Only the Dull and Stupid Fight Head-on: Some Strategic Thoughts (Robert Greene)

[LoZoccolo]

Been seeing a lot of posts lately advocating militant tactics. Usually that decision to ramp things up and get in peoples' faces doesn't make a difference and allows them to fight according to a strategy they chose; why would you allow them to fight acccording to plan?

People who know strategy know that your first instincts can be the most likely to make you fail.

http://www.powerseductionandwar.com/archives/only_the_dull_a.phtml

[unpossibles]

1. well said. Getting in people's faces rarely makes new allies or converts in my experience

Or to continue the analogy, the best strikes are those which your opponent doesn't see coming.

I've been trying to work on letting people come to their own conclusions on things while gently leading them there, but trying to not be manipulative about it either. It's not easy, but I think it works better than doing what they've done to us for so long.

[LoZoccolo]

6. The author of that article wrote a book about strategy called /The 48 Laws of Power/.

In it, I think he gives a better strategy:

Law 11

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted.  The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have.  Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear.  Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

Random teabaggers on the corner have no incentive to gain or maintain credibility with us. If we were to keep entangling ourselves with them, and make it cost something - even if only in embarassment - to spread bullshit, then you have some power to both reward good and punish bad. Making a complete catastrophic break opens the door to them having no incentive to leave their teabaggery.

[unpossibles]

9. as a student of gung fu, I try to look at it as letting them use their own energy against themselves

or to set up an 'attack' by drawing them in and off balance, and letting them do the work, but still shutting them down when possible. Some people are amazingly resilient to facts and reality, and those you just need to walk away from and trust that they will out themselves as brainless fools without your help.

[alfredo]

7. Think like an insurgent. That's difficult to do when you are in power.

[Gman2]

2. Getting in peoples faces is the only way to get thru

The baggers think they have the con. They think that Acorn stole the election. Obama is not REALLY the pres. As far as far reaching strategy, I agree. As to individuals that spew hate, they are dangerous, and want to catch on. You could talk till you are blue all over, and they would not be persuaded. Stop thinking about converting baggers.

Their bad behaviour is assumed patriotic, by our silence. Obama doesnt want to make this about the things it obviously are. Fine, he should stay above the fray. WE, on the other hand, need to mete out community justice.

Your brat child is throwing tantrums in public. You A. ignore them, allowing them to enrage all the other public, poisin feelings of community and generally think you are an innefectual leader, or B. drag the brat outside, and tell them that they are not fit for the public, and will be shunned, until they grow up.

[LoZoccolo]

3. Those are two ways of dealing with your child.

Can you think of three more?

[Occam Bandage]

4. Only the dull and stupid, indeed. Dooga dooga. nt

[treestar]

5. Good paragraphs here

them off the negative: It is always easier to argue from the negative side--criticizing other people's actions, dissecting their motives, etc. And that is why most people will opt for this. If they had to describe a positive vision of what they want in the world, or how they would accomplish a particular task, this would open them up to all kinds of attacks and criticisms. It takes effort and thought to establish a positive position. It takes less effort to work on what other people have done, and poke endless holes. It also makes you look tough and insightful, because people delight in hearing someone tear an idea apart.

Facing these negative-mongers in a debate or argument is infuriating. They can come at you from all angles. Hit you with sarcasm and snide comments, weave all kinds of abstractions that can make you look bad. If you lower yourself to their position, you end up like a boxer throwing punches into thin air. These opponents give you nothing to hit. (In war, it is always easier to hold ground than take ground.) Your task is to force them off this position by getting them to commit to some positive position. Now, you have a target. If they resist or refuse to do this, you can attack them for this resistance

They think they are so cool for cutting others down, like it makes them superior immediately.

[opihimoimoi]

8. here here...zero'd in...fire at will....our turn to win over negative with wit and charm.