion and blockades can be punished with jailtime and tear gas.
3) Violent revolutions can usually be subverted by the military elite, who reap the benefits (e.g. Leninism). This is most effective when the media and academia are under economic control of the military.
4) Grassroots movements can be marginalized by taking control of television and social media to censor and slander activists.
5) The risk of democratic revolution can be subverted by assassination, crosscheck, redistricting, voter machine fractionalization, voter purging (not allowing certain demographics to vote).
6) Any political movement will collapse under heavy polarization. Humans are tribalistic and will often value identity politics and shortcuts over cooperation and common ground. The trick is to
offer something different to each demographic, and have them fight over it. Polarization becomes
EXTREMELY effective when one corrupt party offers some human rights while an opposing corrupt party offers different human rights, so you have to choose between gay rights, minimum wage, or healthcare, but you don't get to vote on gun laws or net neutrality or overseas wars or economic equality. Heck - congress doesn't get to vote on overseas wars! Incrementalism combined with polarization and media smearing of activists
is an effective protection of the status quo. With incrementalism, you force people to choose which rights they want at the expense of other rights.
7) Anyone who might potentially overcome these obstacles can easily be preemptively culled (e.g. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the homeless).
Violent revolutions led by the proletariat only occur when the proletariat is desperate. Elites can offer hope in the form of incrementalism, promises, the American Dream, consumer products, religion, entertainment, and - most effectively - actually fixing shit! But elites won't be able to fix the collapse of agriculture, industry, and transportation if they don't transition the economy, power grid, food production, consumer goods and transportation away from 100% reliance on petroleum. So the #1 way to prevent a violent revolution is to prevent blowback in the first place by offering:
A) Democracy
and
B) Means of survival