Why Cancel Yourself as an “Independent?”

Whether It’s Nonprofits, Arts Organizations, or Politics, Savvy Leaders Know That Groups Have Power; and More Groups Gain the Power to Ally

Try this quiz in the comments section. (I double dog dare you, and don’t be a jerk and look it up. It’s a freaking matching quiz. There are no prizes.) Answers next week.

Tougher than you thought, huh?

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Jack Roosevelt Robinson (aka Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers) summed up the thoughts of many voters in the US when he said:

Baseball, however, is a team sport. If 9 players take the field decide to eschew the “team” concept and act as independent players, you might see 9 players playing first base.If you don’t know baseball, you can translate that to soccer/football: what if 11 independent thinkers lined up at center forward because they each want the best chance to score a goal?

Or theatre: what if every independent actor in the cast of Romeo and Juliet decided to play arguably the best role, Mercutio, with no one playing anyone else, let alone Romeo or Juliet?

Unbelievably, somebody (maybe you) is mentally putting together a version of this play. (All drawings Creative Commons)

Today, when you hear someone talk about voting “independent,” they’re actually quoting Groucho Marx.

Groucho and his brothers were celebrants of anarchic independent thought. Their comedy was based on the notion that the defiantly funny acts of the independent thinker – in an underdog role – were more effective than the power structure represented by the elitist Margaret Dumont characters.That’s why it was brilliant comedy. Because that’s not what happens in real life. In real life, Margaret Dumont and her ilk run everything.

In nonprofit arts organizations, an artistic director’s “vision” is celebrated. But, as we are keenly aware, the “vision” is mutable with each new artistic director. “Vision” has little – if anything – to do with the impact that a nonprofit organization/coalition/community seeks. When the organization is subordinated to a single, independent, arbitrary artistic “vision,” the organization is doomed to failure right from the start.

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The United States political process is described, fairly or not, as a 2-party system. But it is not as though that’s something the Founding Fathers anticipated. After all, there is no mention of a 2-party system in the Constitution.

But, as a deformed offshoot of the preposterousness that is “The American Dream,” US culture celebrates the fiercely independent person, whether hero or antihero, real or fictional. Teddy Roosevelt or Jack Kerouac. Tracy Turnblad (Hairspray) or R.P. McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). Calvin or Snoopy.

The reason America celebrates the fiercely independent person is that their power is so rarely apparent in day-to-day life. Ideas may come from individuals, but power comes from coalitions. Remember, while it was a tyrant who promoted ideological (and racial) purity in Europe, it was the coalition of nationalists who followed orders and killed millions.

Who benefits from people calling themselves “independent?” Who benefits from union-busting and other group-destroying measures? Who benefits by pitting one ethnic/racial group against another?

Who do you think?

These guys. The power brokers and the elite. The “One-Percent,” as they’ve been tagged.

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Are there any drawbacks of party dynamics?

You’ll have to compromise for the greater good, which means you won’t get everything you want.

It takes longer to get stuff done.

Powerful people don’t like it when you muster support and thwart their selfish interests.

The personality of the leaders of your party either glorifies or besmirches your personal reputation. For example, if you are a cultist of the Palm Beach Parasite, you are not truly a GOP member who believes in states’ rights. If you are a cultist of Bros, you are not truly a Democratic party member who believes in the power of the majority.

Other than that, party dynamics are stronger than independent dynamics.

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So what’s the solution when neither party is serving your interests?

Work with others to form four or five parties. Like Canada, Great Britain, and most other countries which have several regional parties and subdivisions, a coalition government requires cross-party coordination.

Allow for the racist core of the country to have its own party, as it did in 1968. Maybe that party really is now the Republican party. If so, ask the 44% of Republicans (Pew Research study) that disavow the Floridian Horror to form their own permanent party. It might allow for some reasonable coalitions from people who seemingly are forbidden to talk to each other. What a concept.

Allow for the collectivist fragment of the country to have its own party. Maybe that party really is now the Democratic Party. If so, ask the 42% who do not support universal healthcare, the 14% that do not support the Green New Deal, and the 16% who support at least a $15 minimum wage that disavow the Bros to form their own permanent party. That, too, might allow for promising coalitions.

Rather than immediately seceding, perhaps a bloc of voters could make hay by forming a regional bloc not unlike Bloc Québécois. The Pacifica Party, for example, could deal with the unique issues that affect only those who border the Pacific Ocean. The Dixie Party could represent the interests of southerners. Texas could have its own party. So could New England.

When Abraham Lincoln said (referring to Mark 3:25), “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” he was right. It did not stand. The divisions – the cracks in every wall, ceiling, and floor – have only deepened since Gettysburg. It’s time to acknowledge that and move forward with a multiple party system that promises to either commit the country to consensus or secession.

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Based in Kirkland, Washington, Alan Harrison is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications and here on LinkedIn. Contact him directly at [email protected]. Alan would be delighted to engage with your board or staff.

Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive Perfect Opportunity?.

If you're interested in meeting him, just shoot him an email. In the meantime, please join the 501 (c) (3) Guru LinkedIn group and add your ideas to the brainstream.