Reactionaries. What are they. Reactionaries are those identified to support a return to a previous state or status quo. According to Russ Buchanan, there are four forms of social movements, Revolutionary, Revisionary, Conservative, and Reactionary. Revolution is the most drastic of the four social movements. The American Revolutionary War sought a total change of an existing power structure through political agitation, illegal acts, and violence to achieve change. Many nations have used revolution and some are still in revolution.
Revisionary social movement examples are woman’s suffrage and the civil rights movement. It seeks change within the system within legal means. Some movements may use illegal means such as civil disobedience, as was the case with the civil rights movement.
Conservative social movement seeks to maintain the status quo and traditional values. The Religious Right is an example of protecting traditional religion and family values. No change please. The Devil is in the details.
Reactionary movements are started because of a perceived threat to the status quo and values. The Ku Klux Klan’s attempt to restore the institutional racism of United States history is an example. They used fear and violence to influence society. The reactionary force is represented well with the honorable Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Michele Backmann (R-MN), and most of the South’s politicians. They are preaching the bible and cloak themselves in the American flag. This goes well with the Tea Party and the religious right. They will trumpet the coming danger to the American people of Obamacare, the effort to provide health insurance to 30 million uninsured Americans, the dangers of gay marriage, and the danger of allowing woman in combat. These are all changes to the status quo, and the Reactionaries, led by the Religious Right, are ready to fight for their way. Change and progress are not in their vocabulary. I thought we fought this fight to separate church and state when our forefathers left the old country. We cannot go back to that. If we did, we would have His Majesty Reverend President and would slip into the Iranian form of government where all power resides with religious leaders and the Bible. God forbid there would be Her Majesty. Woman would be out, because the Bible says so. Published every Wednesday at least.
