6) Guarding fiefdoms, tea party example. His own.
5) Attacking efforts, tea party example, same person as above.
4) Defying legislative process, tea party example. Little tangible support emerges. Refusal to support good candidate waiting for a pure one. Impulses to shutting down government. Irrational intransigence. Expecting legislative outcomes wholly out of sync with electoral outcomes denies responsibility of activist to build coalitions.
3) Defying two-party system. Libertarians in Main breaking with GOP example. Mistake in viewing the Party as a servant which ought to work on their behalf rather than a a vehicle which must be actively steered in a desired direction. It cannot be steered by bailing.
2) Rejecting organization as elitist hierarchal affront to Democracy, tea party example, occupy example.
1) Refusing money. Occupy example.
The author uses personal examples, specifically a difficulty with one individual, Mona, but I was expecting something along the lines of, say, the endeavor of political activism itself tends to attract assholes.
Reminds me. There was a facebook/twitter meltdown. Ha! That's how I found the story again [russian activist facebook twitter meltdown] and I don't even have to mention [gay]. Done wrecked his gay activist career by ragging on Jews. Might have wrecked it, in a rational world, but reading the comments I am not so sure. The guy says himself that he's out, (autoplay).
8 comments:
I'd say not so much activists as purists.
A pragmatic activist doesn't make those mistakes.
I haven't been to my tea party meetings in a while. The re-election of Obama was a blow.
That list is dead on.
I recall some infighting here about who would be allowed to speak at events.
Political activism is a hobby unless you're getting paid.
The great cause of my life is to persuade the political activists to become inactive.
Go home! is my political slogan.
Go home and find something worthwhile to do. If you can't find something worthwhile to do, drink excessively or smoke dope. Don't be a pain in the ass!
Political inactivism is beautiful. Practice makes perfect!
The six elements point to what would be obvious if we thought about it. Activists are self-short-circuiting, inflexible, and not the brightest bulbs in the string.
Calling to find out more information on the program. TW discussed program with caller, will send out NPC information, and also referred to RAPP Orange county.
Most of us, activists or not, are not at our best when it comes to politics.
Libertarians in Main breaking with GOP example. Mistake in viewing the Party as a servant which ought to work on their behalf rather than a a vehicle which must be actively steered in a desired direction. It cannot be steered by bailing.
Problem with that metaphor: both of the major-party "vehicles" are driving in the same direction, and have been since the FDR era. The correct metaphor for the major political parties is high-speed rail: incredibly expensive, entirely reliant on government cronyism, and utterly incapable of changing direction.
When the vehicle you're in is speeding in the wrong direction and can't change course, getting OUT of the vehicle and seeking alternative transportation is the only sane thing to do. Even if the alternative transportation is a 1935 Ford with no engine driven by a Moonie, at least there's SOME chance of getting it moving the right way.
"When the vehicle you're in is speeding in the wrong direction and can't change course, getting OUT of the vehicle and seeking alternative transportation is the only sane thing to do. Even if the alternative transportation is a 1935 Ford with no engine driven by a Moonie, at least there's SOME chance of getting it moving the right way."
Well said, as usual, but when exiting a speeding train, one encounters pavement traveling at a different velocity.
I think there is only one train now, neoliberalism, speeding us toward the future.
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