2011 Reading #62: Rules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
61. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
62. Rules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky. I'm still trying to figure out what I think about this. It's "A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals," published in 1971; it's a handbook for would-be community organizers, which is work that I both admire and would never want to do. I've heard that this book has become a popular read for conservatives, and perhaps it was that awareness that made me uncomfortable with some of the tactics espoused here. I think that Alinsky would say that it was really a result of my middle-class desire for order and so-called fairness, and perhaps he's right, but to me some of what he describes as pragmatic comes across as unscrupulous, at least in part because that's what it's looked like when people whom I disagree with have used these tactics. As the tortured syntax of the previous syntax may indicate, I'm conflicted. Lots of food for thought, though.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
61. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.
62. Rules for Radicals by Saul D. Alinsky. I'm still trying to figure out what I think about this. It's "A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals," published in 1971; it's a handbook for would-be community organizers, which is work that I both admire and would never want to do. I've heard that this book has become a popular read for conservatives, and perhaps it was that awareness that made me uncomfortable with some of the tactics espoused here. I think that Alinsky would say that it was really a result of my middle-class desire for order and so-called fairness, and perhaps he's right, but to me some of what he describes as pragmatic comes across as unscrupulous, at least in part because that's what it's looked like when people whom I disagree with have used these tactics. As the tortured syntax of the previous syntax may indicate, I'm conflicted. Lots of food for thought, though.