In the turbulent 1960s, protests were the way to go. From women's rights to civil rights to poverty, no social issue of the day was off-limits. The high priest of social justice protests was Saul Alinsky. He emerged in the late 1930s in Chicago and became one of the most prolific community organizers in the nation. While he never officially joined the Communist Party, he worked closely with them. Through his many decades of organizing and protesting, he developed a strategy that inspired the likes of a young Hillary Clinton and a young Barack Obama. He published that strategy so other social justice-minded folk could learn from his experience, and thus, "Rules for Radicals" became the social justice bible. But the current incarnation of social justice warriors, the pro-Hamas protesters, are clearly not familiar with Alinsky's tried and true tactics because they are violating several of them to their own detriment.
These campus protests aren’t helping the left. In fact, they are breaking several of Alinsky’s rules .
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 30, 2024
For example, Rule number 13 is “pick a target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it.”
Their protest is too abstract. If it was against BIDEN then it would have more spice,…
According to Alinsky, there are 13 "rules" for success that it would behoove any young radical to follow. Granted, Alinsky's guidelines might be a few generations removed from the current crop of extremists, but when something works, you should stick with it. While not all of Alinsky's rules apply here, some basics are being ignored.
Let's start at the top. Number two states, "‘Never go outside the expertise of your people.’The result is confusion, fear, and retreat." Well, they obviously have. While there may be some who are very well-versed on the topic, especially those who are from the region, most are not, and that is demonstrated by reporters who question them about the protest. Proof of that is the many signs seen at protests that say things like "Gays for Gaza," and "Lesbians for Liberation." They have no clue that being gay in Gaza can land you in prison for as much as 10 years. Then there is the chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." A political science professor at the University of California Berkeley recently polled students to see what they knew about the chant. Of these young skulls full of mush, 86 percent said they supported the chant, and only 47 percent could correctly name the river and the sea being chanted about.
Number six states, "'A good tactic is one your people enjoy.’ If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic." There are plenty of outdoorsy people for whom camping out in what most of us would consider chilly weather is no big deal. Somehow, these designer clothes-wearing, iPhone toting, parents footing the bill snowflakes don't seem to fit that profile. The 10-day weather forecast for New York City shows nighttime lows in the 50s and rain predicted for several of those days. Camping while it is chilly and rainy is not fun. These young radicals will be way more motivated to chant slogans whose meaning they know nothing about when it is sunny and 75 degrees.
more people should read rules for radicals pic.twitter.com/XlbEiaFAof
— neo (e/acc) tionary (@neoeacc) April 28, 2024
Number seven: "'A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.’ Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time, after which it becomes a ritualistic commitment, like going to church on Sunday mornings." The problem here is timing. Young radicals' first rule of thumb must be to consult the calendar. If these protests were meant to disrupt any political conventions this summer, this was a major screw-up timewise. Now they must maintain a certain level of rage and keep the faithful ginned up. After a while, even those who you did and might still win over to your side no longer think you are virtuous, just annoying, and they are done. Huge violation.
Finally, Number 13: "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." This may be the most basic of the rules, but perhaps the most damaging to violate. These protesters think they are all there to protest and proclaim their hatred for Israel, Jews, Benjamin Netanyahu, and by association Joe Biden. But that is not what is happening. The anti-Israel pro-Hamas protesters are the same people who show up for Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, Antifa protests, climate change protests, the list goes on and on. They are the same rent-a-mob. Their tactics change with the cause. Don't be fooled, all of those causes are represented here. The pro-Hamas cause is not focused enough and soon, the BLM and Antifa flags will emerge.
As usually happens, the kids did not listen to the voice of experience. Next time, better consult Uncle Saul.
What the Democrats have been doing for the past 15 years plus, is giving us a class on how The Cloward–Piven strategy & Rules for Radicals work.
— BOB (@ArcherN8126X) April 22, 2024
