Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

The generation at the time of Alinsky’s writing is trying to make sense of their lives and world. Most of them hail from the middle class and find themselves at a loss in many important areas. The media shows them widespread hypocrisy and failures that exist in all facets of life. The older generation feels equally at a loss, failing to understand the motivations, desires, and fears of the younger generation, who simply desire “a chance to strive for some sort of order” (xvii).

Part of the problem is that there aren’t rules for bringing about a revolution. There are, however, basic concepts that can be applied everywhere. One of these is that we must begin where the world is, not where we wish it to be. This is a problem, as Alinsky notes, since “youth are impatient” (xx). They need to be helped in carrying out their program of reform. In everything the common good must be called to mind, since freedom of all will entail a certain level of sacrifice for the community. This is just the price of democracy.