[Antiracism] A Great Piece for Activists

[Neshomeh2 at aol.com]

FYI
-Amy
______________________________________________________________________

THE CONTROL GAME 

By E I N 

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT OR PUBLIC RELATIONS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 

Originally Published 5/94, converted to HTML 7/97. 

A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR RECOGNIZING POLITICAL/SOCIAL CONTROL TACTICS BY POWER 
BROKERS, LARGE CORPORATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS, AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES. 

Environmental Information Network (EIN), Inc.TM 

P.O. Box 280087, Lakewood, CO 80228-0087 -- pjelofson at aol.com 

Paula Elofson-Gardine, Executive Director/Susan Hurst, Publications Director 

Tactic 1 -- Make it impossible for people to be involved: These typical 
control tactics set things up so that it's difficult and inconvenient for 
interested parties such as the affected public to participate. 

Examples: 

  a.. Meetings are scheduled at inappropriate locations or times; i.e., 
during regular working hours, highway rush hours, dinner times, or deliberately 
conflicting times with similar interest meetings. Strict meeting "guidelines" and 
use of question cards discourages real dialogue and keeps attendees under 
control. 

Variations: 
  a.. Schedule lengthy one-way presentations that will not allow give and 
take exchange. This precludes the public (including the press) from asking 
questions or clarifications. 
  b.. Conveners may insist that all questions be held until the end, by which 
time people are tired, the meeting area must be vacated, and the press has 
had to leave to meet deadlines. 
  c.. Allow the public limited time, and a limited number of questions that 
must pertain to their predetermined set of allowable topics; while the 
conveners drag out their answers, essentially filibustering away the rest of the time 
for the meeting -- and coincidentally time for open discussion of issues and 
answers that many attendees showed up for. 
  d.. Staff may be trained to be nice, while having been trained to handle 
the public by using subtle harassment or baiting techniques, which also 
discourages public involvement. 
These tactics are used to fulfill requirements for public outreach in order 
to legitimize the process. If attendance is sparse it will be blamed on public 
apathy, rather than a deliberate effort to exclude public participation. 
Reject this pretense for public involvement. Short circuit this tactic by standing 
up as a group and announcing an immediate press conference that will give the 
press the real story from the citizens outside of the meeting room or across 
the street from the building, then get up and leave as a group. If this is not 
immediately possible, let the conveners know that your group will hold its own 
meeting, protest, and/or press conference the next morning and will continue 
to inform the media of their non-cooperation on these issues. 

Tactic 2 -- Divide and Conquer: This is a well-established tactic that 
effectively places similar interest groups at odds against each other, when they 
would otherwise be a formidable force for bureaucratic responsiveness and 
accountability. This tactic uses existing tensions and divisions between 
organizations. Name this tactic as soon as you recognize it to short circuit its 
effectiveness. Make sure that everyone understands what interests they share in common, 
and why it is in their best interest to continue to work together. A few 
favorite tactics are described below. 

Examples: 
  a.. Divide a large issue into many small ones. This forces people and/or 
organizations to fight many small battles, dispersing their energies. Small 
groups working in isolation of each other may not be as effective as coordinating 
efforts to maximize through solid communication and networking. 
  b.. Provide enough resources to cover only part of the problem. This can inc
lude preparing only a few copies of handouts or important documents so that 
self-imposed constraints prevent them from being able to provide x, y, or z 
service -- while it is obvious that there is plenty of budgetary allowance for 
gratuities, amenities, or items that fulfill their bias or agenda. 
  c.. Appoint a committee using key members of the public -- including 
appointees with views similar to the convener, funder, or directing agency to 
maintain their control of the committee. Their involvement is then publicly 
highlighted -- whether or not they attend or participate. Their names will be used 
strategically (sometimes in absentia), or photos are used to imply consent, 
agreement, or consensus with the committee -- although they may object or disagree 
with the viewpoint or findings of the committee. Citizens (token) used in this 
manner may or may not be aware of their names or pictures being used to 
artificially lend credibility to the committee or findings in question. In some 
cases, they may be unaware that they are considered to be a member of the 
committee. 
  d.. Many separate tables are used in large banquet or meeting rooms to 
break a meeting up into small discussion groups. This effectively keeps valuable 
information that would otherwise be revealed in the general discussion from 
being heard by the larger group, which would have enhanced communal brainstorming 
and questioning of the process or problem at hand. These small group 
discussions may then be summarized and reported back to the larger group. Carefully 
placed shills or committee members may serve as group leaders to control group 
feedback. This suppresses any controversial discussions that don't fit the 
convener's agenda, and inhibits networking or brainstorming on the issue. 
  e.. Seating arranged in "audience fashion" delegates you to a passive role 
in these meetings. Short-circuit this by playing Musical Chairs. Insist that 
the tables and/or chairs be moved (circle or horseshoe shape) so that everyone 
can be an active participant with the conveners or presenters. Put yourselves 
at the same level and/or table with the power brokers so there is no distance 
to allow them to feel comfortably in control (no shield). Convert their agenda 
to your agenda. 
  f.. Public relations campaigns (blitzes) into the community will seek out 
homeowners associations, service groups, schools, and so on, to present biased, 
incomplete, or misleading information to sidestep opposition to mould and win 
over public opinion about key issues. 

Variations: 
  a.. Conduct private (behind closed-door or impromptu) meetings with civic 
groups, government, or public officials (i.e. city council, county 
commissioners, etc.) of similar political or philosophical leanings -- without informing 
citizens or organizations with opposing viewpoints of these meetings. 
  b.. Wrong information regarding time and location is provided -- too late 
to be corrected (The scavenger hunt). This ensures that their message will be 
presented without all sides of an issue being recognized or openly discussed. 
The Government in the Sunshine Act legislation was passed by the U.S. 
Congress to discourage clandestine or private meetings of government bodies or 
officials for the purposes of excluding general public or interested parties. 

Tactic 3 -- Pack the Meeting: The power brokers will encourage employees to 
attend x, y, or z meeting. They may also establish telephone trees (which we 
should be doing) to get employees and supporters to pack a meeting to simulate 
public support for their position on an issue, and to set the tone of the 
meeting. 

Variation: 
  a.. Comment or question cards are used in place of a communal microphone 
for participants to go to, so everyone can hear and participate in the 
discussion. Their supporters will stack the deck of comment cards with time wasters, 
and may continue filling out more cards throughout the meeting to defuse 
opposition discussion (see tactic 1 -- filibustering). 
Short circuit this by meeting with your neighbors, colleagues, or 
constituents for a pre-meeting conference to discuss opposition tactics and strategy that 
are barriers to getting your views aired. Come up with your own list of 
strategy and critical points, then divide them up among yourselves. Go to the 
meeting prepared with fact sheets, questions, and comments that support your views. 
Brainstorm with your colleagues, refine the information, then pass it around 
the neighborhood, or the target audience for and after the meeting. Call the 
tactics as you see them occur in the meeting to defuse them. Insist on a fair 
airing of the issues, within everyone's hearing. 

Tactic 4 -- Economic Blackmail: When dealing with politically heated issues, 
especially "company town" polluters, the first threat may be that massive 
layoffs will occur if they have to: change a process, stop polluting, fix safety 
problems, clean up contamination, and so on. This is a Red Herring scare tactic 
that should be immediately brought to everyone's attention. 

  a.. In 1988, the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Facility (RFP) was faced with 
changes that included decommissioning, the contractor threatened massive 
layoffs. Economic developers and chambers of commerce predicted local devastation. 
To the contrary, the cleanup has been a huge economical boost for 
subcontractors and RFP personnel, who have nearly doubled the numbers of employees that 
were needed for full production and chemical recovery of plutonium pits for 
nuclear warheads. 
  b.. Retraining and educational programs have blossomed at local colleges. 
The people to watch are the Developers and Chambers, who will attempt to create 
new projects, while "dumbing down the workforce" by bringing in minimum wage 
workers for cleanup jobs, lay off union people, and funnel profits to special 
interest chums. Stay united, call that tactic, and make them accountable. 
No one likes to be picketed, boycotted, or pictured negatively in the press 
-- these citizen tactics are relatively easy to implement. 

Tactic 5 -- Give the appearance of action without doing anything: When faced 
with an obvious need for change, bureaucrats may try to give the appearance of 
taking action without actually doing anything. These tactics may sound like 
this: 

  a.. "We have decided to appoint an advisory, special, sub-committee, or 
commission to study or handle the problem. We want (or need) members of our group 
to volunteer assistance because we do not have money for staff." 
  b.. "Your knowledge, input, or time is so valuable (and so on), we would 
like you to help us with x, y, or z to work out solutions" (but they will fail 
to assimilate your information, suggestions, or concerns). 
  c.. "We would like to help you by doing x, y, or z for you" -- but the 
reciprocal help never appears (carrot on the stick). 
  d.. "We plan to issue a policy or statement regarding that problem next 
week, month, year..., so that everyone will know what to do in the future..." 
Beware of bureaucrats stealing your uncompensated time to tie you up, keeping you 
out of circulation in the community. Volunteerism can be abused, becoming a 
time quicksand. 
Don't accept inconsequential actions, excuses, and "donothingitis". Set a 
reasonable amount of time for genuine action, and then tell everyone that you 
expect action by that date. Think twice before joining "study committees or 
advisory groups" that are not policy-changing bodies that have no real power to do 
anything about the issue or problem in question, are funded and directed by 
your adversary, or by those that represent the other side of your issue. There 
may not be an accurate record of what has happened from the beginning, during, 
or at the end of these efforts. Refusal to allow the recording of meetings, or 
have an accurate paper trail to document important meetings and proceedings 
is a serious red flag of cover-ups and problems. 

Tactic 6 -- Give them a Red Herring, or Get them to Chase the Wrong Bunny: 
This is an issue or information offered to belittle, patronize, or confound and 
derail your efforts. When a bureaucrat tries to change the subject from what 
you are concerned about to what they want you to focus on, they are using a 
"Bait and Switch" routine. 

Examples: 
  a.. "I don't know what you're talking about; You don't know your facts; 
That issue is not important; Why are you interested in that issue?; You have not 
done enough research; You aren't an expert; Your issue is beside the point, 
irrational, emotional, or not practical; Why don't you check into, or work on x, 
y, or z, instead?" 
  b.. Engaging attendees in detailed explanations or debates that are 
intended to sidetrack the issue of concern, hoping that in the heat of debate, you 
will: Give up, get tired, go home, and forget the key issue. 

Be aware of time wasters that will eat up meeting time, and are designed to 
wear you down. When confronted with this tactic, don't get side tracked. You 
don't have to be an expert to ask questions, ask for information, or to have 
legitimate concerns. 

Write notes throughout the meeting -- this will help keep you on track. Stick 
to the issues you want to discuss, while making a special note to follow up, 
or address the other person's issue later, if they genuinely desire to do so. 

Tactic 7 -- Refuse to give out information, or make it impossible to get it: 
Bureaucrats plan that this tactic will discourage you, so that you will give 
up and go away. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) format may have to be 
invoked to get cooperation. You must know what information you need, what agency 
to request it from, and what to look for. The "Key and Lock" buzzwords and 
descriptions must be included, or the very information you seek may be withheld 
from you. 

Examples: 
  a.. Bureaucracies protecting damaging information may try to charge 
exorbitant fees for information to be searched, copied, and sent to you. Request fee 
waivers based upon public interest needs and public right-to-know laws. 
  b.. The requestor may be flooded with huge amounts of useless information 
that is out of order and out of date. This is called a data dump in legal 
circles. This is a common tactic used by legal rivals on cases to eat up valuable 
pre-trial discovery time. It takes a critical eye, speed reading, and some 
research or historical knowledge to be able to weed through the useless 
information to find what you want. 

To deal with the system effectively, you need the facts. If you have the 
facts, the system has to deal with you more openly. Democracy depends on people 
having the information needed to allow meaningful input and interaction with the 
system. The refusal to give out information may sound like this: 

  a.. "We don't have that information; x, y, or z is not in today, and I'm 
not authorized to fulfill this request; We can only give out a summary (They 
decide what is meaningful, included, excluded, or redacted); Why do you think 
that's important?; Justify your interest, or legitimize your need; We don't think 
you need that information." 
Recognize these tactical phrases meant to put you off the track of the 
information you need to level the playing field with your opponent, and don't accept 
lame excuses for non-performance or non-compliance. 


STRATEGIES TO SHORT CIRCUIT THE CONTROL GAME
  a.. AS SOON AS A TACTIC HAS BECOME APPARENT, LABEL IT: When you name that 
tactic publicly, it loses its power. You can counter these tactics with a 
minimum of wasted effort by keeping the lines of communication open with your 
colleagues and other similar interest organizations. 
  b.. BE OBSERVANT OF INTERACTIONS, TACTICS, AND WHO MAY BE CALLING THE SHOTS 
BEHIND THE SCENES: Recognize that although individuals make up the 
bureaucracy, they should not be the targets of your efforts. Evaluate where strategic 
counter-tactics would be the most effective. Good mottoes to keep in mind. 
Always go to the top, and the squeaky wheel gets fixed. 
  c.. DO NOT ALLOW BUREAUCRATIC FIGUREHEADS TO LABEL YOU as a troublemaker, 
or as someone with emotional or personal problems (i.e.: "Psychiatrically" 
linked to a site or set of issues, don't have a life because you volunteer a lot 
of your time, are a paid staffer or knowledgeable citizen, so your opinion 
doesn't count, or don't have "x" number of constituents behind you.) to legitimize 
side stepping serious issues and/or your concerns. Be alert to the evaluative 
patronizing concern look. This is contrived to give the appearance of 
questioning your mental or emotional stability to elicit a reaction. Keep cool and 
don't give them the reaction they want from you. Any person might become 
dedicated to seeking solutions, and become angry or frustrated over the distancing 
treatment bureaucracies and corporations use to keep the public at arm's length 
over difficult issues. 
  d.. MAKE YOUR ISSUE OR ADVERSARY AN OBJECT OF INTENSE STUDY: Never stop 
questioning your previous conclusions about them. Get all the information you can 
and keep getting it. Put this information to productive and meaningful use, 
then network it around. 
  e.. NEVER RELAX AFTER A VICTORY, and don't underestimate the power of 
determination. 
  f.. RENEW YOUR OWN OUTREACH REGULARLY by having current concerns and 
information prepared and ready to distribute at every opportunity. Use their 
meetings for opportunities to pass out your own targeted information. Use several 
people to see that all attendees end up with copies of your information. Ask 
local copiers or businesses to help duplicate materials. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
 
  "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can 
change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead, 
Anthropologist 
 
 "Ignorance is compounded by the sins of omission." -- Dr. Edward A. Martell, 
Radiochemist 

  "Reports based on faulty foundations of inconsistent, missing, or biased 
data are meaningless, misleading, and worthless. To deliberately present bad 
data as if it were meaningful is scientifically invalid and immoral." -- 
Environmental Information Network (EIN), Inc. 

  EIN -- A think-tank involved in researching and analyzing hazardous waste 
and radiotoxic environmental information and issues in order to disseminate 
technical information for public education. 

  Environmental Information Network
  P.O. Box 280087
  Lakewood, CO 80228-0087
  pjelofson at aol.com 

  Paula Elofson-Gardine, Executive Director
  Susan Hurst, Publications Director 

  PLEASE NOTE: EIN is a 501(C)(3) non-profit public education and networking 
organization that accepts contributions. Permission is granted for copying or 
transfer of this publication, so long as contact information for EIN is kept 
intact. The EIN logo is a unique trademark that belongs exclusively to EIN. The 
EIN logo may not be copied or isolated from EIN publications for use by other 
organizations or individuals, without specific written permission from the 
trademark owner, Paula Elofson-Gardine. 


This page coded by the ACTION Center. Direct any web-related inquiries to 
catalyst at actionpa.org. 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.hampshire.edu/pipermail/antiracism/attachments/20050613/5910c559/attachment.htm>