Saul D. Alinsky's Argument Analysis

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In class, we have discussed various cases of community/people organizers being very active in their communities to fight for those under oppression. This has been a great ordeal due to the lack recognizing our societies deeply rooted issues that affect people each day. Activist, Saul D. Alinsky, discuss his ideas about people approaching and getting involved with people organizing. Thus, raising the question: How do organizers know how to approach situations that they are not affect by personally? Alinsky suggests that organizers should not be discouraged from helping others because there should be no true reason that stops them. However, I believe that people organizers should have a reasoning or connection towards the fight they are …show more content…
Alinsky talks about how people organizing should be active in fight without being directly affected by it. For example, “A people’s organization is dedicated to an eternal war” (133). Alinsky is referring to an “eternal war” which implies that the situation you are fighting against does not necessarily have to affect you. Also, Alinsky claims that since you are not directly affected by the situation, you should not just shy away from approaching the situation as an organizer. Similarly, soldiers in war may be considered “outsiders” because they have no true connection towards fighting in the war besides being an American citizen. However, people still enlist into the military to fight for our country each year without no true connection to the war itself. Therefore, organizers should continue to fight for those who are not able to defend themselves, even if they have no relation to the war …show more content…
To answer my question, I believe that there is no “correct” approach to community organizing because the situation and the people affected varies. Truly, it depends on the nature of the situation and whether the person has a personal connection and/or understanding of the issue. Without experience or knowledge, a person cannot fully fulfill the overall purpose of community organizing – to confront the deeply rooted issues in society. In all, a person’s approach to community organizing should not have a label, just a motivation, experience and match the overall goal of community