Don’t drink the Kool-Aid

by Zach Knowling · 2009-08-31 16:11:00 UTC
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I think we all know what “drinking the Kool-Aid” means. But if you don’t, read this handy NPR article on Jonestown that will give you historical perspective on the etymology of the phrase.

 

Did you know that up until 9/11, the mass suicide at Jonestown was considered the largest modern loss of American life outside of a natural disaster? Well you do now. Don’t thank me. Thank Wikipedia.

 

For the purpose of this article we will go with the definition that if you drank the Kool-Aid it means that you have succumbed to blind devotion of a person or ideal – not killing yourself.

 

Let me tell you this right now: you should not drink the Kool-Aid if you are a political campaigner.

 

If you are working on a campaign or at an advocacy organization, you shouldn’t let your motivating ideals interfere with your work and your mission. You don’t want to start believing in your cause to such a degree that you lose all perspective and your work and mind turns into sort of a grape-flavored mush.

 

Because, as we all know, idealism is like grape-flavored cyanide.

 

Crazy activists do not make good campaigners. Take for example the volunteer who comes into your office, raving about how amazing John Kerry is, how awful Bush is and why Iraq is a mess. Shit! Yes! We all know these things now why don’t you sit down and make some phone calls so we can get him out of office.

 

Not gonna happen. Kool-Aid drinkers are too distracted by the weight of it all that they cannot focus and get the job done. If you cannot translate your enthusiasm into results, votes, co-sponsors or at least put it in the background, then you will be an ineffective campaigner.

 

Like I say, if you are a campaigner think of yourself as a soldier. Of course you want to fight and win for the mother land but if you are sitting there in a stupor over how pretty your Capitol is or how much you hate the enemy you might miss your chance to grenade that gun emplacement.

 

So what did we cover today?

 

Cults? Check.

 

Mass suicides? Check.

 

Use of an army metaphor? Check.

 

God I am such a good blogger.

Zach Knowling
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