CCT205+-+Response+Week+8

CCT205 Week 8 Response

Rule 8 of Saul Alinksy’s //Rules for Radicals// is essentially about being persistent. The general idea behind this rule is to keep the opposition under constant pressure and to ensure that your opponent is constantly aware of your presence. One example where this rule has been applied in the real world has occurred quite recently and that would have to be the opposition to SOPA and PIPA, this would be in reference to both Anonymous specifically, as well as the efforts of the Internet community on a broader scale. This is because there were not only highly publicized efforts to bring attention to the cause, such as Blackout day, there was also a constant voice of opposition in the form of trending topics on twitter, internet memes on Tumblr and Facebook groups. As we know the campaign against SOPA and PIPA were ultimately successful as the bill did not make it through congress. However it can be argued that the anti-SOPA movement employed many of Alinsky’s rules including Rule 4 in which Alinsky calls protestors to force opponents to live up to their own book of rules. This can be exemplified in the article below in which the author of the article points out that Lamar Smith, the author of SOPA himself was using un-credited images on his website thereby committing the very act that he wants to outlaw. This could also be an example of Rule 5 in which the use of ridicule is used to further ones position against the opposition. In this particular real world example it is clear that the use of Saul's Alinsky's aptly named Rules for Radicals was a quite effective means for bringing about the desired end.  Rule 8 of Saul Alinksy’s //Rules for Radicals// is essentially about being persistent. The general idea behind this rule is to keep the opposition under constant pressure and to ensure that your opponent is constantly aware of your presence. One example where this rule has been applied in the real world has occurred quite recently and that would have to be the opposition to SOPA and PIPA, this would be in reference to both Anonymous specifically, as well as the efforts of the Internet community on a broader scale. This is because there were not only highly publicized efforts to bring attention to the cause, such as Blackout day, there was also a constant voice of opposition in the form of trending topics on twitter, internet memes on Tumblr and Facebook groups. As we know the campaign against SOPA and PIPA were ultimately successful as the bill did not make it through congress. However it can be argued that the anti-SOPA movement employed many of Alinsky’s rules including Rule 4 in which Alinsky calls protestors to force opponents to live up to their own book of rules. This can be exemplified in the article below in which the author of the article points out that Lamar Smith, the author of SOPA himself was using un-credited images on his website thereby committing the very act that he wants to outlaw.