Rules for Revolutionaries
We know that every action has an alternative that can be opposite and equal. You are going to need this book. This rule holds in the universe, but most of them are not instantaneous. Many activities take decades, even centuries, before the alternative is sufficiently recognized or directly experienced. The Declaration of Independence was a rule-breaker, and the participants in its creation faced death in calling for that kind of “mobilization.” Then a few years later, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights produced a brilliant “big organizing” tool. It began as a reflection on this act of courage with a set of organizing ideas that might guide future generations to achieve a needed change without bloodshed or violent acts taken in a search for freedoms that are not treasonous.
Ordinary privileged Americans have caught the cold scent of oppression for the first time since the Civil Rights Movement crossed their carefully managed pathways. Being an average, privileged American means not being Black or any other “displaced workers” minority who discover themselves in one of the several inescapable traps that define many causes and types of impoverishment. Those who do not attempt to move may never notice their shackles, so rules demanding action are certainly useful. So buy the book and get ready for a fight.
First, read Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, Understand the mechanics of how we think and how that shapes our view of the world. Then comment on: