Revolutionary leaders who mistrust the people become oppressors themselves

Evidence

In order to carry out the revolution, revolutionary leaders undoubtedly require the adherence of the people. When leaders who constitute a contradiction to the people seek this adherence, and find rather a certain aloofness and mistrust, they often regard this reaction as indicating an inherent defect on the part of the people. They interpret a certain historical moment of the people’s consciousness as evidence of their intrinsic deficiency. Since the leaders need the adherence of the people so that the revolution can be achieved (but at the same time mistrust the mistrustful people), they are tempted to utilize the same procedures used by the dominant elites to oppress. Rationalizing their lack of confidence in the people, the leaders say that it is impossible to dialogue with the people before taking power, thus opting for the antidialogical theory of action. Thenceforward—just like the dominant elites—they try to conquer the people: they become messianic; they use manipulation and carry out cultural invasion. By advancing along these paths, the paths of oppression, they will not achieve revolution; or if they do, it will not be authentic revolution. — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 528

Categorization

• XREF: Directly answers the reader’s stated concern that Freire’s method risks producing a new vanguard/facilitator who already knows the correct consciousness — this is Freire’s own warning against exactly that failure. — connects to: Those who rejected compassion were negatively declaring themselves for revolution; Revolutionary leadership requires faith incompatible with clear social analysis; Charismatic dictatorships inverted Weber’s claim that heroic leaders save passive masses. — Stephen Reicher, S. Alexander Haslam, and Nick Hopkins, Social identity and the dynamics of…, 14 (+1 more)
• ADDENDUM: Bears on ‘On Sacrifice’ and ‘Grafting & Growth’ themes of leadership meant to empower yet easily becoming a form of conquest — the facilitator-to-vanguard slide parallels the liberator-to-dominator slide.