Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c138IR // #c138Synthesis

Mankind has been and is divided into three parts: the Haves, the Have-Nots, and the Have-a-Little, Want Mores.

— In our words · Source: Rules for Radicals (Saul D. Alinsky)

[Use when]

When you're mapping who actually has a stake in changing things.

[Why it matters]

Every power fight runs on this trinity — the comfortable freeze the status quo, the desperate want to take, and the middle class wants change without risk.

More from Rules for Radicals

#c124Always remember the first rule of power tactics: Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.When you're outnumbered and need to look bigger than you are. #c125The second rule is: Never go outside the experience of your people. When an action or tactic is outside the experience of the people, the…Before trying a tactic your people have never seen before. #c126The third rule is: Wherever possible go outside of the experience of the enemy. Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.When you're planning how the enemy will react to something new.