A-Infos (en) Anarkismo.net: The system of opinions as the target of our struggle - by Ilan Shalif

"Revolutions are made by people. Most activities by people involve some 
brain work. We always see and think about people's behavior, and 
sometimes even about the way they think, but we seldom take into 
consideration the knowledge acquired by scientists before it has been 
"digested" for us by "popular science". In a way this text does the work 
of "popular science" with regard to scientific findings relevant to the 
activities of revolutionaries within the capitalist system."Psycologist 
and anarchist activist, Ilan Shalif, examines the human opinion system 
and demonstrates how an awareness of the system and how it works can 
benefit the work of anarchist communist militants./
> Sowing the seeds of revolution - The system of opinions as the target 
of our struggle - by Ilan Shalif
//*People have lot of opinions on every thing - including the social 
system and struggle. Everyone has dominant and non-dominant opinions on 
each subject they can think of. In regular times, it is easier to 
influence the non-dominant opinions that may become dominant in other 
circumstances.*/


     Introduction

Revolutions are made by people. Most activities by people involve some 
brain work. We always see and think about people's behavior, and 
sometimes even about the way they think, but we seldom take into 
consideration the knowledge acquired by scientists before it has been 
"digested" for us by "popular science". In a way this text does the work 
of "popular science" with regard to scientific findings relevant to the 
activities of revolutionaries within the capitalist system.

Scientific research into psychology, and even more so into social 
psychology, has served to sharpen the observations of revolutionaries 
and other anti-capitalist activists. It sometimes gives a clear 
description of processes and facts that activists obtained only an 
intuitive first approximation of through experience. It has also 
revealed "subterranean" processes of which people only have a vague sense.

Revolutionaries, and particularly social class-struggle anarchists have 
found many direct action activities that enhance people's revolutionary 
zeal and draw others to cautiously join the struggle - mainly through 
trial and error. These days, however, it is hard to find - if at all - 
any integration between the relevant findings in social psychology and 
the wisdom accumulated by the systematic activity of anti-authoritarian 
anti-capitalist activists.

This text will not focus on the variables found, which are mostly 
relevant to the enhancing of the tendency of individuals to become 
rebels, but on findings relevant to the processes that influence the 
general population (and probably such people more than others).


     The Opinion System

The human brain has the main responsibility for what people do, even 
though some behavior seems to be influenced more by other parts of the 
body...

The processes of the brain involve all the information stored during a 
person's life, but the main effects are of previous processes stored, 
called "habits" and "opinions". For instance, a person's brain stores 
all hir actual encounters with the police, (be it in the form of 
intimidation or, less commonly, help), all the stories that person has 
heard or read (including their mother's threats that failure to finish a 
meal will result in a visit by a policeman...), and most importantly how 
that person has summed up the above.

The motivation system which makes people "tick" consists of inborn basic 
emotions (like attachment, will, anger, disgust, etc.) and other primary 
physiological urges like hunger, thirst, etc. However, the actual 
thinking, opinions, and behavior is based on what is stored in the 
memory regarding previous actual experiences of satisfying these 
motivations (or frustration from failure to do so), about observations 
on the satisfaction and frustrations of others, and information supplied 
by others (including warnings about punishments by other people or 
"God".) [A]

The most amazing findings on the system of opinions which sums our 
previous experiences and thinking, and determines people's behavior is 
that it contains more than one opinion on each topic. For instance, a 
person may have an opinion about refraining from talking to strangers 
but a long, boring train journey may bring forward the opinion that 
talking to other people can alleviate boredom and thus even a stranger 
may be engaged in small talk.

It was found that actual behavior or the opinions people express depend 
on several groups of variables, not all of which have been studied.

For instance, many owners of services like hotels and shops who were 
contacted by phone and asked about their opinions said that they would 
not serve people of a certain minority. However, when people of these 
minorities presented themselves in person and asked to be served, most 
of those who had said they would refuse did not actually do so.

Some ignorant social activists who have no clue about the complexity of 
the system of opinions only focus on objective circumstances, claiming 
that only such facts are relevant. The crudest claim is that the 
occurrence of the worse will facilitate the revolution. [1]

Like another aspect of the psychological processes, usually called 
"psychopathology" and "psychotherapy", knowledge accumulated by humans 
helps them do better "in the long run" than they would by chance. 
However, only systematic research has revealed what is really fact and 
what is fiction. It is a pity that, because of old superstitions and 
stumbling blocks of the capitalist system, the application of these 
findings is only gradually spreading into the practice of professionals. [2]

The application of the findings of modern research in the psychological 
domain, and more so in social psychology, by anti-authoritarian 
anti-capitalist activists, is not free of superstition and stumbling blocks.

The most prominent obstacle is the low availability of relevant 
information in ready-for-use format by common people. Research is 
usually done within the capitalist establishment and the systematic 
application of the findings, or their popularization, only came about in 
order to benefit the capitalist system. Thus, in the case of "treatment" 
for individuals, applications were very slow to appear so as the role of 
professionals would not be jeopardized and the common ideology promoted 
by the system would not be threatened. The area where most research 
findings in social psychology have been applied is in the areas of 
public relations and advertising.

Activists too have some stumbling blocks. Part are the result of the 
suspicion that only scientific findings beneficial to the capitalist 
system are made available. People are not aware that the nature of the 
academic establishment pushes individual academics to research subjects 
and publish the results without finding out first who the results will 
serve. "Interesting" variables and personal bias make many scientists 
carry out research whose results are in contradiction with capitalist 
ideology. For instance, much research into the tendency to compete 
(pro-capitalist) or to cooperate (in contradiction with capitalist 
ideology) has revealed that in most circumstances people tend to prefer 
cooperation over competition (and more so in pre-capitalist societies).

Another stumbling block is an "ideological" one. Many anti-authoritarian 
activists are reluctant to face the fact that the processes relevant to 
leadership are not just a monolithic negative. Thus, we often ignore the 
fact that there is the important factor of "unofficial" leaders of 
opinions within the population, who facilitate the change in opinions of 
the population. Thus, in our activity we are not clearly aware of the 
processes involved, and more so when we are involved with grassroots 
communities. [3]

While doing propaganda and other educational activities, it seems we do 
not take into consideration those who are the non-formal leaders of the 
people whose opinion we are targeting.

Another point that needs clearer understanding is the fact that the 
effect of our activity is not so much the clash with the dominant 
opinion in the opinion system of people, but the inclusion and promotion 
of the opinions we favour in the background of their system of opinions. 
Thus, while the dominant opinion that "authority must be obeyed" remains 
dominant, the inclusion of the opinion that, in specific cases, 
disobedience may not be so wrong is not so hard to disseminate. Even 
more so when it does not directly attack the dominant one. These 
"background opinions" are thought to become dominant and replace the 
current dominant opinions in specific circumstances, such as political 
crises or uprisings within general society. For individuals, special 
circumstances like the indignation felt after a witnessing or 
experiencing a beating from a State agent's baton during a 
demonstration, can act as a catalyst in encouraging them to become 
activists. [4]

In addition, "subversive" thinking and opinions are introduced very 
easily when you "bribe" the person with pleasant feelings, like with a 
special melody or humour through jokes and satire.

Findings on the dynamics of the opinion system that each of us holds are 
most important in preventing activist "burn-out". Often we do not see 
the effects of our struggle on public opinion. Often we do not see the 
effects even on people nearer to us. But if we are aware that the 
opinion system is more complicated - with various opinions relevant to 
each subject - we can better influence and more easily observe the small 
changes in the less-dominant opinions held by the people around us.

For instance, even if public opinion does not reveal any improvement 
regarding one specific opinion, the fact that there is more tolerance 
for opposing opinions reveals changes in the secondary opinions. [5]

Thus, while the world capitalist system seems to be flourishing, 
old-timers can observe changes in the secondary opinions that people 
have, even though pro-capitalist opinions still dominate. The observed 
deterioration of the authoritarian opinions of people in society at 
large, and even more so in the younger generations and especially in 
children, is an early indication of approaching doom for pro-capitalist 
public opinion. [6]

/Ilan Shalif/


*Notes:*

A. Advanced research reveal that the contents stored in the memory are 
taken from it in a selective/dynamic way. So, for instance, when we are 
sad and alone, the memories we remember (construct in our awareness from 
the stored ones) are not the same ones as when we are happy and among 
friends. So is the case when we are in different environments and when 
other basic emotions and intensities of them are prominent. The same 
also happens with the habits and opinions that enter our awareness at 
specific times and determine our feelings and activity. Thus, in time of 
social turmoil an entirely "set" of habits and opinions is dominant.

1. This belief is so crude that it does not even stand up to a simple 
historical search. In most past uprisings, the contribution to the 
rebellion of the worsening of physical conditions is less prominent in 
comparison to such variables as aroused anger, hope, and the diminishing 
prestige of State authority.

2. Research in cognitive psychology has revealed that most 
"psycho-pathologies" are just the result of information processed in the 
brain - neuroses, personality disorders, etc. - or the effects of these 
on the physiology of the person - depression, psychosis, etc. It was 
also found that very often, when the brain re-evaluates the relevant 
previous processing, these "psycho-pathologies" dissolve. It was 
discovered that it is not too complicated to do, when one uses the 
wisdom of attending to the body's sensations, related to the 
"psycho-pathology", like the old Yoga Vepasena and more up to date 
techniques.

3. In research into the actual behavior of people it was found that 
within the community there are some who are "known" as being more 
reliable with regard to "advice on activity and opinions. It was also 
found that these non-formal leaders are usually regarded as such only in 
specific areas of expertise (like fashion, health, food, house 
maintenance, car repairs, etc.). Thus, people tend to ask the advice of 
one acquaintance regarding fashion, another regarding betting on the 
result of a football game, and yet another about personal problems, and 
so on.

4. The above is a common observation, that participation in direct 
action can have an important effect, both on marginal participants and 
observers.

5. For instance, while the dominance of negative opinions in Israel 
about the Palestinians remain strong, the increased tendency of the 
mainstream media to report on Anarchists Against The Wall activities and 
the increased tolerance of this within popular opinion, reveals an 
undercurrent at work. The gradual increase in mainstream Israeli media 
reports on anarchist direct actions over the last three years has come 
about in a such way as to indicate that many mainstream journalists are 
sympathetic to the cause and are less and less afraid to show it.

6. In fact, nowadays the percentage of formal marriages has decreased, 
school children have become harder to discipline, and even kindergarten 
teachers' authority is shaky.

http://shalif.com/anarchy

http://awalls.org
http://matzpen.org
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