If people know their system of order is tilted favoring the top one percent, why continue without rebellion?

Question

When one percent owns ninety-nine percent and the ninety-nine percent owns a lousy one percent. Homo sapiens reasoning of what is right and fair for all humans.

Answer 1

First, I'm going to state that I am flatly against violence (so that you understand my bias), and that there have been few revolutions in history (if any) which are bloodless in spite of promises to the contrary. Commitment to an ideal means finding any means necessary to achieve a goal. On occasion, this requires a violent resolution, and so it is with this concept in mind that I answer the question.

There are actually several ways that this could be answered.

The most obvious answer is that people don't like violent resolutions to problems which can be solved through other means. Violence is (and should be) the last resort, for reasons of continuation of the species. The will to fight must be present in a greater number of people than those who are in control (and those who support them). In most cases, fear and doubt over victory must be overcome, or there can be no winner. The same was true here in the United States of our separation from Great Britain.

In places where communism reigns supreme, nothing belongs to an individual anyway. Everything belongs to the community. Thus, the concept of revolution over things is a distasteful subject to begin with.

Another possible reason is that even in a non-communist society, nobody wants to seem like a greedy pig (whether they are or not is a different story). The real issue here is one of perceptions of propriety and portrayal of a correct social image, and being a revolutionary just doesn't appeal to most of the people who worry about such things.

Yet another possible reason (and the last I'll cover to save on room, though there are literally hundreds more) is that people view revolution as an excuse to do away with something, rather than actually dealing with it. This is especially true of people who have a deep respect for law and order, and who still have faith in the system.

But the mitigating factor in all of these is that you can't be reasonable with people who have decided to be unreasonable. If someone decides that there is only one way, you cannot convince them otherwise. If you are the one being unreasonable, then you are the one who cannot change. Reason is the decision to listen to alternate points of view and to decide based on what seems the most logical to you.

Therefore, because most people don't accept violence as reasonable, revolution is almost completely out of the question.

Answer 2

They don't rebel because of either...

1. Fear of the government.

2. Conditioned submission.

3. Belief in propaganda.

Answer 3

I think rebellion is building, all over the world. It will take some very bad situation to kick start it, though.

Answer 4

Because it's easier to remain willfully ignorant and/or make excuses about how and why it's not so bad. Then little bit by little, each freedom is slowly lost, as people tolerate each inch taken and go about their lives. By the time they've been pushed too far, it's too late and there is no power to unite. People are followers. So my answer is that it's just easier.