So here’s my riff on updating Gil Scott-Heron’s classic The Revolution Will not be Televised, which I discovered after a quick search that it’s not the first time it’s been tried but I thought I’d do my own thing. I played the writing pretty loose, not sticking directly to the structure it’s based upon, but I thought maybe I could add a little to the conversation.
The Revolution Will Not Be Digitized
You will not be able to hide behind a desk, friends
You will not be able to video-conference in, zone out, or ignore
You will not be able to distract yourself with a video game, porn, Netflix, or social media because,
The revolution will not be digitized
The revolution will not be us vs them on an Internet forum
The revolution will not be won or lost based on how many views it got
The revolution will not feature billionaires shot into space in dick ships
The revolution will not be sponsored by Pfizer, Disney, Apple, Google, or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The revolution will not be digitized
The revolution will not be accepting donations in the form of weaponized drones from the US government and the Military Industrial Complex
The revolution will not be a concept you read on a website
The revolution will not care about a man riding down an escalator
The revolution will not be a scientific model, it will not be peer reviewed, or be an AI simulation
The revolution will not synthetically create a virtual utopia
The revolution will not be retweeted, get a thumbs up, or be recommended by someone chasing fame
The revolution will not be part of the curriculum in your education
The revolution will not demand your digital ID
After the revolution is finished it will not require a towel to clean up or need you to shamefully remember to delete your browser history
Because the revolution will not be digitized
The revolution will not be ordered and delivered to you by an uber driver, UPS, or Amazon
The revolution will not be brought to you by your favorite comedian or political pundit
The revolution will not be shot on the latest iPhone
The revolution will not make you agree to terms of service
The revolution will not do your thinking for you
The revolution will not be YouTube highlights of people throwing touchdown passes, scoring goals, or knocking someone unconscious
Because, the revolution will not be digitized, brother & sisters
The revolution will not be led by smarmy young people arguing over semantic banalities
The revolution will not be managed by overbearing elders demanding we cling to their ways
The revolution will not require you to post photos of your dress, your food, truck, or your new gun
The revolution will not charge a subscription fee or demand that you smash that like button
The revolution will not profit from gambling
Sports, reality shows, and internet influencers will no longer be so damn relevant
The revolution will not be powered by a battery, fossil fuels, or nuclear energy
The revolution will not be seen driving a Tesla
The revolution will not be a choice on a ballot with a menu of preselected options brought to you by the political party donor class with results streamed hours after the polls close
The revolution will not ask to know your location
The revolution will not send you a survey asking how much you liked your revolution
The revolution will not receive a five star review
There will be no video of police incarcerating rioters
There will be no video of rioters
There will be no video of people holding up signs begging the powers-that-be to change their ways
The revolution will be a new understanding
The revolution will ask you to face your fears
The revolution will require you to trust people in your community instead of institutions or people on a screen
The revolution will unburden future generations and put them in the driver’s seat
The revolution will demand you be present
The revolution will challenge your ego
The Revolution will not be digitized
will not be digitized
will not be digitized
will not be digitized
The revolution will not have connection problems, brothers & sisters
The revolution will be love
