Chuck0's comments ring familiar to me, but I think it is more complicated.
Not all members of cadre organizations are unprincipled bullies--but some are.
This is from: Abstaining from Bad Sects Understanding Sects, Cadres, and Mass Movement Organizations Resist newsletter http://resistinc.org/newsletter/issues/1999/12/berlet.html
Sectarianism, cadre groups, and ultra-leftism are three separate issues. Those successful at juggling these tendencies in a real organizing campaign usually start by understanding that there are differences among ideological tendencies and the people who marry them, and there are differences between structures and styles. ... It is not fair for cadre organizations to send blocs of cadre members bound by democratic centralism (or other mandates to conform to a single line) into mass organizations to commandeer debates and votes. It is manipulative, elitist, and profoundly undemocratic.
Members of cadre organizations need to be sensitive to the fact that their presence changes the dynamics of mass organizations and learn to tread lightly. They may see themselves in the vanguard, but history makes that judgement. Insisting it is so will not speed up the process. Everyone needs to persuade others by the force of their ideas and the exemplary character of their actions, not by brute force.
Leaders of mass organizations need to be sensitive to the fact that in a truly democratic organization, every voice must be heard. It is not appropriate to silence real or imagined cadre members because of a presupposition that the message will be a repeat performance or that a cadre is just parroting the party line. So what? Either the ideas are persuasive or they are not. ... Organizer Suzanne Pharr wrote In the Time of the Right: Reflections on Liberation, in which she urges that within the movement we must "create principled internal politics and healthy standards for work and working conditions." She further instructs:
"Be respectful of everyone. Do not act martyred. Build relationships that include more than work: celebration, ritual, play. Use positive humor whenever possible and often. Get a life, have a life, live a life-as fully and joyously as imaginable."
Democracy is a process. As organizers we must believe that over time, the majority of people, given enough accurate information, and the ability to participate in an open public debate, reach the right decisions to defend liberty and extend freedom.
-Chip Berlet
----- Original Message ----- From: "Kelley" <kwalker2 at gte.net> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>; <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 1:52 AM Subject: Re: More on WWP/IAC dirty tricks
> At 11:59 PM 10/31/01 -0600, Lou Paulsen wrote:
> >Chuck0, if the best you can do is to post e-mails sent to you by god knows
> >who about visit-planning and defense strategy, I will consider myself free
> >to ignore your posts. Is there anyone on this list who considers this to be
> >reasonable behavior?
>
> i sure as shit do. you're suggesting that he made it up? forged it?
>
> cute.
>
> i'll just add that i agree with chuck0 and thomas seay in assessments of
> vanguardist groups. i've seen the same crap before, too, from the
> sparticists and the red orange wankers. i wrote about it when i first
> joined the list in 98--they come to meetings which involve diverse members
> of a community, make asses of themselves and alienate everyone from left
> ideas.
>
> it isn't an accident. it's a manifestation of vanguard groups' theoretical
> understanding of social change and how to bring it about.
>
> kelley
>