Tag: SDS
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The Political Identity Paradox (Beautiful Trouble – Essay 7)
This is an adapted version of an earlier, longer article by the same title, which was part of series on evolutionary logics of collective action. Any serious social movement needs a correspondingly serious group identity that encourages a core of members to contribute an exceptional level of commitment, sacrifice and heroics over the course of…
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Escalate Strategically (Beautiful Trouble – Essay 1)
There is a tendency within highly cohesive political groups to want to turn up the heat. It seems to be written into the social DNA of oppositional political groups: when group members’ level of commitment increases, they want to go further. They want to be a little more hardcore. This tendency toward escalation and increased…
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#OccupyWallStreet & the Political Identity Paradox
Download this post as a printable PDF Strong group identity is essential for social movements. There can be no serious social movement—the kind that challenges the powerful and privileged—without a correspondingly serious group identity that encourages a core of members to contribute an exceptional level of commitment, sacrifice and heroics over the course of prolonged…
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The Political Identity Paradox | Evolutionary logic of collective action pt.III
Why do grassroots political organizations sometimes implode right at the peak of their success? This post examines the double-edged sword of highly cohesive political group identities and explores how to build vibrant campaigns while avoiding going (too) crazy… natural born people pleasers Imagine yourself a gazelle in a herd of gazelles. Aw snap, here comes…
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What Prevents Radicals from Acting Strategically? (part 2 of 3)
Reposted. Part Two of a three-part article from 2006, written in collaboration with Madeline Gardner. Read Part One first. And then here’s Part Three. Encapsulation While in Argentina in 2004 I interviewed Maba and Valde, a sister and brother from one of the Movements of Unemployed Workers1 groups, MTD Solano. Interviewing them separately, I asked…
Jonathan Matthew Smucker 