Saul Alinsky vis-à-vis Noam Chomsky -
The Difference Between a Dedicated Radical and a Hypocritical
Opportunist
No one can accuse Saul Alinsky of having been ingenuous. He had
"hung out" with Al Capone's gang in his youth for two years,
presumably, as he claims, to learn about crime from within.
He was a shrewd and cool operator who knew how to manipulate the
poor in the slums of America and the slumlords and politicians who
created the slums alike. Alinsky's style of self-expression is
generously described as that of a "stevedore" by Eric Norden who
interviewed him for PLAYBOY in 1972.
This is the introduction to that interview entitled: "Empowering
People, Not Elites":
"To find out more about why Alinsky is doing what he's doing, and
to probe the private complexities of the public man, PLAYBOY sent
Eric Norden to interview him. The job, Norden soon discovered, was
far from easy: "The problem was that Alinsky's schedule is enough
to drive a professional athlete to a rest home, and he seems to
thrive on it. I accompanied him from the East Coast to the West
and into Canada, snatching tape sessions on planes, in cars and at
airport cocktail lounges between strategy sessions with his local
organizers, which were more like military briefings than bull
sessions. My first meeting with him was in TWA's Ambassador Lounge
at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. He was dressed in a navy-blue blazer,
buttondown [sic] oxford shirt and black knit tie. His first words
were a growled order for Scotch on the rocks; his voice was flat
and gravelly, and I found it easier to picture him twisting arms
to win Garment District contracts than organizing ghettos. As we
traveled together and I struggled to match his pace, I soon
learned that he is, if nothing else, an original. (Alinsky to
stewardess: 'Will you please tell the captain I don't give a f---
what our wind velocity is, and ask him to keep his trap shut so I
can get some work done?')"
"Nat Hentoff wrote last year, 'At 62, Saul is the youngest man
I've met in years,' and I could see what he meant. There is a
tremendous vitality about Alinsky, a raw, combative ebullience,
and a consuming curiosity about everything and everyone around
him. Add to this a mordant wit, a monumental ego coupled with an
ability to laugh at himself and the world in general, and you
begin to get the measure of the man.
"And yet late at night, in a Milwaukee motel room, his face was
gray, haggard and for once he showed the day's toll (three cities,
two speeches, endless press conferences and strategy sessions). A
vague sadness hung around him, as if some barrier had broken down,
and he began to talk -- off the record -- about all the people
he's loved who have died. There were many, and they seemed closer
at night, in airport Holiday Inn rooms, sleeping alone with the
air conditioner turned high to drown out the roar of the planes.
He talked on for an hour, fell abruptly silent for a minute, then
sprang to his feet and headed for the door. 'We'll really f--- 'em
tomorrow!' The race was on again."
Saul Alinsky didn't pretend to be a refined, gentleman. He grew up
in squalor at the hands of a cruel father. Those early experiences
left indelible marks on his psyche. He made no attempt to gloss
over his rough spots or go to some sort of "finishing school" in
order to perfect a more dignified persona.
In the course of the interview Alinsky said:
"The crunch came when I was offered a job as head of probation and
parole for Philadelphia at a salary of $8000 a year, with the
added bonus of a visiting lectureship at the University of
Pennsylvania for $2400 a year and a weekly column in the
Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger on how to keep your kiddies on
the straight and narrow. Remember, $10,400 then was equal to
$30,400 now [in 1972; that's over $100,000 today]. So this was the
turning point for me. I could picture myself in a nice house in
the suburbs, just two hours from New York, with all its theaters
and concerts, with money in the bank, a car, all the goodies. And
I could already hear the rationalizations I'd make: "I'd better
not jeopardize this setup. After all, I can do so much more for
the cause by stimulating students than by getting personally
involved. I can write speeches or papers and put the real message
between the lines or in footnotes, and really have an impact." Or:
"This will give me the financial freedom to participate
effectively." Bullshit. Once you get fat and comfortable and reach
the top, you want to stay there. You're imprisoned by your own
so-called freedoms. I've seen too many lean and hungry labor
leaders of the Thirties grow fat-bellied and fat-headed. So I
turned down the job and devoted myself to full-time activity in
the radical movement."
Source:
http://www.progress.org/2003/alinsky7.htm
Compare the above quote, if you will, to Noam Chomsky's preening
and boasting of his academic achievements, job assurance, tenure,
income, perks and social standing in CHOMSKY ON ANARCHISM and the
difference between someone who "walks the walk" and someone who
merely "talks the talk" will become eminently, painfully clear to
all but the most hopelessly enthralled by Chomsky's legerdemain.
The reader is respectfully directed to the entire text of the
above-mentioned interview with Saul Alinsky "Empowering People,
Not Elites", which can be found on the following URL:
http://www.progress.org/2003/alinsky2.htm
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
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