Methods of Control: Criticism of Rules For Radicals

Rules for Radicals is a book by Saul Alinsky, a guide for people trying to institute change, this is part of my pieces on methods of control. Essentially this book aims to help "the revolution" through cheap tricks. It's like The Art of War but for political upheaval. To use the same Einstein quote again "in a debate there is a thesis and antithesis, when successful the outcome is a synthesis", this book discourages that. The name using "radicals" makes the indoctrinated feel special, part of a group that are the only ones who understand them.

"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.
It's innocent enough and good advice on the front but it instills the us and them mindset encouraging aggressive behaviour with "build power from flesh and blood", there is no us and them just individuals. Some who think a like but none think the same.
"Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone.
This is essentially, 'pick your battles' but going outside your expertise is how you learn. It also stops the "radical" from seeing things from the opponents point of view and potentially stops them understanding why they're wrong. This seems cultish disconnecting the indoctrinated from anything that will veer them away from being controlled.
"Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty.
A fairly simple attack method, similar to what I mentioned talking about cults but this stops the opposing sides from reaching a common ground managing the us and them mentality. This stops the synthesis of ideas forming.
"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 diversion tactic, wasting resources is as greedy as hoarding them. It does nothing but divert the opponent and hinders development.
"Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defence. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.
Childishness, to get Machiavellian the sooner one has to resort to insults and shouting the less validity their argument has. It also diverts from actually discussing the issues or topics, distracting the "radical" from opposing views and makes them afraid of being ridiculed, keeping the indoctrinated on side and not questioning what they're doing.
 "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.
Back to my cult piece, this is a method of indoctrination and control to stop people questioning what they're doing, no one wants to be the one ruining the fun and be ostracised from the group.
"A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news.
No one wants old news, seems fair enough but this stops people being able to formulate reasonable arguments against you and stops the indoctrinated from realising what they're doing might be wrong.
"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.
Another one to inhibit discourse and to stop people from coming to an agreement, there will be no peace with tactics like this.
"The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist.
If people are afraid of you they won't question you, then you can get away with anything.
"The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition." It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.
Keep them under pressure and they'll fuck up. Giving the "radical" the opportunity to cease control.
"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 sympathises with the underdog.
Play the victim and you'll get bwahs, this isn't development or bettering society it's simple manipulation. No good will come if it and when people realise what you're doing, it'll lose you more than it gained.
"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.
More blocking of development and a synthesis of ideas.
 "Pick the target, freeze it, personalise it, and polarise 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 just dirty tricks, classic Ad Hominem and alienates those in opposition. This is best highlighted in the modern left calling ask those that oppose them fascist or Nazis regardless of their actual politics.

This all seems to be a way to create Lenins 'useful idiots', destabilising one authoritarian system to replace it with another. It also seems to be more about keeping the indoctrinated on your side. A truly developed society cannot be forced by the will of a few but one that facilitates the freedom and liberty of all individuals. Rules for radicals encourages an aggressive take over without regard to the wants and needs of all people, with its cultish methodology those involved will not realise what they've done or who they've done it for until it's too late.
Like with all my methods of control I write this to highlight how we are manipulated and controlled, the more aware of these you are the more in control of your own life you are.

Full disclosure I have used these in a business environment, often with those unwilling to improve but as a last resort to drive Kaizen when speaking to them reasonably has failed. It's a real, "I can wash but never be clean" situation for me. I have great concern for those who use these methods without remorse.

The Myth of Altruism

Altruism:
Disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

I postulate that altruism is a myth. That we all do things for a reason, these reasons are a product of our minds and fulfill a goal we are praxeological beings. Some of this is based on my own experience and feelings.

Take an example of a way someone might help a person, like giving up a seat for an elderly person,

Societal:
It's what's expected of someone.
It's to help encourage the society around them to do the same should they be in need.
On most public transport it's the rules.

Id massage:
By experiencing a selfless act this satisfies someones Id, this creates a flow of endorphins and then satisfies the ego.

Virtue signalling:
To show the world how good a person you are, this raises the individuals sense of worth within there community and gives others the impression they're a good person.

Fishing for compliments:
Just doing it for the thanks.

Proving me wrong:
After reading this article you'll never know if you're doing it just to prove me wrong or if you're being altruistic.

None of these are reasons to not help others but it's important to be aware of what you do and understand your motives. Only if you're true to yourself can you develop as a person, know yourself and know those around you.

A Piece on DMT

Dimethyltryptamine AKA the God molecule. It's one of the most common chemicals in ethnobotanicals (plants that let you see God). It occurs naturally in most mammals as part of our endocrine system yet its purpose is unknown it's hypothesised to be integral to dreaming. As such its amongst the least dangerous hallucinogens, it still has its risks but it's accessible to the newer psychonaut but essential to the experienced. As it's a substance our body produces it gets broken down quickly, ingesting it alone has no effect as the stomach acids destroy it immediately. If it's taken alone it should be smoked in plant or crystal form or it can be made into a tea with an MAOI like Ayahuasca.

What plants?
There's a multitude that contain it but the 2 most powerful are Salvia Divinorum and Acacia. It's recently been postulated that Acacia is the burning bush through which the Judaic God spoke to Moses.

What is it good for?
People take it to commune with God, for me this has been a direct link from conscious to sub-conscious and a feeling the universe is talking to me. The latter isn't as strange as it sounds, to truly understand the world outside one needs to look within. The sub-conscious holds our connections to past lives that's where this connection feels like the universe is talking to you.

Whats it like?
My preference is to use it as an aid to my mediation, whilst it has some fun fractal hallucinations in the waking world it's ability to facilitate enlightenment far out weighs that. I will load a pipe, start my chant and try still my mind. After that prep of about 15 to 20 minutes I'll smoke the bowl, drawing the smoke as deep as possible and holding it. Finish the bowl and let the trance take over. It will begin with fractal like visuals in the darkness forming into archetypal images, dragons, the Buddha a multitude of things. From there through previous attempts I focus on an opening happening at my crown this feels to facilitate the connection better. I find it best to let what comes, come. Allow the sub-conscious talk to me and question as I need. All in all the trip only lasts about 15 minutes but while I'm meditating it feels like a few hours, this demonstrates the flimsy nature of time and our perception along it linearly.

What have I learnt?
There are a few personal revelations that will remain personal, I'll just say it will help you realise the things you do wrong and help you improve.
People fear intelligent individuals, the ones willing to learn and expand their minds. We're a threat to those seeking to control.
To know the world outside you, you must look within.
Always be prepared to change your mind.
Try not have beliefs.
Never assume you're more intelligent, better or worse than anyone else, we all have skills others don't.
Perception is key to everything.
Our perception of other people is a reflection of ourselves, we view aspects of ourselves in other people, often when we don't like someone it's most likely we don't like something we see of ourselves... Sometimes they're just ass holes.
It is essential to remember this is how people interact with us too.
Question everything even the mundane. Small answers help us understand other things we may not expect.
Experiment with other ideas, think like that, experience like that but remember you don't have to stay like that.
I got my chant from a DMT trip, 'ho chi jah roh' it doesn't mean anything as far as I know, it helps me still my mind.
Using previous trips, recalling and remembering them during meditation will help induce the state.

Shareholder Returns Failing Business

This will be a short post. What's the harm in shareholders? Businesses owing to shareholders become focused on profits for a small group of people, trying to make a larger profit than the years before. Sounds like a good plan but that can't happen, there's a finite amount of resources and customers. It can be achieved through developing newer or better products but that requires funding R&D, something that doesn't always have a payoff as quick as needed to satisfy shareholders. This leaves the profit having to come from extra expense on customers and reduction in wages to the producers in a business. Adding expense on customers is a very short term benefit, usually giving any competitor an opportunity to undercut and take customers. Reducing pay and/or bonuses to staff is slightly better, given the cult of business people will find it hard to leave and when they do there will be someone willing to take the job to get there start even at a lower wage. Take out the shareholder and a business may expand slower but is more in control of its direction, its funding could be better supported through business loans, as long as it keeps up the minimum payment they've little to worry about and keeps its autonomy. Leaving it room to develop as a business that can benefit its consumers with products or services they want or need.

Ibrahim Halawa, freedom or speedy trial

This maybe unpopular but I'm writing it anyway. Ibrahim Halawa travelled to Egypt in August in 2013 to join protests against the dispersal of sit in protests against the removal of the then president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim brotherhood by the military, in a "day of rage". It's hard to pin down what he's being charged with as it's a group trial with charges from murder, attempted murder and banned protest, not all but the core charges.

Lets break this down a little, the Muslim brotherhood are a more fundamental Sunni group, who belive Sharia law should be in all aspects of life for all peoples. That in itself is fundamentally wrong and impinges on an individuals freedom and liberty, Google Sharia law and make up your own mind but I think you'll find it's not for you. They're also responsible for a number of terrorist attacks, so really seem to be another group misusing the Muslim faith for the system of manipulation (I don't believe all Muslims are dangerous but any religion can be abused for controlling people into dangerous things, more on that later). This is who Ibrahim chose to support.

Now onto my main point here, Ibrahim has been imprisoned for the worst part of 4 years without trial, a speedy trial is a fundamental human right and this is what people should be campaigning for. Instead people are demanding the immediate release of someone who went out of their way to go a country erupting in violence to support a violent group. Is that what people want? For the perpetrators and supporters of the suppression of freedoms who use violence to get there way to be allowed to free.

People need to step back from there feelings and take a look at the cold facts of what's happened here, be reasonable and campaign for what's right, a speedy trial. His youthful foolishness needs to be taken into consideration but that's no reason for a person to not face trial and every country has a right and duty to enforce its laws fairly.