Siege, 37

Stupid people

Stupid people are more dangerous than any time bomb.
You’ll find stupid people everywhere but let us confine ourselves to those within the Movement itself, those whom we must deal with on a regular basis. Those armies of idiots within the System bureaucracy stand backed-up and reinforced by so many replacements that errors of judgment on their part—which would otherwise prove fatal—are usually quickly caught and reversed before any real damage gets done. Often times they are caught and squelched before anyone not part of the bureaucracy even can take note of them.
It gives the aura of invincibility but in fact provides for a deadly defect, in that everyone is depending on everyone else to carry things through. There are plenty of “sharpies” within the System but not the same kind as are found in revolutionary movements. Those that can do it all for themselves. The System needs their stupid people for errand boys, etc., while we just cannot afford their presence at all. With us, things must stand or fall with just you and I. And THAT is the basis of real responsibility.
Regardless whether they are with you or against you, stupid people are equally disastrous to have around. It is easy for anyone to imagine how stupid people can foul up the best plan or program and defeat the efforts of dozens of good and prudent people with whom they have associated themselves. But it is less easily understood what it means to have fools for adversaries. Again, I emphasize that we are dealing within the limits of the Movement itself. I’d much rather run the risk of a tactical personal set-back at the hands of a sharp, intelligent person, something I would expect I could reverse in time, than to have everything, the whole ball of wax, upturned or destroyed by some flake who loses all better judgment and control.
The very reason one falls out with persons of limited intelligence usually involves the same lack of vision, imagination, and discipline that will later lead them to tip the balance over from a localized clash to a full-scale disaster, too often involving the System and threatening to destroy or seriously injure BOTH participants.
It’s also hell to try to second-guess an unintelligent person. They are largely unpredictable and are liable to do anything. An intelligent adversary can most of the time be anticipated and, if not, it usually means that he is a jump or two ahead of you himself. He can be expected to fight things with at least the protection, if not the immediate furtherance, of the Cause in mind. A stupid individual won’t care. They can see or understand nothing beyond the immediate object of “I’ll show you!” How often have we witnessed this in Right Wing dealings? How often have we seen it in personal affairs? And how the Pigs laugh at it all!
Within the Movement, whenever a person like this is uncovered and proceeds to threaten to disrupt things, he properly should be killed before any damage can be done. If that is not feasible then it is critical to place as much distance between them and the Movement as possible. Same goes for personal dealings as well. Of course, in the long run, it is better to learn how to spot them in advance and never let them penetrate to a level where they can do no good and only harm. In this way we shall forge ourselves into a truly formidable political weapon.

Vol. XIII, #7 – July, 1984

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Why we are reproducing articles from Siege can be surmised: here.