#16: What is Radical Action?
Discussion Questions for Class on October 21
Related Readings: Aronowitz, "Against the liberal state. ACT-UP and the emergence of postmodern politics," and Alinsky, "What is a radical?"
These writing assignments are meant to help you think about the readings and to prepare you for class discussions. For that reason, when you write a response it is important that you give your opinions and that you relate your thoughts to the reading. Remember that these are exam questions and that they are graded as such. You ought to write them as though you are writing questions on a midterm or a final exam.
Respond to one of the following questions by writing a response on the class Discussion Board on Blackboard at least one hour before class on the date the question is listed. Put your name in the text of the question and give the question number as listed below. Without these I can't tell who wrote the question or what you are responding to. You then have until Midnight on the following Sunday of that week to revise your response if you wish to do so and to submit it for grading. To submit your responses, send them via email to milofsky@bucknell.edu.
Your final version of this question is due by midnight, Sunday, October 25.
16-1. We often think of radicals as being against the established order and disruptive of the state. How does Alinsky's view differ and how does he define radical?
Think about the way Hunter and Milofsky talked about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in Chapters One and Two of Pragmatic Liberalism. Consider how Alinsky's notion of radicalism fits with the responsibility of citizens to participate and to give back to society. Think also about the many ways we may define "radical". One TV commentator during the election campaign described McCain as a radical and Obama as a conservative. How might this comment fit with Alinsky's conception of what maakes a person radical?
16-2 A New York Times article (N. Cohen, "Know Thine Enemy, 8/23/09: —find it on Blackboard) claims that the Republican town hall meeting strategy of the last month was taken directly from Saul Alinsky's book Reveille for Radicals. Was the Republican action radical in terms of the materials we read for today?
16-3. What is the liberal state and why is it incapable of responding to the actual needs of the population according to Aronowitz?
16-4. What is Aronowitz's argument in favor of radical politics? Evaluate the proposition that if there is an issue that is really important to you, the proper strategy for gaining an effective response from government is to be as disruptive and confrontational as possible. Do you feel comfortable with such politics?
16-5. One of the propositions advanced in Hunter and Milofsky's depiction of the radical perspective is that elites develop services as a way of protecting, achieving, and maintaining their control of society. Is Aronowitz offering a picture of radicalism that fits with this analysis?