The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Nor Funded...

The revolution will not be televised... the change, the change that matters, will happen first in your mind, and in your heart. You can imagine your mind is inside your head. But it’s not. It’s the sense, greater even than sight or hearing, that most connects you to the world, to the other people, and the natural and spiritual verities.

We all know the latest causes, the latest issues, the latest fights, and the latest ideologies. History shows that societal priorities and perceptions can shift.

The phrase suggests that true revolutionary change won't be neatly packaged or presented by mainstream media. It implies that real change happens in the streets, in communities, and within the hearts and minds of individuals, rather than through the sanitized, incremental updates often provided by news broadcasts.

It highlights the idea that the significant, transformative events that alter society at its core are often overlooked or misrepresented by mainstream media. These outlets typically focus on sensationalism, commercial interests, or superficial aspects of societal change. New cycles, rather than lifecycles.

The phrase encourages people to be active participants in the revolution rather than passive consumers of information. It implies that true revolution requires direct involvement and engagement rather than just watching events unfold on television.

Scott-Heron's work critiques the commodification of culture and the way media can manipulate or dilute the essence of genuine movements. The revolution he refers to is also a cultural and societal awakening that transcends what is typically captured on camera that will happen not because of, but in spite of government, influencers, media, and paradoxically all the groups and institutions calling loudest for change, who actually mean more of the same (kind of change).

The revolution will not be funded. A trillion-dollar industry, the non-profit sector is one of the world's largest economies. The government grant. Cultural funding. From rock bands and university researchers to environmental saviors and church charities; classed, politicized, racialised radicalized, and gendered organizations of staggering diversity all share places at the altar of pick-a-winner bureaucratic systems to fund the arts, culture, and social ideas everyone already understands. As social justice organizations have joined this world, they often blunt political goals to satisfy government and foundation mandates. But even as funding shrinks, many activists often find it difficult to imagine movement-building outside the non-profit model.

It’s just too hard to get off that dope.

The most important things in the world, in life, and in living, will go unseen and unreported, disrespected and discredited. We don’t count what counts. The phrase also suggests that many of the most important aspects of revolutionary change happen behind the scenes, in personal transformations and in the collective consciousness, which are not always visible or reported on.

"The revolution will not be televised" encapsulates the idea that the most profound and lasting changes often occur outside the realm of what is immediately visible or broadcast, requiring a deeper, more engaged approach to truly understand and participate in the revolution.