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maxericksonlast Wednesday at 1:26 PM1 replyview on HN

There's a famous essay about unstructured groups. They aren't actually free of hierarchy and structure, it's just informal.

https://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/tyranny.htm


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PaulHoulelast Wednesday at 1:54 PM

That essay is important but I think looking back it over 50 years it poses a question that hasn't yet been answered.

That kind of unstructured group can advocate for (say) women, but if you add enough structure it becomes a group that writes checks to Democratic candidates. The most effective activist organizations I've been with have been temporary and deal with the structure/structureless/sustainability problem of melting into the crowd and reforming when necessary.

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