[ilbegone]

To continue from posts 46 and 47 concerning Saul Alinsky and his book Rules for Radicals...

I haven cracked the book open again yet, nor do I now feel like writing a full fledged book report. However:

Further along in the book, Alinsky says that there have to be polarization to achieve goals for community change, that there has to be hatred. You can't on the one hand call a school district superintendent a "racist bastard" on the one hand, then describe him as a decent family man and good neighbor on the other. The horns, hooves, tail, lizard tongue, evil leer, and the devil's trident all have to be painted into the picture. In other words, completely dehumanized.

That is probably a large part of why we just can't seem to have a respectful, two way discussion in America any more, unless it's among people who just happen to 100% agree among themselves.

Also, the threat of an action is often worse in the perception of the target than the action itself. For example, to reach a goal Alinsky threatened to bring in a large number of people to clog up the restrooms in a busy airport. They would form perpetual lines and take up space in front of urinals and on top of toilets. Both the airport management and city hall were terrified of the vision of travelers doing the pee pee dance or crapping their pants in public and caved without a fight. Could Alinsky have pulled off the stunt if City Hall gave him the finger? We'll never know, and Alinsky won without a fight.

Alinsky says it's a mistake see his books as a linear guide as to what to do next, that every situation is different and requires its own tactic. Which seems to exclude the trump card "YOU'RE A RACIST!!!". Thank god that card is wearing out, maybe soon even the believers might be saying "Bah!" due to blanket overuse for about 60 years.

The book is an eye opener, and led me to understand much more about the political arena and "community activist" race baiters than I did before.