Voting Station

Saul Alinsky

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The Resume

    (January 30, 1909-June 12, 1972)
    Born in Chicago, Illinois
    Community organizer
    Laid much of the groundwork for the various social movements of the sixties
    Hugely influential on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
    Wrote Rules for Radicals
    Winner of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award

Why he might be annoying:

    He was an open communist and atheist.
    He favored relativistic and situational ethics that promoted that whatever worked was right.
    He hated the middle class, calling them 'materialistic, decadent, degenerate.'
    In the beginning of his book 'Rules for Radicals' he salutes Lucifer as the first radical.
    He was friendly with Al Capone.
    Hillary Clinton did her senior thesis on him, and according to it, he thought of Capone and his gang as a 'quasi-public utility serving the people of Chicago.'
    Even his friends thought he had a huge ego.
    He favored revolution but never made it clear where he wanted it to lead.
    His affection for the poor did not include living among them or getting a real job.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He inspired many others like Cesar Chavez to organize people so they could better themselves.
    He considered his 'Rules for Radicals,' which aimed to help the have-nots, as an answer to Machiavelli's 'The Prince,' which was aimed at helping haves keep on top.
    He did not advocate violence.
    His tactics have been undeniably effective.
    Unlike many of his contemporaries and/or successors he favored building on already existing institutions like labor unions or churches.

Credit: tom_jeffords


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 177 Votes: 69.49% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 67 Votes: 55.22% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 55 Votes: 50.91% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 97 Votes: 56.70% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 94 Votes: 44.68% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 838 Votes: 67.90% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 740 Votes: 92.43% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 417 Votes: 93.29% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 51 Votes: 56.86% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 35 Votes: 62.86% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 188 Votes: 67.55% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 495 Votes: 79.80% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 310 Votes: 77.42% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 1224 Votes: 70.10% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 1094 Votes: 76.14% Annoying