“Be normal” is problematic but the kernel of truth cannot be exaggerated in its importance: organizing is social. If you are not socially competent, if people don’t like you, you will have a tough time organizing anything at all. You can still take on other roles, and if you feel you can’t do well socially that’s fine and you can do those other roles, but the core task of an organizer is to wield and grow social influence.
Let’s say you are organizing a workplace. If you can get the most popular, respected, socially connected person on your union campaign, even on your organizing committee, that is a HUGE get. That’s your ticket to going straight to the endgame of duking it out with management. That person can get you a large chunk of the workforce solely through others trusting them and thinking that if they like someone, that means that person’s opinions are correct, or at least worth respecting.
Let’s say you’re already in an organization. You need to hold correct lines on many topics. You need to be internally educated so you can develop those lines. They have to be relevant to external work that you do. How do you handle internal disagreement if the people in your org are in the liberal habit of treating this as a deeply personal fight and attacking each other almost immediately? You can’t leave out trainings on how to converse, how to deliberate and provide criticism as comrades, and modeling behaviors from leadership itself, including, again, leadership being liked and likeable.
And when the opposite is the case, your org or chapter may implode. It does actually happen. Drama that isn’t about more serious issues like assaults or a serious reactionary split is extremely common. It is individuals exaggerating and amplifying their own self-importance and sense of being aggrieved so that they spend way too much of their time and platform attacking each other. Antisocial behavior within the org, placing oneself before it - either by doing the unnecessary personal attacking or disrespect or by perceiving it and overreacting. Or even just having naive members try to do actions with no trainings! Many people just need experience, confidence, and a plan of action. If you canvass, you will encounter people who are proudly wrong in a myriad of ways. You don’t need to argue with them, just “handle” them and move on, modeling a respectable person yourself. That won’t do jack for the proudly wrong person, but maybe their relative heard you and moves towards you when they would not have if you decided to have a heated argument.
Many orgs, maybe even most orgs, don’t prioritize any of this as a primary concern. Some don’t even really address it directly at all. And, consequently, they create unnecessary roadblocks to their own success and cohesion. Most of it can be addressed through trainings and explicitly adopting norms and strategic understandings of discourse.
If you are not socially competent, if people don’t like you, you will have a tough time organizing anything at all. You can still take on other roles, and if you feel you can’t do well socially that’s fine and you can do those other roles, but the core task of an organizer is to wield and grow social influence.
there’s not really any “other roles” when there’s zero local movement or structure. But i’m somehow supposed to organize from among thousands of strangers i’ve never spoken to before and none of them have worn a mask since 2021
You can contribute in orgs as a member of an org without being an “organizer”. Organizations also need help with basic logistics, art, tech infrastructure, and so on. The social bar there for not being counterproductive is just “don’t pick pointless fights”. If you don’t think you can do that, yes maybe you’re not in a place to help the movement, but I think the vast majority of people who think this are actually capable of passing that bar. This is exactly who should listen to the suggestions I am making.
Most orgs are small at a local level. You will start out talking to 3-10 people. The level of masking will be comparable or better than anyone else in your community.
if there are groups here they’re not making themselves visible. I literally don’t know anyone in town and it’s been years since i’ve spoken to someone who isn’t behind a register.
That could be the case! I don’t know your locale or how big it is and for safety reasons you shouldn’t tell me! Sometimes they are there and it’s not obvious or they are “composite” groups with varying ideological backgrounds united by a common activity like Food Not Bombs or running a co-op or hosting radical movie nights.
“Be normal” is problematic but the kernel of truth cannot be exaggerated in its importance: organizing is social. If you are not socially competent, if people don’t like you, you will have a tough time organizing anything at all. You can still take on other roles, and if you feel you can’t do well socially that’s fine and you can do those other roles, but the core task of an organizer is to wield and grow social influence.
Let’s say you are organizing a workplace. If you can get the most popular, respected, socially connected person on your union campaign, even on your organizing committee, that is a HUGE get. That’s your ticket to going straight to the endgame of duking it out with management. That person can get you a large chunk of the workforce solely through others trusting them and thinking that if they like someone, that means that person’s opinions are correct, or at least worth respecting.
Let’s say you’re already in an organization. You need to hold correct lines on many topics. You need to be internally educated so you can develop those lines. They have to be relevant to external work that you do. How do you handle internal disagreement if the people in your org are in the liberal habit of treating this as a deeply personal fight and attacking each other almost immediately? You can’t leave out trainings on how to converse, how to deliberate and provide criticism as comrades, and modeling behaviors from leadership itself, including, again, leadership being liked and likeable.
And when the opposite is the case, your org or chapter may implode. It does actually happen. Drama that isn’t about more serious issues like assaults or a serious reactionary split is extremely common. It is individuals exaggerating and amplifying their own self-importance and sense of being aggrieved so that they spend way too much of their time and platform attacking each other. Antisocial behavior within the org, placing oneself before it - either by doing the unnecessary personal attacking or disrespect or by perceiving it and overreacting. Or even just having naive members try to do actions with no trainings! Many people just need experience, confidence, and a plan of action. If you canvass, you will encounter people who are proudly wrong in a myriad of ways. You don’t need to argue with them, just “handle” them and move on, modeling a respectable person yourself. That won’t do jack for the proudly wrong person, but maybe their relative heard you and moves towards you when they would not have if you decided to have a heated argument.
Many orgs, maybe even most orgs, don’t prioritize any of this as a primary concern. Some don’t even really address it directly at all. And, consequently, they create unnecessary roadblocks to their own success and cohesion. Most of it can be addressed through trainings and explicitly adopting norms and strategic understandings of discourse.
there’s not really any “other roles” when there’s zero local movement or structure. But i’m somehow supposed to organize from among thousands of strangers i’ve never spoken to before and none of them have worn a mask since 2021
You can contribute in orgs as a member of an org without being an “organizer”. Organizations also need help with basic logistics, art, tech infrastructure, and so on. The social bar there for not being counterproductive is just “don’t pick pointless fights”. If you don’t think you can do that, yes maybe you’re not in a place to help the movement, but I think the vast majority of people who think this are actually capable of passing that bar. This is exactly who should listen to the suggestions I am making.
Most orgs are small at a local level. You will start out talking to 3-10 people. The level of masking will be comparable or better than anyone else in your community.
if there are groups here they’re not making themselves visible. I literally don’t know anyone in town and it’s been years since i’ve spoken to someone who isn’t behind a register.
That could be the case! I don’t know your locale or how big it is and for safety reasons you shouldn’t tell me! Sometimes they are there and it’s not obvious or they are “composite” groups with varying ideological backgrounds united by a common activity like Food Not Bombs or running a co-op or hosting radical movie nights.