Discussion – disability
Group Discussion – disability
Starting this week, take some time to read over and respond to each group members’ memory of oppression submission. Respond directly on the memory of oppression board.
Next, use this Group Discussion Board to start brainstorming together how you can challenge and subvert oppression in your group’s RANK by using higher level agent and target skills. Each person should write down one personal experience of resistance in your group’s rank. Post these personal experiences HERE on the group discussion board. For example, if your group’s rank is gender, then you could talk about your own experiences with feminist work and activism. This could include books or films you have seen, protests, or just daily acts of resistance that you have witnessed or authored.
If you are stumped when it comes to acts of resistance you have seen, and you can’t think of any examples, take a look at the BEAUTIFUL TROUBLE (Links to an external site.) archive, and post about what you find in your particular RANK area.
WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING…
BEAUTIFUL TROUBLE: A Toolbox for Revolution
INTRODUCTION
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Tactics
Principles
Theories
Case Studies
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Art & activism
Challenging power
Prefigurative action
Communications & performing for the public
Stories, framing, and social change
Pranktivism and the role of humor
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Everyone is an artist -vs- Auteurs make things rock
Be the change you want to see -vs- By any means necessary
Just do it! -vs- More theory needed
Clicktivism can save the world -vs- The revolution will not be tweeted
Long march through the institutions -vs- The revolution will not be elected
The problem is inside ourselves -vs- The problem is in the world around us
Identity politics -vs- Class politics
BEYOND THE PAGE: How to use this book more creatively
ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Professor Andy Bichlbaum’s
“write and research your own BT case study” classroom exercise, NYU
2. Professor Rene Keep’s Theory Exploration: The Salt March
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
1
1
2
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
33
38
39
40
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“Students loved it! Hands down, it was
the most engaged they were throughout
the semester.”
— Alison Bodkins, James Madison University
“Simply the most up-to-date and complete
compendium of creative activist case
studies and theories out there.
It’s indispensable.”
— Stephen Duncombe, NYU
“The format of the book is ideal for
a classroom environment. It provides
readily digestible material that
students can present, discuss, critique,
and build on. Through engaging this
text, readers can develop their views on
what kind of activists they want to be.”
— Michael Heaney, University of Michigan
“The one-to-two-page entries are just
right, the indexical quality of the
pages is amazing – it mirrors the way
that young people browse the Internet.”
— Ian Reilly, Concordia University
“My students loved seeing how ‘politics’
could be at once so serious, creative,
and fun. They appreciated that these
were not examples from the 1960s
(yawn); they loved the DIY and punk
vibe to a lot of it. The artists in
class loved how artistic so much of it
was. And nearly everyone commented on
how repellent ‘angry’ politics are to
them, and how Beautiful Trouble seemed
something different, more inclusive
and inspiring.”
— Jeremy Varon, The New School
“After I give a talk, students often come
up to me and ask, ‘Well, what can I do
now?’ From now on, I’m going to hand
them a copy of Beautiful Trouble, and
say, ‘This!’”
— Frances Moore Lappé, best-selling author, visiting scholar and recipient
of 17 honorary doctorates
WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING…
Table of Contents
STUDY GUIDE
The following study guide is a complement to
Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution,
a college-level resource for studying the
convergence of art and politics, praised by Naomi
Klein as both “elegant and incendiary.”
Designed primarily for undergraduate use, this
study guide is also suitable for high school
and graduate school, as well as book clubs and
study groups. While the terminology is general
enough for laypeople and for students just being
introduced to media studies, cultural studies,
sociology, political science, social movement
theory, and related fields, the content can
be approached through any number of advanced
perspectives.
Similarly, the additional resources suggested
throughout are written for the non-academic
reader, but offer insights of value to
researchers at all levels.
Compiled by Andrew Boyd, Brittany McGillivray,
Chelsea Byers, Dave Oswald Mitchell, Jonathan
Matthew Smucker, Hannah Jones, Nadine Bloch,
and Paul Kuttner.
Thanks to all our reviewers: Daryn Cambridge,
Michael Beer, Donald Crumpet, Rae Abileah,
Todd Hawley.
Brought to you by Verdana Eleven.
Bulk discounts of Beautiful Trouble
are available. Please contact
classroom@beautifultrouble.org
for more information.
BEAUTIFUL
TROUBLE
Table of Contents
Welcome to Beautiful Trouble, an innovative mapping of
contemporary creative activism. It’s intended to help all
comers, from artists to veteran organizers to the merely
activism-curious, reflect on the principles, tactics, and
theoretical frameworks that social movements and groups
employ to make radical change.
Revolutionary praxis (see PRINCIPLE: Praxis makes perfect,
(p. 162) is rarely a solo enterprise. We learn together: in
the classroom, in reading groups, in heated conversations
over cold beverages. This study guide offers discussion
questions, group exercises, and further readings designed to
help you take your learning to the next level, as well as a
host of ways to engage with the material in the same creative
spirit the book celebrates (see the “Beyond the Page”
section).
Every day, people come up with new ways to creatively
resist. To capture this constant inventiveness, rather than
a finished product, Beautiful Trouble is a living, growing
archive of best practices. New pieces are added all the time,
and are tracked at beautifultrouble.org/new. In fact, quite a
few of these additions (for example:CASE: Conflict Kitchen,
PRINCIPLE: Jury-rig Solutions and CASE: Pimp My Caroaça)
originated as undergraduate research projects. Let us know if
there’s a tactic, principle, theory, or case study that you
think deserves to be added — especially if you think you’re
the person to write it.
Please email your insights and feedback to
classroom@beautifultrouble.org. Happy exploring!
— ANDREW BOYD, NADINE BLOCH, & DAVE OSWALD MITCHELL
Wrangler-in-Chief, Training Director & Editorial Director, Beautiful Trouble
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What’s beautiful about trouble? Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron?
• Bertolt Brecht, the renowned 20th-century German playwright, famously said,
“Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.” Do
you agree? What, then, is the difference between art and activism?
• After the 1932 U.S. Presidential election, a labor delegation met with President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt to lobby for laws to make dangerous workplaces
safer. He responded famously: “I agree with you. I want to do it. Now go out and
make me do it!” What does this exchange tell you about how power operates?
What is the role of creative activism in this understanding of power?
• In the introduction, Beautiful Trouble describes itself as a “pattern language of
creative activism.” What do they mean by this? In what ways is Beautiful Trouble
like a language? Is this a useful way of approaching the subject? Why? Why not?
EXPLORE FURTHER
The Grammar of Social Change | Dave Oswald Mitchell,
TEDx Talk, TEDx Regina, June 4, 2013
Do You See a Pattern?: An architectural theorist who has
inspired smart-growth advocates, counterculture DIY-ers, and
computer programmers | Witold Rybczynski, Slate Magazine,
December 2, 2009
See our complete list of further readings,
documentary films, websites and other resources at
beautifultrouble.org/classroomresources/
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/praxis-makes-perfect/
beautifultrouble.org/new
http://beautifultrouble.org/new/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/jury-rig-solutions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/pimp-my-carroca/
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/architecture/2009/12/do_you_see_a_pattern.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/architecture/2009/12/do_you_see_a_pattern.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/architecture/2009/12/do_you_see_a_pattern.html
beautifultrouble.org/classroomresources/%20
Beautiful Trouble’s “pattern language” of
creative action has four components: tactics,
principles, theories, and case studies. These are
the building blocks of the art and science of
creative action, guiding us to be both strategic
and effective as we struggle for social change.
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Table of Contents
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 7
Specific forms of creative action, such as a flash mob or an
occupation, designed to move a strategy forward.
Tactics are the action verbs of social change work. If you think of
a strategy as an overarching plan, then tactics are the specific
actions that advance the plan. They move the ball forward. We try
something and see if it sticks. A tactic that proves spectacularly
successful in one situation may fall flat in another. Coming up
with the right tactic for the right moment requires creativity and
experimentation, as well as an ongoing reassessment of your
goals and context.
Tactics carried out without strategy are like shots fired in the
dark — hitting our target is unlikely, and how would we know if we
did? But strategy without tactics is like a bicycle with no gears:
we’re pointed in the right direction, spinning our wheels, going
nowhere.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
• Which activist tactics are you most familiar with, either from participating in
them yourself or from seeing them in the media? And, in your experience,
how effective have those tactics been?
• Which Beautiful Trouble tactics did you find most interesting? Are there any
new ideas that might have been useful in a change effort that you were a part
of or that you heard about?
• How can groups tell if these tactics have been successful?
• Do some of the tactics feel more like works of art? Do others feel more
like politics?
• Turn to the template on page 92 of Beautiful Trouble, and, as a whole group,
or breaking into smaller groups, brainstorm and share ideas for new tactic
entries that could be added to the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
• Take a look at the principle “Choose tactics that support your strategy” on
page 112. Do you agree with the relationship between strategy and tactics
that this piece outlines? Are there any examples of tactics in Beautiful Trouble
(or in your experience) that don’t support, or fail to support, the larger strategy
they’re supposed to be a part of?
• Take a look at the theory “The tactics of everyday life” on page 268. How is
De Certeau’s conception of the relationship between strategy and tactics
different from the one outlined on page 112? Which conception do you find
most applicable to the social change efforts you’ve studied and/or been
involved in?
Tactics
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/occupation/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-tactics-that-support-your-strategy/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-tactics-of-everyday-life/
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 8
Hard-won insights that can guide or inform creative action design.
After decades of trial and error, veteran creative activists tend to
acquire a set of mental shortcuts that guide their work. Whether
they’re conscious of them or not, they bring these “operating
principles” to bear on each new action or campaign. When
assembling the book, we invited a range of veteran and cutting-
edge creative activists to tease out the principles that have
guided their work so others could learn from their successes and
failures.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
• Which principles from Beautiful Trouble resonate most for you? Which
principles are central to the causes you’re involved in? What principles would
need to be present for you to even consider getting involved? Are there any
principles on which you’re willing to bend, and why?
• Can you identify any principles that contradict each other? If so, how do they
represent differing views of how social change works? Why might the book
have included incompatible principles?
• Bring to class an article about a recent creative action or artistic intervention
that inspires you. Can you identify a principle or two that informs the action?
(i.e., Is it apparent how the organizers used their “cultural terrain” to their
advantage? (p.142) Or maintained nonviolent discipline? (p.148) Or used the
power of ritual (p.198). If the principle you identify is not already listed in the
book, try filling in the blank principle template on page 204, and adding your
new principle to the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Principles
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/know-your-cultural-terrain/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/maintain-nonviolent-discipline/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-power-of-ritual/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kgib3vX7ssKel8ZrqQ59NhFJDrII7dAijRNLkAxo_g4/edit?usp=sharing
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 9
Big-picture concepts and ideas that help us understand how the
world works and how we might go about changing it.
Every time we act in the world, we have a theory concerning
how and why our action might make an impact. Sometimes our
theories are relatively simple and intuitive, and sometimes they
are elaborate and even counter-intuitive. Beautiful Trouble’s
theory entries summarize key concepts — big ideas that offer
insights on how to understand the world and the forces at play in
our efforts to change it.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
• Developing a theory requires distilling observed patterns into abstracted
concepts. These concepts can provide a lens to look at potential actions —
and weigh their chances of success. It is therefore useful to see how theories
work in relation to the other elements in the book: tactics, principles, case
studies, and even other theories. As a group, discuss how certain theories are
at play in a given case study.
• Much like a pair of glasses, not all theoretical lenses work well together.
(Some combinations may even give you a headache!) Identify two theory
entries that you feel contradict each other . Why don’t they fit together? Is this
tension a strength of the book or a weakness, in your opinion?
• Identify an historic movement for change that suffered a strategic failure
or serious misstep. Was there a key theory that they got wrong or didn’t pay
enough attention to? Can you find it in the book? If not, consider adding it to
the Beautiful Trouble toolbox by filling out the blank Theory template on page
274 and emailing it to team@beautifultrouble.org.
• Do you think current efforts to change the world suffer from an
overabundance of theory? Or too little theorizing?
Theories
Table of Contents
mailto:team%40beautifultrouble.org?subject=New%20theory%21%20
CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE ACTION
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 10
Capsule stories of successful campaigns and actions that neatly
illustrate how the key principles, tactics, and theories of creative
activism are applied in practice.
Troublemakers do not act in settings of our own choosing; nor
are we in control of all the factors that determine our success
or failure. y looking at actual ‘case studies’ — and examining
the unique mix of tactics, principles, and theoretical concepts
deployed in particular situations and campaigns — we can
better understand the complexities and strategic dilemmas that
troublemakers face. The case studies in Beautiful Trouble are
where all the other sections of the book come together to get
road-tested.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
• Read through the case studies and pick one or two that you find particularly
compelling. What led you to choose the ones you did? What did you learn from
them, and how might you apply what you learned?
• Go around the room and have everyone briefly explain why they picked the
case studies they did. Was there a lot of overlap, in either the specific cases
chosen, or the reasons for choosing them?
• What kinds of questions might activists want to ask themselves when
considering whether or not to ‘import’ a tactic from another case study into
their own social change effort?
• The case studies in Beautiful Trouble vary in scope, historical setting,
ambition, and many other qualities. Compare, for example, Gandhi’s Salt
March to The Teddy-bear Catapult. What commonalities/differences do you
notice? If you had to group all the case studies in the book into, say,
5 categories, what would those categories be? And why? Now, group all the
cases studies under those categories. Compare the categories you came
up with to those another person in the class came up with. How were they
different/similar?
Case Studies
Table of Contents
Beautiful Trouble can be read front-to-back
like any other book, or like a ‘Choose Your
Own Adventure’ book: by starting somewhere at
random, then following connecting threads via the
“related modules” listed in the sidebar. (You
can also explore these connections visually at
explore.beautifultrouble.org, thanks to the tech
wizardry of Dr. Marian Dörk.) Reading the book in
this non-linear way can lead you to surprising
connections and insights.
Here are a few suggestions of possible paths you
might take through the book, based on specific
themes and threads:
KEY THEMES AND THREADS
Table of Contents
http://explore.beautifultrouble.org
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 12
Making change requires a lot more than figuring out the
right policy goal and then rationally explaining why people
should support it. Activists must be able to engage people’s
imaginations, activate deep-seated values, and uncover the
human face of political issues. When it comes to the emotional
and cultural side of social change, the arts offer potent resources.
Toni Cade Bambara once asserted, “The role of the revolutionary
artist is to make revolution irresistible.” Artists — both
professional and amateur — can breathe life into a campaign,
deploying a wide range of innovative and media-grabbing cultural
tactics to popularize and re-frame social justice issues. Moreover,
practicing art together can be a powerful way of building
community, developing shared identity, discussing tough issues,
and just having fun. No social movement has succeeds for long
without the arts.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are some of the most powerful works of art (image, song, novel, theatrical performance,
etc.) that you have seen used by social movements? What made the art powerful in service of
the cause?
• How about works of art you felt were ineffective, or even counter-productive, for a movement?
• Have YOUR ideas or outlook ever been changed by a work of art? How? Why?
• In what ways are art and activism complementary, and in what ways might they diverge or even
conflict with each other in terms of goals and approaches?
• What do you imagine (or what, in your experience) are the biggest problems that crop up when
artists and activists work together
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Artistic vigil (p. 10)
TACTIC: Detournement/Culture jamming (p. 28)
TACTIC: Image theater (p. 62)
TACTIC: Flash mob (p. 46)
TACTIC: Light brigade (website)
PRINCIPLE: Balance art and message (p. 100)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t just brainstorm, artstorm (p. 128)
PRINCIPLE: Know your cultural terrain (p. 142)
PRINCIPLE: Put movies in the hands of movements (p. 164)
PRINCIPLE: Show don’t tell (p. 174)
PRINCIPLE: This ain’t the Sistine Chapel (p. 188)
PRINCIPLE: Use the power of ritual (p. 198)
PRINCIPLE: Use your cultural assets (website)
THEORY: Action logic (p. 208)
THEORY: Alienation effect (p. 210)
THEORY: Cultural hegemony (p. 222)
THEORY: Ethical spectacle (p. 230)
THEORY: Society of the Spectacle (p. 266)
THEORY: Theater of the Oppressed (p. 272)
CASE: Colbert roasts Bush (p. 308)
CASE: Idle No More and the Round Dance Flash Mobs (website)
CASE: Lysistrata Project (p. 330)
CASE: Mining the museum (p. 334)
CASE: Pimp my carroca (website)
CASE: The couple in the cage (p. 312)
CASE: Virtual Streetcorners (p. 388)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
“A User’s Guide to Demanding the Impossible” | Artists
Against Cuts, 2010
Making Waves: A Guide to Cultural Strategy | The Culture
Group, 2013
“Culture Before Politics” | Jeff Chang & Brian Komar,
American Prospect, 2010
“Change the Culture, Change the World” | Faviana Rodriguez,
Creative Time Reports, 2013
“The Rise of the Insurrectionary Imagination” | An interview
with Isabelle Frémeaux & John Jordan, 2015
Art & Activism
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/artistic-vigil/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/detournementculture-jamming/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/image-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/light-brigade/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/balance-art-and-message/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-just-brainstorm-artstorm/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/know-your-cultural-terrain/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/put-movies-in-the-hands-of-movements/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/show-dont-tell/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/this-aint-the-sistine-chapel/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-power-of-ritual/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/cultural-assets/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/action-logic-2/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/alienation-effect/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/ethical-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/society-of-the-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/theater-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/colbert-roasts-bush/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/idle-dance-flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/lysistrata-project/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/mining-the-museum/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/pimp-my-carroca/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-couple-in-the-cage/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/virtual-streetcorners/
http://theculturegroup.org/2013/08/31/making-waves/
http://prospect.org/article/culture-politics
http://creativetimereports.org/2013/04/01/change-the-culture-change-the-world/
https://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-04/isabelle-fr-meaux-john-jordan-and-rise-insurrectionary-imagination
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 13
It isn’t enough to have truth and justice on your side. In order
to win real progress, you need to figure out how to effectively
challenge powerful people and institutions. Activists tend to
start out as underdogs — out-resourced and ‘out-gunned’ by
powerful opponents. As such, our task is rarely to overpower our
opponents, but to use our creativity and courage to win over allies
and to thereby leverage more power than we ourselves possess.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Where does power come from? Where is it located? (Does a person “have” power?)
• List some examples of social movements with relatively little power that successfully
challenged powerful people or institutions. How did they do it?
• What are some of the difficulties and constraints that activists face in their attempts to
challenge power?
• In the Beautiful Trouble principle “Choose tactics that support your strategy,” contributor
Janice Fine suggests that we should always ask the question, “What is the power behind the
tactic?” What does she mean by this? Can you identify the power behind three tactics used
in Beautiful Trouble?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Direct Action (p. 32)
PRINCIPLE: Choose tactics that support your strategy (p. 112)
PRINCIPLE: Choose your target wisely (p. 114)
PRINCIPLE: Put your target into a decision dilemma (p. 166)
PRINCIPLE: Shift the spectrum of allies (p. 172)
PRINCIPLE: The real action is your target’s reaction (website only)
THEORY: Action Logic (p. 208)
THEORY: Cultural Hegemony (p. 222)
THEORY: Expressive and instrumental actions (p. 232)
THEORY: Narrative Power Analysis (p. 244)
THEORY: Pillars of Support (p. 248)
THEORY: Points of Intervention (p. 250)
CASE: Justice for Janitors (p. 326)
CASE: Taco Bell Boycott (p. 372)
CASE: The Salt March (p. 354)
CASE: Wisconsin Capitol Occupation (p. 396)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
11 Rules for Radicals A quick summary | Saul Alinsky
A Quick Guide to Power Analysis | Oxfam
Gramsci and Hegemony | Powercube.net
The Left Can Win | Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias on radical
politics and what it takes to build mass movements,
Jacobin, 2014
Challenging Power
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-tactics-that-support-your-strategy/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/direct-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-tactics-that-support-your-strategy/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-your-target-wisely/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/put-your-target-in-a-decision-dilemma/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/shift-the-spectrum-of-allies/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/real-action-targets-reaction/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/action-logic-2/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/expressive-and-instrumental-actions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/narrative-power-analysis/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pillars-of-support/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/points-of-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/justice-for-janitors-d-c/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/taco-bell-boycott/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/wisconsin-capitol-occupation/
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/rules.html
http://www.powercube.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/quick_guide_to_power_analysis_external_final
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/12/pablo-iglesias-podemos-left-speech/
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 14
In order to change the way things are, we must first be able
to imagine something different, to see the possibility of
transformation. Prefigurative actions help to spark this kind
of imagination. In a prefigurative action, instead of just trying
to stop something we don’t want, we seek to build and live out
alternative solutions in the here and now. Such an approach can
inspire greater engagement and stretch people’s imaginations.
Though they are sometimes dismissed as utopian, prefigurative
actions, at their best, are not an escape from, but a battle
for, reality; for example: turning a sit-in calling for affordable
childcare into a temporary daycare center (see CASE: Daycare
center sit-in, p. 316), or a park in New York’s financial district into
not just a protest against runaway capitalism but a space for
radical democracy (Occupy Wall Street).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are some examples of prefigurative actions (either historical or contemporary)
that have shaped your politics and what you imagine to be possible?
• How might prefigurative action distract from or weaken a social change effort?
Can it become too ”utopian”?
• What kinds of people or groups might be more likely to engage in prefigurative politics?
Artists? Religious leaders? Politicians? The desperately poor? Why or why not?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Electoral guerrilla theater (p. 40)
TACTIC: Identity correction (p. 60)
TACTIC: Prefigurative intervention (p. 82)
THEORY: The commons (p. 220)
THEORY: Expressive and instrumental actions (p. 232)
THEORY: Temporary Autonomous Zone (p. 270)
CASE: Daycare center sit-in (p. 316)
CASE: The salt march (p. 354)
CASE: Reclaim the Streets (p. 350)
CASE: Small gifts (p. 360)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
“Don’t Wait for the Revolution, Live It,” | Andrew Boyd,
Yes Magazine, 2013
“Can Prefigurative Politics Replace Political Strategy?” |
Jonathan Matthew Smucker, Berkeley Journal of Sociology, 2014
Addendum: “more notes on ‘prefigurative politics’,”
devoketheapocalypse.org, 2014
“Should we fight the system or be the change?” | Mark Engler
& Paul Engler, Waging Nonviolence, 2014
Beautiful Solutions: A Toolbox for the Future |
ThisChangesEverything.org
Pref igurative action
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/day-care-center-sit-in/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/day-care-center-sit-in/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/electoral-guerrilla-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/identity-correction/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/prefigurative-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-commons/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/expressive-and-instrumental-actions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/temporary-autonomous-zone/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/day-care-center-sit-in/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/reclaim-the-streets/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/small-gifts/
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/love-and-the-apocalypse/don-t-wait-for-the-revolution-live-it-andrew-boyd
http://berkeleyjournal.org/2014/10/can-prefigurative-politics-replace-political-strategy/
http://devoketheapocalypse.com/2014/10/27/more-notes-on-prefigurative-politics/
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/fight-system-change/
http://beautifulsolutions.info/
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 15
It’s not just what you say, it’s also how you say it. If troublemakers
want their efforts to succeed, they have to learn to communicate
effectively with all sorts of audiences: from the general public,
to their own social base, to allied organizations, to their
political targets. Communication is embedded in everything
changemakers do: the messages on our banners, the backdrops
at our events, the spokespeople we choose, and even the clothing
we wear (see PRINCIPLE: Don’t dress like a protester, p. 126).
Effective communication is an art and a science, and above
all, it is a theatrical performance aimed at capturing attention
and creating new meanings — in order to mobilize action and
sympathy and make the powerful pay attention.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What are some effective communications strategies (and tactics) you’ve seen different social
movements and campaigns using? Why do you think they were effective?
• Have you ever seen activists whose cause you agreed with communicating in ways that you felt
were ineffective? If so, what specifically were they doing that you thought was ineffective and how
could they have improved their messages and presentation?
• To whom should activists aim their communication strategies? Must activists’ messages appeal
to everyone? Why or why not?
• Some say that ‘the messenger matters just as much as the message.’ Can you think of an action
when the choice of messenger significantly impacted the effectiveness of the action?
• Abbie Hoffman, the prankster-ish 60’s radical, once said, “All protest is theater, so you’d better
make it good theater.” What did he mean by this? Do you agree or disagree?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Advanced leafleting (p. 8)
TACTIC: Creative disruption (p. 18)
TACTIC: Flash mob (p. 46)
TACTIC: Media-jacking (p. 72)
PRINCIPLE: Consider your audience (p. 118)
PRINCIPLE: Do the media’s work for them (p. 124)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t dress like a protester (p. 126)
PRINCIPLE: Lead with sympathetic characters (p. 146)
PRINCIPLE: Make the invisible visible (p. 152)
PRINCIPLE: Make your actions both concrete and communicative (p. 154)
PRINCIPLE: Play to the audience that isn’t there (p. 160)
PRINCIPLE: Shift the spectrum of allies (p. 172)
PRINCIPLE: Show don’t tell (p. 174)
PRINCIPLE: Stay on message (p. 178)
PRINCIPLE: Think narratively (p. 186)
THEORY: Action logic (p. 208)
THEORY: Ethical spectacle (p. 230)
THEORY: Hamoq and hamas (p. 236)
THEORY: The propaganda model (p. 256)
CASE: Barbie Liberation Organization (p. 282)
CASE: Billionaires for Bush (p. 296)
CASE: Mining the Museum (p. 334)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Left Can Win | Jacobin, 2014
SPIN Works! An activist-friendly media guidebook |
Spin Project
Grassroots Communications Tips | Jonathan Matthew Smucker
Communications &
performing for the public
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-dress-like-a-protester/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/advanced-leafleting/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/creative-disruption/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/media-jacking/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/consider-your-audience/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/do-the-medias-work-for-them/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-dress-like-a-protester/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/lead-with-sympathetic-characters/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/make-the-invisible-visible/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/make-your-actions-both-concrete-and-communicative/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/play-to-the-audience-that-isnt-there/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/shift-the-spectrum-of-allies/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/show-dont-tell/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/stay-on-message/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/think-narratively/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/action-logic-2/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/ethical-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/hamoq-and-hamas/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-propaganda-model/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/barbie-liberation-organization/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/billionaires-for-bush/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/mining-the-museum/
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/12/pablo-iglesias-podemos-left-speech/
http://spinacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/SPIN-Works
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 16
Human beings make sense of the world by crafting stories
about it. These stories “frame” the world in different ways, by
focusing on some details and leaving others out. Many of the
most commonly-told stories legitimize the status quo, including
colonialism and racism (think of the classic “First Thanksgiving”
story told in the U.S.). But the right story can also disrupt the
legitimacy of elites, elevate the claims of social movements, and
challenge the idea that the way things are is inevitable.
Stories are everywhere. Commercials tell us stories about the life
we could live if we bought their products, while social movement
slogans like “We are the 99%” communicate an alternative
narrative about how unequal the world has become. Many
organizers and advocates find that having people tell personal
stories about oppression or struggle can be much more powerful
than reporting statistics. From Ronald Reagan’s stories of
“welfare cheats” to the the affirmation that #BlackLivesMatter,
stories and frames can powerfully undergird everything from
blame and acquiescence to solidarity and mobilization.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• George Lakoff says, “There is a basic truth about framing. If you accept the other guy’s frame,
you lose.” What does he mean by this?
• Think about a cause or campaign that you have been a part of (or that you sympathize with).
Who are the ‘protagonists’ and ‘antagonists’ in the story of the campaign? How do the causes
opponents tell a different story with different protagonists and antagonists?
• What kinds of ‘dominant narratives’ do challengers need to overcome in order to mobilize people
or gain the public’s sympathy?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Media-jacking (p.72)
PRINCIPLE: Brand or be branded (p. 104)
PRINCIPLE: Reframe (p. 168)
PRINCIPLE: Think narratively (p. 186)
PRINCIPLE: Turn the tables (p. 190)
THEORY: Memes (p. 242)
THEORY: Floating signifier (p. 234)
THEORY: Narrative Power Analysis (p. 244)
CASE: Harry Potter Alliance (p. 322)
CASE: Whose Tea Party? (p. 392)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
“Telling Your Story” | 350.org & Marshall Ganz
Harnessing the Power of Narrative for Social Change |
Center for Story-based Strategy
Changing the Story: Story-based Strategies for Direct Action
Design | Doyle Canning & Patrick Reinsborough
Stories, framing,
and social change
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/media-jacking/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/brand-or-be-branded/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/reframe/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/think-narratively/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/turn-the-tables/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/memes/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/floating-signifier/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/narrative-power-analysis/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/harry-potter-alliance/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/whose-tea-party/
http://workshops.350.org/toolkit/story/
http://www.storybasedstrategy.org/uploads/4/5/4/4/45442925/1-harnessingpowernarrative.1-2
http://www.storybasedstrategy.org/uploads/4/5/4/4/45442925/8-sm.sbs_directaction
http://www.storybasedstrategy.org/uploads/4/5/4/4/45442925/8-sm.sbs_directaction
KEY THEMES & THREADS
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 17
From the anti-corporate pranks of the Yes Men to Dave
Chappelle’s send-ups of racism to Stephen Colbert’s mock
SuperPAC, pranks and humor are popular tools for social change.
Humor has a famed ability to leaven the facts (“If you’re going
to tell people the truth, you’d better make them laugh or they’ll
kill you.”—Oscar Wilde); it has tactical advantages (“Ridicule
is man’s [sic] most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack
ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your
advantage.”—Saul Alinsky.); it is a force to be reckoned with and
an art/science that deserves to be better understood.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• What kinds of political statements does humor allow you to make, that with a straight approach
you couldn’t get away with or land effectively?
• “Pranks are symbolic warfare,” said irreverent 60’s icon and founder of the Yippies, Abbie
Hoffman. What does he mean by this? Choose a prank from Beautiful Trouble and look at it
through this lens. What symbols are involved and how is their meaning being fought over?
And why do you think a prank-ish approach was chosen?
• The best humor often plays a dangerous, double-edged game with hot-button topics. Consider
this monologue on “open racism” by Dave Chappelle. The mixed black and white audience at
the show clearly finds it hilarious, but in sending-up our racial prejudices is Chapelle merely
reinforcing them? Could that be why Chappelle abruptly left the business at the height of his
career, as this article suggests?
• Can you think of an example when an attempt to use humor to make a point has backfired?
And are there social issues that are not appropriate to use humor to address?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Detournement/Culture jamming (p. 28)
TACTIC: Electoral guerrilla theater (p. 40)
TACTIC: Hoax (p. 54)
TACTIC: Identity correction (p. 60)
PRINCIPLE: Anyone can act (p. 98)
PRINCIPLE: Everyone has balls/ovaries of steel (p. 136)
PRINCIPLE: The real action is your target’s reaction (website only)
PRINCIPLE: Turn the tables (p. 190)
PRINCIPLE: Use the Jedi mind trick (p. 194)
PRINCIPLE: Use the law, don’t be afraid of it (p. 196)
THEORY: Ethical spectacle (p. 230)
CASE: Barbie Liberation Organization (p. 282)
CASE: Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (p. 304)
CASE: Colbert roasts Bush (p. 308)
CASE: Dow Chemical apologizes for Bhopal (p. 318)
CASE: Santa Claus Army (p. 358)
CASE: Yomango (p. 400)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Funny Joke Politics: How & How Not to Use Humor in
Communications | Peter Koechley
The Truthiness Hurts | Michael Sherer, Salon, 2006
PRANKS! | A. Juno & V. Vale, RE/Search, 1987
When racism is no longer funny | Eugene Robinson,
SFGate.com, 2005
Open Racism | Dave Chappelle, YouTube, 2012
Pranktivism and humor
Table of Contents
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_Super_PAC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colbert_Super_PAC
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/When-racism-is-no-longer-funny-2668803.php
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/detournementculture-jamming/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/electoral-guerrilla-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/hoax/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/identity-correction/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/anyone-can-act/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/everyone-has-ballsovaries-of-steel/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/real-action-targets-reaction/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/turn-the-tables/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-jedi-mind-trick/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-law-dont-be-afraid-of-it/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/ethical-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/barbie-liberation-organization/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/clandestine-insurgent-rebel-clown-army/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/colbert-roasts-bush/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/dow-chemical-apologizes-for-bhopal/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/santa-claus-army/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/yomango/
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest268-91236-funny-joke-politics-fun-jokes-funnyjokepolitics-entertainment-ppt-powerpoint/
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest268-91236-funny-joke-politics-fun-jokes-funnyjokepolitics-entertainment-ppt-powerpoint/
http://www.salon.com/2006/05/01/colbert_10/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/925259.Pranks
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/When-racism-is-no-longer-funny-2668803.php
In political life, some debates, after much struggle, finally
get settled: Is slavery an absolute moral evil? Yes. Should
only people with penises get to vote? No. Other debates — for
example, ‘Do the ends justify the means?’ or ‘Do you try to
change the system from the inside or the outside?’ — remain
eternal. These debates are less right vs. wrong than they
are a recognition that the truth usually lies somewhere in
between, in an artful synthesis that takes into account the
specifics of the given context. These debates express two
sides of an important, often dialectical question, two poles
of a ‘design tension’ that must be constantly considered,
navigated, and wrestled with.
These debates are woven throughout Beautiful Trouble.
Sometimes, modules take up opposite poles of a debate.
For example, one may argue that small groups shouldn’t get
bogged down in process, or try to be exemplars of an ideal
democracy (see PRINCIPLE: “Don’t mistake your group for
society,” p. 130) while another emphasizes the importance
of “creating a culture where we’re all invited to step up”
in precisely those same situations (see PRINCIPLE: “We are
all leaders”, p. 202). Below is a guide to exploring some of
the more common recurring debates in contemporary grassroots
creative activism using the book and the suggested additional
readings. For each debate, we have included ideas about
how to expand learning in classrooms through discussion
questions, additional resources, and “Go Beyond the Page”
exercises. More information on facilitating these exercises
can be found in the “Go Beyond the Page” section of
this guide.
ETERNAL DEBATES AND CONTROVERSIES
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• For any one of these DEBATES, do you find yourself coming down strongly on
one side or the other? Or torn between both poles? Or can you appreciate both
perspectives? Why?
• Identify one or two of these DEBATES that are currently causing the
most polarization in your group or in your community. Is the controversy
dysfunctional? Or is it useful for coming to some kind of greater understanding?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Controversies in Nonviolent Action | Lynne Shivers
Rules for (hunger-striking) radicals | Nadine Bloch, Waging
Nonviolence, September 25, 2013
Five reasons to go to jail like you mean it | Nadine Bloch,
Waging Nonviolence, November 10, 2012
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
The “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide contains
hands-on interactive exercises that are particularly useful
for illuminating all of these eternal debates, including:
• Stage a debate in pairs as part of a hassle line,
or in front of the whole class in a fishbowl.
To up the ante, have people represent the opposite
of their own viewpoint.
• Spectrogram
• Ambivalence chart
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-mistake-your-group-for-society/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-mistake-your-group-for-society/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/we-are-all-leaders/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/we-are-all-leaders/
http://www.innatenonviolence.org/workshops/7controversiesprint.shtml
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/rules-hunger-striking-radicals/
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/five-reasons-to-go-to-jail-like-you-mean-it/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 19
The most important thing in a creative political project
is everyone finding their own voice.
Anyone can and should take part in artistic protest. Rag-tag
aesthetics reflect the do-it-yourself nature of underdog social
movements, showing our grassroots cred. Inclusive arts projects are
empowering to participants, who don’t have to be the next Rembrandt
in order to meaningfully participate. The process of making art
together builds community. Elitism in our movements kills spontaneity
and creativity.
The most important thing in a creative political project
is the quality of the finished product.
What’s important about the artistry of activism is not the feelings
of the participants but the beauty and efficacy of the final product.
Slapdash signs, makeshift props, and cacophonous songs make a poor
impression on the public. That kind of DIY culture relegates us to
the fringes. True artistry lends our message more legitimacy and
power, and is more meaningful for participants, who are inspired by
being part of an elegantly designed and executed action. Experienced
artists should be leading such efforts because they have skills that
not all of us have.
Everyone is an artist -vs- Auteurs make things rock
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 20
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Artistic vigil (p. 10)
TACTIC: Cacerolazo (website)
TACTIC: Flash mob (p. 46)
TACTIC: Forum theater (p. 48)
TACTIC: Human banner (p. 56)
TACTIC: Image theater (p. 62)
TACTIC: Light Brigade (website)
PRINCIPLE: Balance art and message (p. 100)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t dress like a protester (p. 126)
PRINCIPLE: Brand or be branded (p. 104)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t just brainstorm, artstorm (p. 128)
PRINCIPLE: Jury-rig solutions (website)
PRINCIPLE: No one wants to watch a drum circle (p. 156)
PRINCIPLE: Put movies in the hands of movements (p. 164)
PRINCIPLE: Show don’t tell (p. 174)
PRINCIPLE: Simple rules can have grand results (p. 176)
PRINCIPLE: Stay on message (p. 178)
PRINCIPLE: Team up with experts (p. 184)
PRINCIPLE: This ain’t the Sistine Chapel (p. 188)
PRINCIPLE: Use the power of ritual (p. 198)
PRINCIPLE: Use your cultural assets (website)
THEORY: Alienation effect (p. 210)
THEORY: Cultural Hegemony (p. 222)
THEORY: Expressive and instrumental actions (p. 232)
THEORY: Intellectuals and power (p. 240)
THEORY: Pedagogy of the Oppressed (p. 246)
THEORY: Society of the Spectacle (p. 266)
THEORY: The tactics of everyday life (p. 268)
THEORY: Theater of the Oppressed (p. 272)
CASE: Billionaires for Bush (p. 296)
CASE: Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (p. 304)
CASE: Idle No More and the Round Dance Flash Mobs (website)
CASE: Lysistrata Project (p. 330)
CASE: Pimp my carroca (website)
CASE: Reclaim the Streets (p. 350)
CASE: Virtual Streetcorners (p. 388)
Everyone is an artist -vs- Auteurs make things rock (cont’d)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• “Everyone is an artist” is one argument you often hear for maximizing participation in a creative
political project. Do you think this is true? What do you think people who advance this argument
might be reacting to?
• What can an experienced artist do that an inclusive group of creators cannot? What can an
inclusive group do that an experienced artist on their own cannot?
• Are inclusiveness and quality, or process and product,always at loggerheads with one another?
Can you think of a creative political project (either that you were involved in or that you came
across in Beautiful Trouble) where this was not true — where the two were mutually supporting,
or a good balance was struck?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Making Waves: A Guide to Cultural Strategy | The Culture
Group (particularly see “13 Key Principles for Working with
Artists” on pages 41-42)
The Social Turn: Collaboration and Its Discontents | Claire
Bishop, Artforum, February 2006, pp. 179-185
Participationism and the Limits of Collaboration | Panel pre-
sentation with Jodi Dean, Beka Economopolous and John Hawke,
moderated by Astra Taylor, July 8, 2010, Eyebeam, New York
Grassroots organizational branding | Jonathan Matthew Smuck-
er, Beyond the Choir, February 1, 2011
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• Direct students to create either a group drawing or
group song explaining or illustrating their position.
• Using group sculpture, have small teams present their
experience with either position in this debate.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide
for more details.
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/artistic-vigil/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/cacerolazo/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/forum-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/human-banner/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/image-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/light-brigade/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/balance-art-and-message/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-dress-like-a-protester/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/brand-or-be-branded/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-just-brainstorm-artstorm/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/jury-rig-solutions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/no-one-wants-to-watch-a-drum-circle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/put-movies-in-the-hands-of-movements/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/show-dont-tell/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/simple-rules-can-have-grand-results/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/stay-on-message/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/team-up-with-experts-but-dont-become-the-expert/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/this-aint-the-sistine-chapel/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-power-of-ritual/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/cultural-assets/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/alienation-effect/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/expressive-and-instrumental-actions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/intellectuals-and-power/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/society-of-the-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-tactics-of-everyday-life/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/theater-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/billionaires-for-bush/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/clandestine-insurgent-rebel-clown-army/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/idle-dance-flash-mob/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/lysistrata-project/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/pimp-my-carroca/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/reclaim-the-streets/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/virtual-streetcorners/
http://revolutionsperminute.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Making-Waves-The-Culture-Group
http://onedaysculpture.org.nz/assets/images/reading/Bishop%20_%20Kester
http://eyebeam.org/press/media/videos/participationism-and-the-limits-of-collaboration-presentation
Grassroots organizational branding | grassroots communications tips pt.4
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 21
Our tactics and process should embody our values and goals.
If we want to bring about a more just and peaceful world, we have
to model peace and justice in our activism. How can we say we want
social justice if we’re using manipulative (or even violent) means
to advance our goals? “The master’s tools,” Audre Lorde admonishes,
“will never dismantle the master’s house.”
Overcoming conditions of oppression, exploitation, and ecological crisis
requires acting in ways that are not always consistent with our values.
According to Saul Alinsky, “The man [sic] of action views the issue
of means and ends in pragmatic and strategic terms… He asks of ends
only whether they are achievable and worth the cost; of means, only
whether they will work.” And so should we. If a controversial tactic
or tool has the potential to end a grave injustice, we can’t afford
not to use it just to assuage our tender consciences.
Be the change you want to see -vs- By any means necessary
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 22
Be the change you want to see -vs- By any means necessary (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Nonviolence as Compliance | Ta-Nehisi Coates
Of Means and Ends | Saul Alinsky, Chapter 2 of Rules
for Radicals
Politics as a Vocation | Max Weber, in From Max Weber
Letter from a Birmingham Jail | Martin Luther King Jr.
By Any Means Necessary | Malcolm X, speech at the Organization of
Afro-American Unity Founding Rally, 1964
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• Throw a snowball fight! Have learners write a statement from their
personal perspective defending “Be the change” or “By any means
necessary” on a piece of paper, then crumble their papers up and throw
them at one another. Have participants read the papers aloud after the
fight, and if the class is ok with this, try to guess who wrote which
statement.
• Run a spectrogram, where you ask learners to go to one end of a
designated line on the ground if they believe “The means must be
consistent with the ends” and go to the other side if they think “The
ends justify the means.” After folks distribute themselves along that
line, add a cross axis and have learners move in a perpendicular
direction depending on whether or not they think “The means must be
consistent with the ends” is effective in their work; or if “The ends
justify the means” is effective. The four quadrants would then be:
1) Means-consistent/Effective; 2) Means-consistent/Ineffective; 3)
Ends-justify/Effective; and 4) Ends-justify/Ineffective. Interview
participants, asking for specific examples that led them to their
particular spot in the grid.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• It is often said that “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Do you agree?
Why or why not?
• A character in novelist David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas says, “Lying’s wrong, but when the world spins
backwards, a small wrong may be a big right.” Do you agree? Can you think of cases where this is
true for social change efforts?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Direct action (p. 32)
TACTIC: Prefigurative intervention (p. 82)
TACTIC: Strategic nonviolence (p. 88)
PRINCIPLE: Challenge patriarchy as you organize (p. 108)
PRINCIPLE: Consensus is a means not an end (p. 116)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t mistake your group for society (p. 130)
PRINCIPLE: Maintain nonviolent discipline (p. 148)
PRINCIPLE: Take leadership from the most impacted (p. 180)
PRINCIPLE: We are all leaders (p. 202)
THEORY: Anti-oppression (p. 212)
THEORY: Environmental justice (p. 228)
THEORY: Hamoq and hamas (p. 236)
THEORY: Intellectuals and power (p. 240)
THEORY: Pedagogy of the Oppressed (p. 246)
THEORY: Revolutionary nonviolence (p. 260)
CASE: Bidder 70 (p. 290)
CASE: Brazil’s Free Fare Movement (website only)
CASE: Santa Claus Army (p. 358)
CASE: Yomango (p. 400)
Table of Contents
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/nonviolence-as-compliance/391640/
http://www.mynacc.org/Rules_for_Radicals
http://anthropos-lab.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Weber-Politics-as-a-Vocation
http://www.uscrossier.org/pullias/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/king
http://www.blackpast.org/1964-malcolm-x-s-speech-founding-rally-organization-afro-american-unity
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/direct-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/prefigurative-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/strategic-nonviolence/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/challenge-patriarchy-as-you-organize/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/consensus-is-a-means-not-an-end/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-mistake-your-group-for-society/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/maintain-nonviolent-discipline/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/take-leadership-from-the-most-impacted/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/we-are-all-leaders/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/anti-oppression/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/environmental-justice/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/hamoq-and-hamas/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/intellectuals-and-power/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/revolutionary-nonviolence/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/bidder-70-tim-dechristopher/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/brazils-free-fare-movement/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/santa-claus-army/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/yomango/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 23
The spontaneous expression of ordinary people should guide
the movement.
The problem with the world is that there’s too much talk and not
enough action. Academics and ‘armchair revolutionaries’ have a
critique of every which thing, without bothering to lift a finger
to add capacity to any action that might challenge the status quo.
Revolutionary action happens when ordinary people decide they have
had enough and they take the streets together to disrupt the gears
of the machine. Our job is to take bold action. When we do — when
the time is ripe — our actions can provide the spark that ignites a
revolution that will spread like wildfire.
Revolutionary theory and strategic planning should guide
the movement.
What’s wrong with the world is not only, in the words of Peter
Maurin, that “those who think don’t act” but also that “those who
act don’t think.” Revolutions and dramatic collective interventions
don’t really happen spontaneously; they are the ‘harvest’ moments of
years of diligent organizing work. We have a responsibility to study
our particular contexts — as well as history and other contemporary
struggles — in order to inform our actions with strategic
assessments.
Just do it! -vs- More theory needed
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 24
Just do it! -vs- More theory needed (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Networks of Outrage and Hope | Manuel Castells, 2012
Occupy: A Name Fixed to a Flashpoint | Jonathan Matthew Smucker, The So-
ciological Quarterly, 2013
Liza Featherstone, Doug Henwood, and Christian Parenti, ‘Action Will Be
Taken’: Left Anti-Intellectualism and its Discontents”, Radical Society 1,
April 2002.
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• In small groups or as a whole class, fill out an Ambivalence
(Pro/Con) Chart for each position, with the columns labeled
( + ) and ( – ) or Pro/Con. Compare and contrast the two charts.
• Set up a Hassle Line, with the whole class lined up as if
to contradance.
• Scenario: We are all at an activist meeting. Perhaps it is your
action team, or affinity group, or a group just coming together to
figure out how to deal with a local proposed development to build
a chain store shopping mall in an environmentally sensitive area.
One line will take the “Just do it, we need action now” position,
the other line will take the “More theory, more research needed”
position. Debrief superficially, switch roles, and then do a full
debrief.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Can you think of examples of mass spontaneous uprisings? What sparked them?
What impact did they have?
• Can you think of examples where planning and strategic calculation played an important
role in the progression of a social movement?
• Can spontaneous uprisings be sustained without strategic planning and long-term
organization building? Why or why not?
• Do some actions appear to be more spontaneous than they actually are? Do strategic organizers
ever work behind the scenes, or intentionally obscure the role they play? If so, why might this be?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Cacerolazo (website only)
TACTIC: Distributed action (p. 26)
TACTIC: Mass street action (p. 68)
TACTIC: Strategic Nonviolence (p. 88)
PRINCIPLE: Anger works best when you have the moral high ground (p. 96)
PRINCIPLE: Beware the tyranny of structurelessness (p. 102)
PRINCIPLE: Choose tactics that support your strategy (p. 112)
PRINCIPLE: Escalate strategically (p. 134)
PRINCIPLE: Pace yourself (p. 158)
PRINCIPLE: Shift the spectrum of allies (p. 172)
PRINCIPLE: Simple rules can have grand results (p. 176)
THEORY: Cultural hegemony (p. 222)
THEORY: Dunbar’s number (website only)
THEORY: Intellectuals and power (p. 240)
THEORY: Pillars of support (p. 248)
CASE: Battle in Seattle (p. 286)
CASE: Justice for Janitors (p. 326)
CASE: Lysistrata Project (p. 330)
CASE: The salt march (p. 354)
CASE: Wisconsin Capitol Occupation (p. 396)
Table of Contents
https://jonathansmucker.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/smucker-tsq-occupy-a-name
http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Action.html
http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Action.html
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/cacerolazo/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/distributed-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/mass-street-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/strategic-nonviolence/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/anger-works-best-when-you-have-the-moral-high-ground/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/beware-the-tyranny-of-structurelessness/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-tactics-that-support-your-strategy/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/escalate-strategically/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/pace-yourself/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/shift-the-spectrum-of-allies/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/simple-rules-can-have-grand-results/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/dunbars-number/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/intellectuals-and-power/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pillars-of-support/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/battle-in-seattle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/justice-for-janitors-d-c/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/lysistrata-project/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/wisconsin-capitol-occupation/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 25
The Internet can effectively replace traditional
on-the-ground organizing.
Social media has changed activism forever. Young people can post
a call-to-action on Facebook or Twitter and watch it ‘go viral’ —
mobilizing tens of thousands to take to the streets, occupy public
squares, and even overthrow dictators. The horizontal structure
of social media obliterates the need for leaders and hierarchical
organizations, while also significantly reducing the costs of
mobilization. And activists can now communicate directly with their
audiences, bypassing the mainstream corporate media.
Face-to-face relationships are the basis of all organized
collective action.
It is delusional to think that social media can replace the need for
tried-and-true, face-to-face organizing methods. Take for example the
Egyptian uprising in Tahrir Square: it ousted Mubarak, but because
organizers had an insufficient ‘ground game’ (i.e., organization and
leadership), the military was able to outmaneuver the progressive
movement and seize control. Moreover, the Internet’s open structure
is not actually horizontal: power concentrates online as much as
it does anywhere else. And activists often only talk to themselves
online — stuck in self-referential ‘filter bubbles.’
Clicktivism can save the world -vs- The revolution will not be tweeted
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 26
Clicktivism can save the world -vs- The revolution will not be tweeted (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
After the Protests | Zeynep Tufecki
The Filter Bubble | Eli Pariser
What Facebook Is Hiding From You | Jonathan Matthew Smucker
Communicative Capitalism: Circulation and the Foreclosure of Politics |
Jodi Dean
The MoveOn Effect | David Karpf
Bringing the Organization Back In | Jen Schradie
Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted | Malcolm Gladwell
What Gladwell Missed About Online Organizing and Creating Big Change |
Ben Brandzel, The Nation
Beyond Clictivism: Why Political Change Requires Risk | The Yes Men
The Web Rewires the Movement | Andrew Boyd, The Nation, August 4, 2003
Half-empty or half-full? Online gateways to real-world action |
Nadine Bloch, Waging Nonviolence, November 21, 2012
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• In small groups or as a whole class, fill out an Ambivalence (Pro/Con)
Chart for each position, “New Clicktivism” and “Old organizing,” with
the columns labeled ( + ) and ( – ) or Pro/Con. Compare and contrast
the two charts.
• Set up a whole group Role Play, or if the group is more than twenty
people, do a Fishbowl of about a third of the students, with others
observing.
• Scenario: In a strategy session that is taking place with your
group, there are two camps: the die-hard, knocking-on-doors-is-the-
only real-organizing old-timer crew and the mostly younger tech-can-
save-us-if-we-only-let-it crowd. Assign roles. Let them plan their
proposals for a minute, then act it out.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• In what ways have the Internet and social media aided social movements? What are some cases
where technologies like Twitter or text loops have been useful?
• Are there downsides to social movements using these technologies? If so, what?
• The mainstream media has give a lot of attention to the role of social media in contemporary
uprisings and revolutions — have they over-emphasized its role? Are news outlets missing
something with phrases like ‘Twitter revolution’?
• Are there tasks or operations in social movements that cannot be replaced by new online
technologies? If so, what?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Creative Petition Delivery (p. 22)
TACTIC: Debt Strike (p. 24)
TACTIC: Distributed Action (p. 26)
TACTIC: Mass Street Action (p. 68)
PRINCIPLE: Play to the audience that isn’t there (160)
PRINCIPLE: Simple rules can have grand results (p. 176)
THEORY: Hashtag politics (p. 238)
THEORY: Memes (p. 242)
THEORY: Points of intervention (p. 250)
THEORY: Society of the Spectacle (p. 266)
CASE: Harry Potter Alliance (p. 322)
CASE: Taco Bell boycott (p. 372)
CASE: Virtual Streetcorners (p. 388)
Table of Contents
https://commonconf.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/proofs-of-tech-fetish
https://books.google.com/books?id=xlifgdlbCIkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=dave+karpf+the+moveon+effect&hl=en&sa=X&ei=t6FjVeiiGIXBggSrhIHIBQ&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=dave%20karpf%20the%20moveon%20effect&f=false
http://berkeleyjournal.org/2014/11/bringing-the-organization-back-in-social-media-and-social-movements/
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/10/04/small-change-malcolm-gladwell
http://www.thenation.com/article/156447/what-malcolm-gladwell-missed-about-online-organizing-and-creating-big-change
http://creativetimereports.org/2015/06/12/acting-up-in-meatspace-limits-of-clicktivism/
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/half-empty-or-half-full-online-gateways-to-real-world-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/creative-petition-delivery/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/debt-strike/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/distributed-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/mass-street-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/play-to-the-audience-that-isnt-there/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/simple-rules-can-have-grand-results/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/hashtag-politics/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/memes/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/points-of-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/society-of-the-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/harry-potter-alliance/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/taco-bell-boycott/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/virtual-streetcorners/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 27
In a democracy, the only path to real change is through the system.
To change the world, we need to work through existing systems and
institutions. Saul Alinsky was totally right when he said, “It is
necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it
to what we think it should be. That means working in the system.” In
a democracy, no one will take us seriously if we go around talking
about “overthrowing” stuff, nor should they. Our electoral system
and other public institutions, however corrupt, still offer the best
pathway for average citizens to have their voices heard, and to win
the changes they want.
The system is rigged and real change can only come from the outside.
No matter who we vote for, the government wins. Status quo
institutions have failed us, and the Democratic Party has been
the graveyard of every progressive movement. And now, with the
accelerating role of campaign cash in our electoral system, and
corporate influence in everything from congressional lobbying to
news media to sports sponsorship, our system is irredeemably corrupt
and inaccessible to the average citizen. Only an autonomous people’s
movement that bypasses corrupt institutions and stays directly
accountable to the people can hope to make real and lasting change.
Long march through the institutions -vs- The revolution will not be elected
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 28
Long march through the institutions -vs- The revolution will not be elected (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of
Modern Democracy | Robert Michels, 1915
Poor People’s Movements: Why They Succeed, How They Fail | Frances Fox
Piven and Richard Cloward, 1979
Radicals and the 99%: Core and Mass Movement | Jonathan Matthew Smucker,
in We Are Many: Critical Reflections on Movement Strategy from Occupation
to Liberation, AK Press, 2012
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• In pairs, run a diad listening exercise. Invite one person in each pair
to speak their feelings about working inside of, or outside of, the
system. Ask them to address a time they saw change from one or both
perspectives. After 2 minutes, the partner has 90 seconds to reflect
back what they heard. Switch roles, and repeat. Come back together as
a big group for a debrief. Ask: How did it feel about to be listened
to uninterrupted? Was it difficult to reflect back what you heard, or
not interrupt? Then, offer time for some folks to share what content
they heard, noticing similarities, differences, and learnings about
challenges and opportunities of working inside/outside systems.
• Run a spectrogram, where you ask learners to go to one end of the
room if they believe we must “Work within the system to make real
change” and go to the other side if they think we must “Work outside
the system to make real change.” After folks are distributed on that
line, add a cross axis, and have learners move perpendicularly to one
side or another depending on whether they think their answer to the
first question is Effective or Ineffective. The four quadrants would
then be: 1) “Within the System / Effective;” 2) “Within the System /
Ineffective;” 3) “Outside the System / Effective;” and 4) Outside the
System / Ineffective.” Interview participants, asking for specific
examples that led them to their particular spot in the grid.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Can you think of examples of radical changes that came as the result of elections and/or
legislation? How was working through the system important in these cases?
• Can you think of examples of changes that came from ‘outsider’ movements? How was working
outside the system important in these cases?
• Can you think of situations where ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ strategies were at odds with each other?
Other situations where they were complementary?
• Some protest movements in the USA show their disgust at the lies and crimes of the American
government by burning the American flag. Do you think this is a revolutionary act? An effective
protest technique? Who is it supposed to reach? Consult the Beautiful Trouble principle
Recapture the flag (on website only) for one opinion on these questions.
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: General strike (p. 50)
TACTIC: Legislative theater (website)
TACTIC: Nonviolent search and seizure (p. 76)
TACTIC: Public filibuster (p. 86)
PRINCIPLE: Choose tactics that support your strategy (p. 112)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t dress like a protester (p. 126)
PRINCIPLE: Know your cultural terrain (p. 142)
PRINCIPLE: Recapture the flag (on website)
PRINCIPLE: Use the law, don’t be afraid of it (p. 196)
THEORY: Capitalism (p. 216)
THEORY: Expressive and instrumental actions (p. 232)
THEORY: Cultural hegemony (p. 222)
THEORY: Intellectuals and power (p. 240)
THEORY: Political identity paradox (p. 254)
THEORY: The social cure (p. 264)
THEORY: The propaganda model (p. 256)
CASE: Battle in Seattle (p. 286)
CASE: Tar sands action (p. 376)
CASE: Wisconsin Capitol Occupation (p. 396)
PRACTITIONER: Zapatistas (website only)
Table of Contents
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=8XXl87CLp5cC&rdid=book-8XXl87CLp5cC&rdot=1
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=8XXl87CLp5cC&rdid=book-8XXl87CLp5cC&rdot=1
https://books.google.com/books?id=M7Tfnns-1xsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=frances+fox+piven+cloward&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GbZjVZjiGsKMNsCag8AP&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=frances%20fox%20piven%20cloward&f=false
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/general-strike/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/legislative-theater/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/nonviolent-search-and-seizure/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/public-filibuster/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/choose-tactics-that-support-your-strategy/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-dress-like-a-protester/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/know-your-cultural-terrain/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/recapture-flag/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/use-the-law-dont-be-afraid-of-it/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/capitalism/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/expressive-and-instrumental-actions/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/cultural-hegemony/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/intellectuals-and-power/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/political-identity-paradox/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-social-cure/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-propaganda-model/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/battle-in-seattle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/tar-sands-action/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/wisconsin-capitol-occupation/
http://beautifultrouble.org/practitioner/zapatistas/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 29
How can we possibly fix the world if we can’t fix ourselves?
We can’t make a liberated society out of broken people. The most
effective way to work for a better world is to work on our own
patterns of greed, hatred and confusion — and then be a model to
others. We must heal from the trauma of oppression and systemic
violence. As Kim Christoffel wrote, “taking care of ourselves in the
emotional & physical sense is a revolutionary act.” If we don’t do
this, with whatever power we attain, we will simply revisit those
same patterns on others. Change starts with oneself or not at all.
A corrupt society produces corrupt people; we must fix the world first.
Lots of assholes and hypocrites have done wonders for the world.
Personal change does not equal political change. No matter how many
meditation retreats we go on (or how much we recycle), polluters will
keep poisoning poor communities unless they are stopped by concerted
political action. As individuals, we’re all in some ways flawed, but
that’s no reason not to work together to change the world. Let’s
start now, assholes!
The problem is inside ourselves -vs- The problem is in the world around us
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 30
The problem is inside ourselves -vs- The problem is in the world around us (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The Personal is Political | Carol Hanisch, 1970
The 14 Precepts of Engaged Buddhism | Thich Nhat Hanh, excerpt from
Interbeing: Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism, Parallax, 1987
The Rhythm of Compassion: Caring for Self, Connecting with Society |
Gail Straub, 2008
Love with Power: Practicing Transformation for Social Justice | Kristen
Zimmerman and Julie Quiroz, Movement Strategy Center, 2015
Mindful Occupation: Rising Up without Burning Out | Occupy Mental Health
Project, 2012
The Icarus Project
Healing Justice for Black Lives Matter | Just Healing Resource, 2015
Social Change 2.0: A Blueprint for Reinventing Our World |
David Gershon, 2009
Grassroots Modernism as Autonomous Ethos and Practice |
Meg Wade, The Journal of Aesthetics and Practice, 8th Edition
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• Write-around: Ask each person to write a defense of their position.
Offer the option to draw the response instead of writing a narrative.
• Diad listening exercise: Break up your group into pairs and invite
one person in each pair to speak their mind about the importance of
personal change vs. directly tackling external issues. Ask them to
reference a moment they personally experienced the importance of one
or the other. After two minutes, the partner has 90 seconds to reflect
back what they heard. Switch roles, and repeat. Come back together as a
big group for a debrief. Ask: How did it feel about to be listened to
uninterrupted? Was it difficult to reflect back what you heard, or not
interrupt? Then, offer time for some folks to share what content they
heard, noticing what surfaced about the challenges and opportunities of
doing personal work faced with immense global issues.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• The phrase “the personal is political” is often used to promote lifestyle choices or healthy personal
relationships as an important form of political action. Do you agree? What would it mean for you
to live by the slogan, “the political is personal?”
• Antonio Machado said, “there is no road, the road is made by walking.” What light does this
statement shed on this debate?
• Gail Straub writes, “the health of the human psyche and the health of the world are inextricably
related, and we cannot truly heal one without healing the other” If we accept this as true, then
which should we spend more time on — personal or political wellness — and what would it look
like to find more balance between the two?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Prefigurative intervention (p. 82)
PRINCIPLE: Challenge patriarchy as you organize (p. 108)
PRINCIPLE: Don’t mistake your group for society (p. 130)
PRINCIPLE: If protest is made illegal, make daily life a protest (p. 138)
PRINCIPLE: Kill them with kindness (p. 140)
PRINCIPLE: We are all leaders (p. 202)
THEORY: Anti-oppression (p. 212)
THEORY: Pedagogy of the Oppressed (p. 246)
THEORY: Political identity paradox (p. 254)
THEORY: The social cure (p. 264)
THEORY: Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) (p. 270)
THEORY: Theater of the Oppressed (p. 272)
CASE: Conflict Kitchen (on website)
CASE: The Couple in the Cage (p. 312)
CASE: Modern-Day Slavery Museum (p. 338)
CASE: Small gifts (p. 360)
CASE: Trail of Dreams (p. 384)
Table of Contents
http://www.carolhanisch.org/CHwritings/PIP.html
http://viewonbuddhism.org/resources/14_precepts.html
http://movementbuilding.movementstrategy.org/media/docs/3138_MSC_LoveWithPower_PreRelease
http://booktype-test.sourcefabric.org/mental-health-protest-self-care/cover/
http://theicarusproject.net/
http://joaap.org/issue8/GrassrootsMegWade.htm
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/prefigurative-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/challenge-patriarchy-as-you-organize/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/dont-mistake-your-group-for-society/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/if-protest-is-made-illegal-make-daily-life-a-protest/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/kill-them-with-kindness/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/we-are-all-leaders/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/anti-oppression/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/political-identity-paradox/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-social-cure/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/temporary-autonomous-zone/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/theater-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/conflict-kitchen/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-couple-in-the-cage/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/modern-day-slavery-museum/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/small-gifts/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/trail-of-dreams/
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 31
Movements should be built around people’s most deeply felt group identity
(cultural, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, etc.)
Social change happens when groups of people organize against
oppression, on the basis of shared identities, to end the injustices
against them, not when we pretend to set those identities aside to
fight for some presumed common interest that fails to resonate with
our daily experience.
Effective movement building can only happen when people organize
consciously around their own class identity and material self-interest.
It’s the class war, stupid! Oppression and inequality are
fundamentally about maintaining differentials of wealth and power,
with the 1% exerting power over, and fomenting divisions among,
an oppressed majority. Unless we band together across differences
of race, culture and gender identity, this wealthy minority will
never subordinate its interests to the needs of the majority — even
if it may be compelled to share power with elite segments of certain
cultural groups.
Identity politics -vs- Class politics
Table of Contents
ETERNAL DEBATES & CONTROVERSIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 32
Identity politics -vs- Class politics (cont’d)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Where We Stand: Class Matters | bell hooks, Routledge, 2000
Women, Race, & Class | Angela Davis, Vintage, 1983
What is Socialist Feminism? | Barbara Ehrenreich, 1976
Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity |
Judith Butler, Routledge, 1990
GO “BEYOND THE PAGE”
• Writing exercise: Have students write a news headline or radio PSA
for ten or more years in the future that reflects the role they think
class or identity politics will play in social movements and creating
change in that future. A prompt could be, “In 10 years, you open up
your digital daily news journal, and see a headline that frames the
impact class (or identity politics) is having on a current issue–
electoral politics, housing, immigration, racial justice, etc. What is
that headline? Or, ten years from now, what will be the opening story
on your favorite daily broadcast that includes the impact of class or
identity politics on a topical issue?”
• Mind Blazing Conversations: Set aside some open discussion time (30 min
+). Have everyone write 1-3 burning questions for the group to address
around identity and/or class politics. Great way to generate themes for
future projects.
See the “Beyond the Page” section later in this guide for more details.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• There sure are a lot of crusty white men with PhDs arguing that class is more important than race
or gender! What’s up with that?
• Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were assassinated after their politics turned more
towards questions of class inequality spanning racial divides. What does this suggest about how
the 1% perceives the threat from a powerful mass movement focused on class politics?
• Was the American civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s, to take one historical example,
primarily organized around identity politics or class politics? If both, what were the arguments
and who were the main spokespeople for which tendencies?
RELEVANT MODULES
TACTIC: Debt strike (p. 24)
TACTIC: General strike (p. 50)
PRINCIPLE: Challenge patriarchy as you organize (p. 108)
THEORY: Anti-oppression (p. 212)
THEORY: Capitalism (p. 216)
THEORY: Debt revolt (p. 226)
THEORY: Environmental justice (p. 228)
THEORY: Narrative power analysis (p. 244)
THEORY: Political identity paradox (p. 254)
THEORY: The shock doctrine (p. 262)
CASE: 99% bat signal (p. 278)
CASE: Billionaires for Bush (p. 296)
CASE: The Couple in the Cage (p. 312)
CASE: Mining the Museum (p. 334)
CASE: Modern-Day Slavery Museum (p. 338)
CASE: Taco Bell boycott (p. 372)
CASE: Trail of Dreams (p. 384)
CASE: Wisconsin Capitol Occupation (p. 396)
Table of Contents
https://www.marxists.org/subject/women/authors/ehrenreich-barbara/socialist-feminism.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_Trouble
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/debt-strike/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/general-strike/
http://beautifultrouble.org/principle/challenge-patriarchy-as-you-organize/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/anti-oppression/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/capitalism/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/debt-revolt/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/environmental-justice/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/narrative-power-analysis/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/political-identity-paradox/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/the-shock-doctrine/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/99-bat-signal/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/billionaires-for-bush/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-couple-in-the-cage/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/mining-the-museum/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/modern-day-slavery-museum/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/taco-bell-boycott/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/trail-of-dreams/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/wisconsin-capitol-occupation/
Beautiful Trouble wasn’t written to be the kind
of book that a lecturer reads dryly at the
front of the classroom to their yawning pupils.
Grounded in the techniques of experiential and
popular education, there are many creative and
generative ways to engage minds, bodies, and
spirits with the ideas in Beautiful Trouble.
These techniques encourage deeper engagement
with the concepts and often more meaningful
and empowering participation in the learning
process. Participatory learning builds on and
synthesizes knowledge and skills that already
exist in the room — recognizing that every
learner has something to teach and every teacher
has something to learn — while accommodating a
variety of learning and communication styles.
The table below contains 10 tools or exercises
that are highly adaptable, effective at
catalyzing student engagement, and work well
with BT content. Used alongside a traditional
lecture format or in an experiential flow, these
tools can help generate common experiences to
harvest learnings from. The tools are ordered
by “activity level” from low risk/low energy
activities to high risk/high energy activities.
BEYOND THE PAGE:
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK MORE CREATIVELY
Table of Contents
BEYOND THE PAGE: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK MORE CREATIVELY
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 34
BEYOND THE PAGE EXERCISES
see following pages for details on how to facilitate each tool.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Writing or drawing — Solo
10 TOOLS AND EXERCISES WHAT’S IT’S GOOD FOR / LEARNING EXPECTATIONS TIME & MATERIALS ACTIVITY LEVEL
Focusing; working through emotions; quieting the group; writing skills; increasing self knowledge;
working with introverts; defusing or processing intense situations; accessing somatic, kinesthetic,
visual knowledge
2+ minutes; requires paper/
writing implements
Writing or drawing — Group Focusing; building teams; building consensus; building community identity; writing skills; improving
collaborative process; carrying out research; working with introverts; defusing or processing intense
situations; drawing skills; accessing somatic, kinesthetic, visual knowledge
5+ minutes depending on
sharing; requires paper/writing
implements
Diads or small group listening Focusing; building empathy; working with introverts and unknown participants; calming the
group; increasing self knowledge; defusing or processing intense situations, accessing emotional
knowledge
3-15 minutes
Structured brainstorms:
Pro/Con chart; mind mapping, &
mind blazing conversations
Critical thinking; peer learning; building teams/groups; comparing and contrasting possibilities;
analytical skills
5+ minutes; requires
paper/writing implements;
timekeeping
Song/chant (rewrite lyrics or just
chorus to existing tune) — Group
Building teams; building consensus; leveraging shared culture (holiday or pop songs); engaging
meter and music; problem solving; having fun
5+ minutes, more to perform
and/or teach rest of group
(Paper) snowball fight Energizing; engaging text; learning from peers; defusing or processing intense situations; having fun 2+ minutes prep, 5-10 minutes
depending on question/size of
group; requires paper/writing
Spectrograms (2D and 4D) Critical thinking; pluralistic thinking; peer/collaborative learning; team/group building; comparing
and contrasting possibilities; accessing somatic, kinesthetic, visual knowledge
10+ minutes per comparison
Hassle lines Peer/collaborative learning; energizing; experiential learning; critical thinking; public speaking;
rehearsing or practicing skills; self knowledge; problem solving; accessing somatic, kinesthetic,
visual and emotional knowledge
10+ minutes – 30+ minutes
depending on size of group and
debrief
Sculpture — group or solo Kinesthetic and visual learning; experiential learning; peer/collaborative learning; team/group
building; creative exploration; accessing somatic and emotional knowledge
10+ minutes – more if including
presentation/ sharing and
debrief
Role play (improv) or
skits (scripted) — group or
fishbowl style
Experiential learning; peer/collaborative learning; public speaking; improvisation; performance;
logical thinking; rehearsing or practicing skills; critical thinking; Problem solving;accessing somatic,
kinesthetic, visual and emotional knowledge
15 minutes – 1 hour
very
low
low +
low
low
low to
moderate
moderate
moderate
moderate – high but less
risky than individual
performance
high
high
Table of Contents
BEYOND THE PAGE: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK MORE CREATIVELY
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 35
HOW TO FACILITATE BEYOND THE PAGE EXERCISES
1 & 2 WRITING OR DRAWING — INDIVIDUAL/GROUP
Use the ideas below to prompt writing or drawing.
• Develop a Backronym: a backronym is a specially constructed acronym
created to fit existing word(s). Instruct the writers to attempt to
make the backronym fit the topic area. For example: ACT UP which stands
for direct action group AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power.
• Complete a phrase a la ‘mad libs.’
• Pen a poem/haiku/spoken word piece
• Write a headline, news story, radio PSA for some time in the future
(great for visioning and goal setting support)
• Write a chant
• Answer prompt questions
• Hand out paper and colored pens or markers and invite people to sketch
an answer or report back rather than use text.
3. DIADS OR SMALL GROUP LISTENING (MORE INFO)
• Provide prompts (either elicitive questions or incomplete sentences
to fill in) and have participants do reciprocal speaking/listening/
reflecting with their partners or group members. In a diad, consider
having a prompt question that one person answers for 2 minutes
uninterrupted; the listener then reflects back what they heard in 90
seconds. Switch roles and repeat. Debrief by addressing both content
that may have surfaced, emotions that came up, and assess the process
(how did it feel to be listened to uninterrupted? etc.
4. STRUCTURED BRAINSTORMS
• Pro/con (ambivalence) chart — Set up a two-sided list, and have a
scribe write in front of the entire group to encourage participants to
follow along as you harvest ideas. The sides could be Pro/Con, or Plus/
Delta (Change); etc. For more info, see these training tools from the
Christian Peacemaker Teams.
• ‘Mind mapping’ — Create a visual map of ideas. Start with relevant
keywords/phrases written on the board, and record new ideas spreading
out from those keywords in an interconnected web.
• Mind blazing conversations — Give everyone a small number of slips of
paper (2-4) with instructions to write their most pressing questions
about the topic at hand. Collect all papers and place them in a
container; have the facilitator pull out one question at a time, with
a goal of getting through as many questions as possible. Anyone can
respond within a certain short time period, say 2 minutes. (Thanks to
the Highlander Institute for this version.)
5. SONG/CHANT — GROUP
• Pick a well known melody and then rewrite the lyrics — consider just
rewriting the chorus for a quicker hit.
• Take an existing chant and change the words; or come up with a simple
rhythm ( have someone clap it out) and set words to that.
6. (PAPER) SNOWBALL FIGHT
This fun game of throwing balls of paper at each other can add kinetic
activity to your class, whole the anonymity of responses offers opportu-
nities to learn things about participants previously unspoken because of
stigma or fear.
• Provide prompts (either elicitive questions or incomplete sentences to
fill in) and direct each person to write their answers on a piece of
paper. When all responses are in, ask everyone to crumple up the paper
into a ‘snowball’, and have a short ‘snowball’ fight with them. Call
time, and have each person read whichever paper ball they are holding
(or standing near) out loud.
• Variation: Candy bag — instead of throwing the papers at each other,
place them in a hat or bag and then have people draw out one paper from
the bag and read it aloud to the group.
• Optional (if used for a non-sensitive topic) — Finish up by guessing/
identifying who wrote which piece.
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/direct-action/
BEYOND THE PAGE: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK MORE CREATIVELY
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 36
7. SPECTROGRAMS, AKA SOCIOGRAMS (VARIATIONS: LINE AND QUADRANTS)
This exercise blends light kinesthetic movement with introspection and
listening, helping a group explore similarities and differences of opinion
visually.
• Line version: First, explain that participants will put their bodies
on a line that will represent a continuum from one answer or opinion
to another. This line can be delineated virtually or marked on the
ground with tape or by some existing physical feature. Ask your group
a question, or make a statement, and then explain what the ends of the
continuum stand for and ask people to move to a spot along the line
where they feel they fit in relation to the 2 ends. For example — The
two ends could be described as: Nonviolence is a tactic vs Nonviolence
is a way of life. Or, Property Destruction can be part of a Nonviolent
Action vs Property Destruction has no place in a nonviolent campaign.
• Quadrant version: The ‘line’ approach above can be expanded with an
additional axis running perpendicular to the first one through the
center. After participants have lined up on the first axis, set up a
second statement or question, eg: Nonviolence is effective, Nonviolence
is ineffective. This will result in 4 quadrants with the extremes
being: Nonviolence is a tactic and ineffective; Nonviolence is a tactic
and effective; Nonviolence is a way of life/effective; Nonviolence is a
way of life/ineffective.
• Invite remarks from several participants in diverse locations to talk,
as specifically as possible, about why they chose to stand where
they are. (Try doing this in the character of a confrontational news
reporter or interviewer!) Allow folks to move in order to reflect
changes in their relative understanding as others speak. Debrief as
needed with questions that help to address your objectives for this
exercise (you do have them, right?).
• Another closing variation: Have people find someone in a quadrant
different than they are in and have a 1:1 dialogue. This can also be
done in groups.
Two good explanations of how to do spectrograms are written up by Knowl-
edge Sharing Toolkit and Training for Change.
8. HASSLE LINES
Hassle lines are essentially mini-role plays done in lines with partici-
pants facing each other, or in concentric circles facing each other. This
exercise will get everyone physically active and up on their feet, and
create a common experience in the room that can be a reference point for
later workshop discussions.
• Have participants arrange themselves into two parallel lines facing
each other. Everyone should have a person standing directly across
from them. Have everyone shake hands with the person across from them
to make sure that everyone knows who their partner is. (If it’s an odd
number, one of the facilitators can join the shorter line, or have the
odd person out take observation notes.)
• Give a scenario for the role play once people are in their 2 lines.
Assign roles, one to each line of people. Instruct folks to interact
only with the person they shook hands with; ignore others around them.
• Encourage people to be theatrical, and get into their roles “The more
you put into it, the more you get out of it.” (Just like life!) Give
them 10 seconds to get into their character.
• Say GO, and run the role play for 90-120 seconds. Call out FREEZE or
clap to stop the activity.
• Shake it out, open up the circle, and debrief. Some prompt questions:
How did it feel to….? Were you successful at…. (de-escalating,
escalating, achieving your goal, etc?) What specific tools did you use?
What did your partner try, and did it work? What do you think they
should have done?
• Before the debrief loses energy, set up another Hassle line, with new
roles for each line, giving each line time to be the assertive or
aggressive role.
• Things to notice while the role play is happening, and then to
highlight during the debrief:
• PHYSICAL: body posture/stance, what hands, eyes are doing, rate and
type of movement
• VERBAL: level of sound, noise; speed; content of conversation
• EMOTIONAL: relationship built? listening used? commonalities or dif-
ferences focus?
For more info on hassle lines, see: the 99 Spring curriculum (pages 38-41)
and Beautiful Trouble’s Training Library. As well as a blog post on Waging
Nonviolence by Nadine Bloch: 10 Reasons to Love Hassle Lines.
Table of Contents
BEYOND THE PAGE: HOW TO USE THIS BOOK MORE CREATIVELY
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 37
9. SCULPTURE — GROUP OR SOLO
This kind of movement exercise comes out of the Theater of the Oppressed
repertoire of Image Theater games. It allows people to move out of
their heads and analytical thinking into a more holistic experience and
analysis, and tap knowledge embodied in themselves. It also expands modes
of communication, surpassing language barriers both written and verbal
while building creativity.
• In small groups (3-8 people), ask participants to create a sculpture
or a tableau (a non-moving, non-speaking image) answering a particular
question or direction. Direct folks to do this in silence.
• Instruct the groups to do this as follows: Ask one person to assume the
‘sculptor’ role; they can then put people in the position of the image
they have in their head, placing themselves into the image as the last
step so everyone knows it is complete. Sculpting can be done in two
ways (both silently!) 1. Physically position folks *but verbally ask
for permission to touch your fellow group mates before you start! or 2.
Silently have them mimic a stance or position you take on.
• These tableaus might be recreations of actual events, or they may be
more esoteric, generalized representations of a feeling of an event.
• Allow enough time for each person who would like to be a sculptor to
set up a tableau with their group.
• Option: Have each group pick one tableau to share with the other
groups.
• Invite the remaining folks to come see this beautiful sculpture
in the “Museum of …..(whatever the subject of the prompt was)”
Encourage people to walk around the sculpture.
• As they view the sculpture, ask them to call out what they see:
What adjectives would you use to describe this? What do you think is
happening?
• Then invite the sculptor to explain what was the impetus for this
sculpture.
• Debrief: Any learnings from participating? From working silently?
Why did we do this in this way? Any commonalities? AHA moments?
Examples of directions or questions to sculpt:
> What is power? Sculpt an example of power.
> Show a time in your life that was instrumental to who you are now;
that had great impact on your life’s direction.
> Think of a time you witnessed oppression of some kind.
Sculpt that moment.
> Think of a creative nonviolent protest that you thought was
extraordinarily powerful. Sculpt that protest.
10. ROLE PLAYS — WHOLE GROUP OR FISHBOWL
A whole group scripted or improvisational role play offers experiential
learning to everyone involved. It supports people in accessing somatic
knowledge, to move out of their heads into a more holistic experience and
analysis. Moreover, it offers a rare opportunity to walk in another’s
shoes, and participate from a perspective outside of one’s usual position.
Role plays and skits can involve everyone at once or be performed
by smaller groups for larger audiences, in front of a group or in a
‘fishbowl’ – aka, in the round. They can be done in a ‘stop action’
format, whereby the role play can be paused for debrief and then resumed,
or run again with changed parameters to explore additional learnings.
• The key to effective role plays are specific and appropriate scenarios
for the teaching goals or training objectives you have identified.
• Set the stage with physical information i.e. There is a four-lane road
here; You are part of a large group of people who are marching; You
have 10,000 signatures on a petition you want to deliver to the Mayor
at City Hall; you are scientists on a public panel; etc
• Let participants have some time to get into ‘character’; if there are
a group of police or a group of protestors, let them meet together to
determine their hierarchical structure or their action plans,
for example.
• If props are available and appropriate, provide them if possible. Even
simple things like name tags or police badges can help set the stage.
• Have an obvious and agreed on start and finish signal; have a
facilitator in charge of both.
• Use directions or prompt sheets to help folks get into character if
needed; could also provide a script or have participants develop one
before presenting.
• Allow 2-3x more time for debriefing than the length of the role play.
Debrief the What and How, as well as Feelings and AHA! moments.
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/theater-of-the-oppressed/
http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/image-theater/
Professors across the world are using and
adapting Beautiful Trouble in their classrooms.
Many have shared with us the curriculums and
classroom activities they’ve developed. See the
classroom section of our website for a full
inventory. We’ve assembled the greatest hits for
this study guide. Here you go:
ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:
HOW OTHER PROFESSORS ARE USING THE BOOK
Table of Contents
ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 39
1. PROFESSOR ANDY BICHLBAUM’S “WRITE AND RESEARCH
YOUR OWN BT CASE STUDY” EXERCISE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
[From Professor Bichlbaum’s NYU Undergraduate course “Building An
Activist Knowledgebase”; instructions below edited for length.]
All students will be required to tape and transcribe a video interview
(up to 20 minutes in length, in person or via Skype; if those are
impossible, phone is ok but must be recorded) of a practitioner of
creative activism who has not yet been featured in Beautiful Trouble.
After the interview, you’ll transcribe it. Then you’ll use the interview
to craft a “case study” for inclusion in Beautiful Trouble, and will
also devise a new “principle” (not yet included in that book) based on
your subject’s experience. When writing the case study entry, consider
not only the action itself, but its historical, political, and social
contexts that led the practitioner to accomplish the action.
Ultimate inclusion in Beautiful Trouble is not guaranteed, but we’ll
workshop entries to give them the best shot they can have.
SUGGESTIONS/GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWING FOR BEAUTIFUL TROUBLE
Before you actually interview your subject, you should already have
a hypothesis about what you’re going to find, as if you were doing
scientific research; the interview is the evidence that will support or
disprove your hypothesis. In other words, the interview should enhance
and enrich your entry, not determine it. So, to that end:
• Start by reading about your subject, including if possible some
interviews; get familiar with what’s already been figured out by
others. Your subject will love you for not asking the same old
questions. (You should theoretically be able to write the entry
without actually interviewing your subject.)
• Before the interview, make a list of some of the BT principles you
think your subject’s experience might demonstrate. Also, think of
a brand-new principle (not yet listed in BT) you think it might
demonstrate.
Begin your interview by explaining the concept of the piece—that it’s
about helping activists learn from your subject’s experiences in doing
their own projects and actions. Explain that you’ll work with them to
figure out the lessons learned, the “principles” behind their action(s).
If, towards the end of your interview, you’re still not sure whether the
principles you’ve found make sense, collaborate with your subject in
figuring it out. Maybe say things like: “Do you think what you did is
an example of escalating strategically (p. 134)?” or “I think your story
really demonstrates that you just can’t be too precious about the way
you go about things (p. 188). Does that make sense?”
Note: you may find out, when you interview your subject, that everything
you thought about them was wrong and that your entry has to be rethought
from the ground up. That’s life.
Table of Contents
ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Beautiful Trouble Study Guide 40
2. PROFESSOR RENE KEEP’S THEORY EXPLORATION:
THE SALT MARCH; DE ANZA COLLEGE
[From Professor Keep’s course “Arts, Ideas & Values”]
In preparation for a discussion of the salt march case study, you have
been assigned to explore one of the following related theory topics:
1) Hamoq and hamas
2) Pillars of support
3) Points of intervention
4) Ethical spectacle
Read the assigned theory article in Beautiful Trouble, along with the
salt march case study. Write a response that explores the assigned
theory by:
a) explaining the theory in your own words,
b) relating it to the salt march, AND
c) relating it to your life.
Table of Contents
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/hamoq-and-hamas/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/pillars-of-support/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/points-of-intervention/
http://beautifultrouble.org/theory/ethical-spectacle/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
http://beautifultrouble.org/case/the-salt-march/
© Beautiful Trouble 2016. All Rights Reserved.