Can a blog start a revolution?

My friend Shannon asked this question this morning. He answered the question by saying “probably not” because people don’t pay attention to one thing anymore. I remember when the Passion of Christ came out and everyone was so excited about how it was going to change the world. A few years later and the world appears pretty similar. I went to a church where the pastor gave an entire message about what the Christian response to the Da Vinci Code. I thought a very appropriate response would be to get out of the way and let it die a slow death. Which it did. How many conversations do you still hear about the Da Vinci code? If you do, it is obvious you surround yourself with uninteresting people. Take that.

I have many more examples of us thinking a coming event would change our lives, and soon afterwards it whimpers a slow, pitiful death. Do you remember Y2K. I do. People, even educated people, thought that we might enter a new “dark age”. I remember Christians talking about how we could be a blessing to the community by providing generators and clean water and canned foods and bibles. I imagine these Christians feeling disappointed that the world didn’t fall apart and they didn’t have the opportunity to help rebuild a fallen world. I was happy because we were out of DiGiorno’s. I love DiGiorno’s.

I also remember all the diseases just since the year 2000 that were supposed to wipe out large parts of the population. Do you remember Asian Flu? Some scientists lost some of their Asian Flu vials and it was supposed to cause an outbreak similar to the great Asian Flu outbreak of 1959 that killed 69,800 people in the U.S. alone. It was in the news every day and people were flipping out. But what happened? Nothing. More people died of boredom during the outbreak (2) than from the disease (0). You probably don’t even remember it. But were freaking out at the time, just like you were freaking out about Y2K. I know cause I was there, and I was laughing at you. Take that.

Then one year they told everyone that the same Flu Virus that caused the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 was back, and it was in a bad mood and was going to kick some ass and take names. Between 1918 and 1919 50 to 100 million people died throughout the world. Very scary. Our new version? So uninteresting it doesn’t even have a wikipedia page. Remember how you were going all hogshit about the West Nile Virus? Or Bird Flu? Or Sars? I do. You were obnoxious. Very few things actually change out lives, and so far, the News hasn’t predicted any of them. And yet the next time the News mentions a scary disease or Jesus sometimes gets extra attention in the secular world, you will go all apeshit again.

Anyway, now that I am done thoroughly mocking your small-mindedness and logically kicking your ass, I will get back to Shannon’s question. Could a blog cause a revolution? It could never be my blog, because the few readers I have won’t lift their index finger and push the comment button. But I do think a blog could be a huge place for change. It would be impossible to explain, and would have to somehow get to the illusive “tipping point” that is required in all social epidemics. But it could happen.

But I don’t believe it could just be one women’s amazing thoughts with a heard of loyal followers listening and carrying out her commands. I believe any social phenomenon of this century will have to be more mutual and social than that. It will have to be something where the sum of the contributions is larger than the parts. Social phenomena grow exponentially, and someone not apart of them can never understand why they become so powerful.

People would come to the blog not to hear great wisdom but to become caught up in a great dialogue that will bring out the greatness inside of them. Not only would it be about people’s ideas, but their ways of thinking, ways of beings and ways of interacting with the world, and all of these would be infused and transformed by the relationality of what happens there. It isn’t just that your ideas would be balanced by other people’s ideas. It is that your entire life is changed because you are in intentional relationship with a community that is devoted to something much larger than themselves. This is what I am waiting for. Not necessarily a blog, but some social movement that could start a revolution. So, if any of you are still reading after the righteous mocking I gave you and you have any ideas on how to start a revolution, give me your blogger address and let’s get started.