What does a revolution consist of?

There are good revolutions and there are bad revolutions. Success or failure doesn't make a revolution good or bad, morality does. As such, revolution qualification as good or bad is entirely subjective. I will now tell you what good and bad revolutions look like according to my point of view. 

Revolutions typically start by the voice of one person drawing attention to the need for a change. People then join in with the idea and move forward in united action. In the case of a good revolution this will look like securing freedom, liberty and access to natural rights for an oppressed population. In a bad revolution this will look like a subset of the population looking to vaunt itself and introduce oppression to others. Good revolutions result in more freedom for the majority. Bad revolutions result in less freedom for the majority. 

Good revolutions require awareness and education for the oppressed group in order for them to understand their oppressed state and obtain the necessary skills and abilities to conduct the revolution and overthrow the oppressors. Bad revolutions seek the opposite: make the people ignorant, keep them ignorant and remove anything they might have in order to defend themselves, physical, emotional or intellectual. An ignorant population is easier to control, especially if unarmed and unsure. 

Animal Farm (1945), by George Orwell, is a remarkable example set in a fictional story of how revolutions work, both good and bad. Essentially, the book relates the idea that a good revolution can quickly turn sour, or what seems like a good revolution at first may actually only be a front for the underlying current of evil that is actually moving the effort along. The book is easy to read and not very long, I encourage everyone to read it. Even if you read it in high school and think you remember it, read it again. You will see these elements of good and bad revolutions in it. You will see the use of propaganda. You will see that the elements of total control are never very far from any governing body. If you don't like reading, you can watch a cartoon version for free on YouTube.

We all need to stay informed, gain all the education we can and voice our concerns. There is no need for violent revolution. Good revolution can come in the form of changing policies and attitudes and all without anyone getting physically hurt. 

Watch this video about some recent news items regarding schools and gun control. Even if you don't like the commentator, just watch and listen. If you really don't like him, pretend he is Ralphie from A Christmas Story, he is all grown up and now has a satirical news/history commentary show. 

The Ajax Saga

Some months ago I retired this blog and focused my creative energy on a new blog using the WordPress platform. I began blogging under my given name and used the new platform as a launching pad for all of my creative endeavors. However, just like Jean Grey from Marvel's X-Men, tucking away a powerful force into the recesses of my mind simply wasn't good enough, and now Ajax rises again. Like Michael Jordan fresh out of retirement, I am returning to this blog format. I don't know what I'll be writing about. My WordPress blog is an outlet for philosophical and theoretical pondering interspersed with social commentary. I'm using a Facebook page to share cartoons. I've undertaken a self-publishing initiative through Amazon's Kindle store. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what I feel needs to be written and doesn't fit into any of those nooks or crannies.
I sure hope I don't fizzle out or turn into a crazed murderer with this return, like Michael Jordan and Jean Grey, respectively, of course.

Blog to Book

As of, roughly, December 23, 2012, you will be able to purchase an e-book for Kindle from Amazon.com featuring a 78 post compilation of my favorite posts from this blog. All of your (meaning my) favorite posts in e-book form which you can take with you anywhere and read over and over again without being connected to the internet. Great, right?! I set the price at $3, less than a gallon of gas! $3 for the convenience of humor and philosophical musings in your Kindle e-reader. If you don't have a Kindle, just download the free application for PC or Mac from Amazon.com.
To anyone who has been a regular reader of this blog, back in its day, or is just finding it now, please buy the e-book and enjoy the wonderfully mediocre content. I'm nearly 87% sure you won't regret it!
Thank you for paying attention to me!

Merry Christmas!

update: it has already posted...Kindle store

This blog is done

Well, folks, it has been a blast, but the whimsical revolution is finished. Ajax is retiring to the recesses of my mind and I am going to continue thinking, writing, and whimsically revolving under my real name, Paul Brodie. I'm in the process of compiling and editing (I've published a lot of typos and some unintentional grammar errors) some of my more favorite posts to put Ajax's Whimsical Revolution into an ebook. Why? Because I want to. I don't know if anyone would want to read this blog in a book format, but hopefully someone will. Also, if you are new to my writing then maybe it will be easier to get the ebook instead of clicking through hundreds of posts on the blog.
I'll post a link to the ebook once it is published. If you have enjoyed this blog, be sure to follow me at my new location paulbrodie.wordpress.com
If the new blog doesn't seem as whimsical, hang in there, I'm still working on getting all of my thoughts and interests incorporated into that location. I remain a work in progress...I mean, my internet presence remains a work in progress.
Thank you for reading!

Alaska and poetry about it

I know nothing about Alaska aside from what I've "learned" from Discovery Channel shows such as Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, and Survivor Man. Why then would I write a poem about Alaska? Because I was trying to win a creative writing contest hosted by Helium. For those who do not know, which is probably most people, Helium is a website geared towards freelance and wannabe writers. Essentially it is a knowledge base of articles written by the guy you saw at the grocery store, the woman at the bus stop, and me. I am a Helium member, contributor, author, and so forth. The hook of the site is that you can earn money, but the real hook is that you don't earn much money and what you do earn trickles in slower than ice cream melts in, yes, you guessed it, Alaska.
The point of this post is simply to post something on this blog, which doesn't happen nearly enough of late. The content of this post is to say that I wrote the aforementioned Alaska poem several weeks ago and it is still ranked 1 out of 12 posts on the Helium poetry channel. I didn't win the contest, but I was happy anyway. My made-up from nowhere poem about Alaska is ranked number 1. I haven't read the other poems, so perhaps they are all worse or less relevant than mine, but I'm happier not knowing. I think this will suffice as a blog post. And of course, what you have been waiting for, a link to my poem about Alaska.
Hmm. Jokes on me I suppose. As I found the poem page to create the link I discovered that my poem is now number 2. Thanks a lot random ranking process at Helium! You have negated this post completely! Good night, all.