People become radicalized through participating in action, not through holding radical ideas. Studies of social movements show that quite persuasively. Oftentimes, people who have no much sympathy for the cause, are drawn to movements supporting that cause through their social connections - friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, members of social organizations to which they belong (unions, clubs, churches, etc.) and their participation radicalizes them. So there is no such a thing as buying off potential radicals. Au contraire, funding and maintaining even moderate programs has the potential of drawing people to action and even radicalizing them in some cases - much more so than staying on the campus and theorizing.
Wojtek
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 9:26 AM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Mar 29, 2011, at 9:18 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
>
>> Right wing/fascist funding sources do not waste their money in such a
>> way. Instead, they fund their intellectual Sturmabteilung to wage a
>> Kulturkampf to sway public opinion in the favor of right wing/fascist
>> causes - an example of which is the Craigs list posting in question.
>> And they are far more effective than the liberal foundations even
>> though they are not as well endowed as liberal - leaning foundations.
>
> But the liberal foundations are great at buying off actual and potential radicals. Hire some as program officers, who can then feel like they're making a difference. Have them fund competing nonprofits, all fragmented and dependent, never building a popular base or working in any politically coherent way. It's a perfect way for liberals to feel good about themselves while sustaining the status quo.
>
> Doug
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