” A recipe for violence:
Promise a lot; deliver a little.
Lead people to believe they will be much better off, but let there be no dramatic improvement.
Try a variety of programs, each interesting but marginal in impact and severely underfinanced.
Avoid any attempted solution remotely comparable in size to the dimensions of the problem you are trying to solve.
…
Get some poor people involved in local decision making only to discover that there is not enough at stake to be worth bothering about.
Feel guilty about what has happened to black people; tell them you are surprised they have not revolted before; express shock and dismay when they follow your advice.
Go in for a little force, just enough to anger, not enough to discourage,
Feel guilty again; say you are surprised that worse has not happened.
Alternate with a little suppression.
Mix well, apply a match, and run.”
Aaron Wildavsky
Revolt Against The Masses
1971
Thanks and a tip of the hat to Florian Olivo at Unsplash for the image.
