You make some interesting points from what might be termed the "micro" perspective. But this issue can be examined from the macro perspective as well.
Sometimes it can be useful from the narrative standpoint to portray oppression as "rebellion;" to characterize the agents of the existing power structure as brave underdogs fighting to overthrow an imaginary enemy. An simple (and effective) form of what the commies would call "mystification" is simple inversion.
Just as the content of a narrative does not have to be identical to (or even overlap with) the instrumental purpose of that narrative, the ideology that appears to motivate a group (even if sincerely held by many of its lower level adherents) does not have to reflect the actual role of that group within the political system.
It's common to see the enforcers of the current system falsely portrayed as "rebels" against it. This is hardly a propaganda technique that's specific to this particular time and place; it's often easier to perceive it in action in a distant/ foreign setting than it is close to home. After all, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was called a "revolution," and one its most common slogans was "to rebel is justified" -- so clearly this program was a spontaneous, grassroots rebellion against the oppressive rule of bourgeois elements, revisionists, and landlords, rather than a purge of Mao's opponents designed to consolidate his power, right?
Closer to home, just look at antifa -- their "official" ideology is anarcho-communism, but their role within the system is clearly to serve as the plausibly-deniable secret police of the neoliberal establishment that they ostensibly oppose. They "rebel" by physically attacking any actual political dissidents who assemble in public, working closely with the corporate "news" oligopoly to target others for retaliation, etc.
BLM: ostensibly fighting against omnipresent, oppressive "systemic White supreemism" or whatever -- yet their "rebellion" was sponsored by just about every Fortune 500 corporation, heavily promoted by the corporate "news" media... and any heretics who deviated from the party line were quickly silenced:
"Why do Rebels Help the System?"
You make some interesting points from what might be termed the "micro" perspective. But this issue can be examined from the macro perspective as well.
Sometimes it can be useful from the narrative standpoint to portray oppression as "rebellion;" to characterize the agents of the existing power structure as brave underdogs fighting to overthrow an imaginary enemy. An simple (and effective) form of what the commies would call "mystification" is simple inversion.
Just as the content of a narrative does not have to be identical to (or even overlap with) the instrumental purpose of that narrative, the ideology that appears to motivate a group (even if sincerely held by many of its lower level adherents) does not have to reflect the actual role of that group within the political system.
It's common to see the enforcers of the current system falsely portrayed as "rebels" against it. This is hardly a propaganda technique that's specific to this particular time and place; it's often easier to perceive it in action in a distant/ foreign setting than it is close to home. After all, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was called a "revolution," and one its most common slogans was "to rebel is justified" -- so clearly this program was a spontaneous, grassroots rebellion against the oppressive rule of bourgeois elements, revisionists, and landlords, rather than a purge of Mao's opponents designed to consolidate his power, right?
Closer to home, just look at antifa -- their "official" ideology is anarcho-communism, but their role within the system is clearly to serve as the plausibly-deniable secret police of the neoliberal establishment that they ostensibly oppose. They "rebel" by physically attacking any actual political dissidents who assemble in public, working closely with the corporate "news" oligopoly to target others for retaliation, etc.
BLM: ostensibly fighting against omnipresent, oppressive "systemic White supreemism" or whatever -- yet their "rebellion" was sponsored by just about every Fortune 500 corporation, heavily promoted by the corporate "news" media... and any heretics who deviated from the party line were quickly silenced:
https://twitter.com/SpeechUnion/status/1269314739097796608