b********n
发帖数: 38600 | 1 Saul Alinsky’s 12 Rules for Radicals
http://www.bestofbeck.com/wp/activism/saul-alinskys-12-rules-fo
* RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you
have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-
Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which
there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a
difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively
with economic arguments.)
* RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” It results in
confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.
(Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don’t address the “real”
issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)
* RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens
all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by
seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
* RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule
is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them
with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is
a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at
stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its
commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)
* RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense.
It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point
to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They
want to create anger and fear.)
* RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” They’ll keep doing
it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing, and
will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no
different that any other human being. We all avoid “un-fun” activities,
and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)
* RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” Don’t become
old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and
involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)
* RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to
keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach,
hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all
sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup,
recover and re-strategize.)
* RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (
Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case
scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The
upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy,
creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The
possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)
* RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and
become a positive.” Violence from the other side can win the public to your
side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this
tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in
the early to mid-20th Century incurred management’s wrath, often in the
form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)
* RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative
.” Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a
solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you’re not part of the solution, you
’re part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their
strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their
power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)
* RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after
people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is
cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works
.) |
|
