The situation can be influenced on too many levels. In a dictatorship, weapons win. In a liberal democracy in theory weapons should not be relevant, because they are only used against criminals and external enemies; the conflicts should be decided by votes. However in real-life democracies the people with power can sometimes use police and secret service to harm their opponents; they just can’t do it too openly. Maybe espionage is even better that weapons; if you have access to plans of your opponents and if you know about their internal conflicts, you have big advantage. If cryptography can give them security, you can make cryptography illegal. Etc. The existing power can be in many ways used to protect the status quo. Also education, or deciding which projects will be financially supported by state and which will get administrative barriers.
Besides using violence, the critical abilities are to coordinate and influence others.
It remains to be seen how this could change in the future, especially when one considers that Internet-based open politics may be a possibility.
Even with internet-based politics, money can give you huge advantage. Find smart people who agree with your cause, and give them money, so they don’t have to work, and can spend all day online, advocating your cause; while your opponents must spend 8 hours a day in work. Find stupid people and pay them to follow your smart opponents online, and fill discussions in their blogs by stupidity and hate, post false accusations, create artificial controversies. Simply, create a feeling that majority of smart people agree with your cause, and that there is something fishy about your opponents.
Raising the sanity waterline is a noble goal, but as soon as it will visibly harm someone’s political agenda, there will be problems. Just like creationists are able to make a museum with dinosaurs to support their cause, I expect that if “sanity waterline” activities will become popular, copycat “alternative sanity waterline” activities will appear soon. And it is easy even for an x-rationalist to shoot themselves in the foot, especially if someone will help them to aim.
The situation can be influenced on too many levels. In a dictatorship, weapons win. In a liberal democracy in theory weapons should not be relevant, because they are only used against criminals and external enemies; the conflicts should be decided by votes. However in real-life democracies the people with power can sometimes use police and secret service to harm their opponents; they just can’t do it too openly. Maybe espionage is even better that weapons; if you have access to plans of your opponents and if you know about their internal conflicts, you have big advantage. If cryptography can give them security, you can make cryptography illegal. Etc. The existing power can be in many ways used to protect the status quo. Also education, or deciding which projects will be financially supported by state and which will get administrative barriers.
Besides using violence, the critical abilities are to coordinate and influence others.
Even with internet-based politics, money can give you huge advantage. Find smart people who agree with your cause, and give them money, so they don’t have to work, and can spend all day online, advocating your cause; while your opponents must spend 8 hours a day in work. Find stupid people and pay them to follow your smart opponents online, and fill discussions in their blogs by stupidity and hate, post false accusations, create artificial controversies. Simply, create a feeling that majority of smart people agree with your cause, and that there is something fishy about your opponents.
Raising the sanity waterline is a noble goal, but as soon as it will visibly harm someone’s political agenda, there will be problems. Just like creationists are able to make a museum with dinosaurs to support their cause, I expect that if “sanity waterline” activities will become popular, copycat “alternative sanity waterline” activities will appear soon. And it is easy even for an x-rationalist to shoot themselves in the foot, especially if someone will help them to aim.