> I
>recently came to the conclusion that "revolution from below" is a myth - it
>either does not happen, and if it does it takes the form of a pogrom,
>lynching or looting. All revolutions or major pushes for major social
>changes come from above, from the enlightened elites, albeit some managed to
>attract significant popular following.
All *previous* revolutions, yes. Enlightenment is somewhat essential for a class to become revolutionary.
> I also came to the conclusion that
>if one is serious about social change, one needs to get in cahoots with the
>enlightened elites and potentially supportive interest groups, and simply
>remove the word "masses" from the vocabulary, except for political
>propaganda use.
My conclusion is that it was necessary to contribute to the enlightenment of the class whose side I took, rather than to change sides. But it is somewhat disappointing to find that many of the working class, as soon as they achieve the slightest enlightenment, tend to want to get in bed with the ruling class. A little enlightenment is a dangerous thing, was my optimistic conclusion, what's needed by people like you is even more enlightenment. ;-)
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas