Dick Flacks' (non)review of the Tom Hayden Reader

From Znet:

Our passion and our action, this pragmatism says, should be guided by our experience, rather than ideological doctrine, theory or concealed thirst for power. Here, Tom suggests, are some ways to make our experience useful for making change:

Take institutional claims seriously and see if they are practiced by those in power.

Challenge elites to live up to their claims, to justify their actions.

Oppose structures of authority that block ordinary people from, in the language of Port Huron, "participating in the decisions that affect their lives."

Try to figure out, by observation of relevant cases, by experimentation, by dialogue, how social empowerment and participatory democracy can be made real.

It is through such ongoing efforts to organize from below, to win voice for the voiceless, to de-legitimize elites, that fundamental change happens. And, he teaches, whether or not transformation is possible, that struggling for democratic voice and empowerment is the essence of practical strategies by which ordinary people can advance their interests.