Liberation
To attain complete liberation two processes are both necessary: (1) effective organized social action and struggle, and (2) discharge and re-evaluation to free each individual from his or her individual distress patterns.
To be successful, any oppressed group seeking liberation must move in two directions:
- It must consistently strive for unity within its own group around a clear-cut program of goals and actions.
- It must consistently seek unity and mutual support with every other oppressed group, no matter how difficult this task may seem at first.
People need separate discussions within each particular liberation group before they can hope to communicate well to, or unite with, the other groups. They must have a time to get themselves together in the safety of their similarities, their commonalties, or their homogeneity. People having the same backgrounds need to first discuss and agree on what they want the other groups to hear from them. Once that is accomplished, they can come together and listen to each other with respect and achieve the real unity that they would otherwise seek too quickly or too simplistically.
People cannot be organized successfully for liberation around programs of distress or painful emotion. To appeal to their fear, guilt, shame, is to paralyze them by restimulation in the long run. They must be organized by appealing to reason, logic, and confidence. All programs and policies should be rational. The tone of communication should always be one of confidence in the inevitability of success.