For whatever reason, left spaces encourage the ‘pied piper’ character. Always enthusiastic, he – and the Pied Piper is almost always he – wants to lead, regardless of expertise or skill. And he wants to lead now. He’s ready to get things done, and he wants to play the hero.
The Pied Piper uniquely combines ambition with enthusiasm and impatience. And he’s uniquely common in places like Iowa City.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin and the College Town
The Pied Piper of Hamelin wore a colorful suit and lured the rats away with a magic pipe, saving the town from the plague. Successful but scorned, he haunted the children of the town.
The Pied Piper of the College Town doesn’t murder children. But unlike his counterpart in Hamelin, he doesn’t deliver the goods, either. And deprived of an opportunity to lead, he sulks and scurries. Ultimately, he’s not a person of bad nature. Rather, his combination of traits gets the better of him. His magic pipe lacks magic.
Enthusiasm as a Double-Edged Sword
In her book No Shortcuts, Jane McAlevey warns against the Pied Piper, though not by name. She tells the story of nascent leaders who want to guide the union but who lack followers. They want to do good. But the rank-and-file doesn’t trust them and won’t go along with their ideas and programs. They’re not, as McAlevey puts it, organic leaders.
The Labor Notes book Secrets of a Successful Organizer makes much the same point. In that book, the Pied Piper is again the ‘leader’ without followers. In the Labor Notes lexicon, he’s not a ‘natural leader.’
Pied Pipers aren’t malicious characters, at least not explicitly so. If the Pied Piper does manage to gain power, it might feed his ego. But that comes much later. In most cases, he’s someone whose enthusiasm groups can put to great use – as a member of the rank-and-file. But that only happens when groups walk him back from the ledge and put him in the right role through a good, democratic process.
While the Pied Piper might frustrate some activists – especially shy or veteran ones – or even turn off potential members, he’s a better ‘problem’ to have than the total opposite: few or no engaged and enthusiastic members. To boot, he’s often a source of great ideas if he can focus on one topic rather than flitting from issue to issue, as he’s wont to do.
What the Left Needs Instead
What the left needs is engaged rank-and-file members and conscientious participants in actions and discussions. Not everyone should be a leader. But everyone – leaders included – should get involved and look out for the concerns, skills, and talents of others. We need no heroes, only people who build one another.
To take on a task is great, but to encourage and support five people who work together on a task is greater. To lead is fine, but to build leaders is both more difficult and more noble.
