Forum Post: What would Sun Tzu say about Occupy Wall Street?
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 7, 2011, 8 p.m. EST by thoreau42
(595)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." -Sun Tzu.
uh ohh.....
He would also say watch your supply lines.
As the Occupation grows and spreads a major concern is going to be establishing the logistics necessary to support a growing population (hygiene/sanitation/food&water etc.) and relying on an unstructured donation system isn't going to be sustainable.
He would say something like:
Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.
Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.
Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.
On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away.
When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions.
13,14. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.
Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards.
Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.
This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.
http://www.yuni.com/library/suntzu.htm#01
I'm not entirely certain how quoting the Art of War verbatim without adding any context of your own is going to help advance understanding of the discussion for the unfamiliar.
To help the general understanding. Doesn't the context explain itself? If the Occupation is in a fight to get something, they would want to understand the concepts behind winning a fight, no?
I think he would say that Panda Express is not real Chinese food.