On Tue, 20 Jun 2000, Max Sawicky wrote:
> I've started reading "Poor Peoples Movements" by Cloward and Piven,
> and they raise the -- for me -- intriguing question of whether
> "organization" in the usual sense is the real key to social change.
> C&P say that organization only happens as an upsurge recedes, and orgs
> tend to reconcile with the status quo in the aftermath. It's the
> disruption and potential threat that force the change. Where this
> takes us I couldn't say yet, since I haven't finished the book.
I think if you follow this book you'll have have to end up coming down on ChuckO's side, since Piven & Cloward's argument is pretty much modelled on Roberto Michel's Iron Law of Oligarchy, which is the classic argument about the downside of representative organization for the left.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com