| B
O O K R E V I E W
A
'self-help' book about helping others
A
book for all those who reach out to the
unconverted
with the libertarian message
Reviewed
by Daniel Cloud
Secrets
of Libertarian Persuasion, by Michael Cloud. The Advocates for Self-Government.
240 pages, soft-cover, $15.00. Available at www.TheAdvocates.org.
Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is, quite simply, a wonderful
addition to the genre of communication and persuasive theory.
This is one book that I wish my college "interpersonal communications"
teacher had forced me to read -- had it existed 10 years ago when
that near-inept professor was struggling to impart his non-existent
knowledge to a classroom of uninterested students.
A coworker recently told me that in a similar class, she was forced
to watch the movie Waking Ned Devine several times, to see
how people communicate. That movie, however, is more revelatory of
how people mis-communicate -- a study in chicanery and obfuscation.
What we need are ways to show people the truth, that liberty is the
single most important human "possession."
As Cloud emphasizes many times in this new book, the word "libertarian"
has "liberty" as its root; a major portion of persuading
people to subscribe to libertarianism is to show them that they are
already fans of liberty.
With that in mind, a few snippets of the book:
* "Smart libertarian prospecting means using persuasive tools
and techniques when and where and with whom they are most likely to
pay off," Cloud writes, explaining that continuing to "mine
for gold" in unprofitable ground is usually a waste of time.
* On how to get "horses" to drink after you've led them
to the libertarian "water": "Don't quench their thirst
with a fire hose. Don't make them drink more than they want. There's
nothing wrong with the horses. There's nothing wrong with the water.
To persuade we must master the subject of thirst."
* "Advocate, do not negate. Affirm what we will do, not what
we will not. Say what we do believe. Not what we do not."
* "If what you're doing doesn't work, do something else. If who
you're talking to isn't working out, talk to someone else. Some people
succeed by reinventing the wheel. Most people fail by reinventing
the flat tire."
* "When an event is the news event of the hour or day or week,
few people are capable of calm, thoughtful, and wise analysis…
This is the worst time to discuss abstract philosophy, principles
of politics, or the blessings of liberty. If we want understanding,
not anger, we must let the stove cool. Wait a few weeks after the
emergency or tragedy has ended. Then examine the event in the light
of liberty."
* "If our conversations are drenched in bitterness, frustration
and anger, who will we attract and who will we repel? Is this what
you want? Does this mean that libertarians need to be back-slapping,
glad-handing, grinning idiots? Not unless these are the kind of people
we want to attract! Why not be bright, courteous, and interested?
Why not be articulate and well-informed? Why not be a living brochure
for libertarianism?"
As you may have noticed, Cloud tends to laud positive, constructive,
uplifting messages as the epitome of persuasiveness. And he's probably
right: Remember the old saying, "You catch more flies with honey
than with vinegar"?
However, he also leaves room for negative conversation, or at least
for picking up on your target's feelings toward government programs
and using that feeling of negativism, hopelessness or anger as a jumping-off
point for a conversation about liberty and libertarianism.
In a chapter named "Evangelist or Church Preacher?" Cloud
notes that there are essentially two types of preachers in the Libertarian
Church -- those who exhort and uplift and shepherd the Libertarians
themselves, and those who evangelize, reaching out to the "unconverted"
with messages of libertarian peace.
Cloud himself is both.
Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is a manifestation of his
"church preacher" side, as he seeks to help other Libertarians
learn how to effectively communicate the message of liberty. But through
the book, he uses his wins and losses in preaching liberty to help
those of us who don't have his experience.
At times, his preaching to the converted takes the tone of a self-help
book, and that is essentially what he has produced: This is a book
to help Libertarians get over the stumbling blocks that invariably
occur when we try to spread the love of liberty -- and the information
that libertarianism is the best way to support liberty.
I'm no fan of feel-good, self-help books or other "inspirational"
literature, but in the case of this book I must make an exception.
Because it's ultimately about helping others, not just ourselves.
If you want to understand why your attempts at libertarian discussion
often fall on deaf ears, or why a specific argumentative tool in your
collection doesn't work, give this book a read.
And if you don't already preach the benefits of liberty to non-Libertarians,
you should definitely read Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion:
It will make you want to practice what Cloud preaches.
* About the reviewer: Daniel Cloud is the editor
of LP News, the Libertarian Party's monthly newspaper. He
is no relation to Michael Cloud. Reprinted from the September 2004
issue of LP News.
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