Urban Revolutionary (n): A latter-day species commonly found in
the region comprising the postcodes EC1, EC2, E8, N1, N8, NW1 and NW3 in
London. Urban revolutionaries are a natural progression from previous species,
including the Anarchic Anti-capitalist Protester and the Bearded Socialist. In the
case of the Urban Revolutionary, he (also a “she”, but we’ll settle for
masculine for now), he is the result of a strange mix of late 90s ‘oxton
gentrification and mid-noughties Shoreditch hipsterism.
Urban Revolutionaries are socially active creatures with deep
concerns about the state of our world. In this respect their role in society is
to be welcomed. However, URs (don’t we love acronyms?) have a weakness: most of
their activism happens online. Whereas both the Anti-capitalist Protester (the
name is self-explanatory) and the Bearded Socialist took to the streets in the
past to show their displeasure at the way our modern polities were run, the
Urban Revolutionary’s best friend is the mouse. Not the rodent, but the computer
one. And sometimes not even the palm-sized, technological version of a real Muridae, because who needs a pointing
device when one has a smartphone?
Fashion-wise, the Urban Revolutionary look is über-chic,
poster-boy Russell Brand, from the out-and-proud teeth (in permanent “smirk”mode, especially when interviewed by Evan Davis) to the Jesus-like hair and
beard. Tight-fitting T-shirts and skinny jeans complete the sartorial package.
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| Time for a comeback? |
In the past, the battlefield against globalisation was Seattle,
for instance. Nowadays it is change.org. At the click of a mouse you can start
your own petition and the Urban Revolutionary has been at the forefront of this
new approach to politics. In his favour, he has the vigour of youth, a good, all-round
education and possibly, although not always, an affluent background. On the
other hand, critics are quick to point out the short-termism of his campaigns. This
could be seen as a detrimental factor in – paradoxically – putting people off
politics. Too many campaigns being waged at the same time deprive a social
movement of the necessary pabulum it
feeds off. There are further complications in that, when trying to mobilise
support for a cause he deems just, the Urban Revolutionary might overlook the
root causes of the problem. You can quite rightly campaign to ban a misogynist from
entering Britain, but it would be better to look at the reasons why some people
thought it was a good idea to invite him in the first place. Whilst some might
rage at an art exhibition that supposedly denigrates a particular ethnic group,
Bob Geldoff and his merry Band Aid 30 get away once again with patronising Africans
with the three-decade-old question: Do They Know It’s Christmas? They bloody
do, Sir Bob, they bloody do. But sadly, the Urban Revolutionary is not available to
start an online petition to stop this musical travesty. He is too busy,
clicking, swiping, clicking, swiping, clicking and swiping... ad infinitum.
© 2014
Next Post: “Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and
Music”, to be published on Sunday 30th November at 10am (GMT)
