I think the last few years have been instructive for me. I feel I understand political processes a little better from them. One of the angles of seeing and understanding comes under the heading of "bylaws".
A carpenter joins a carpenter co-operative, a group aimed at sharing work opportunities and the ups and downs of making a living together. Say, a new member, or maybe one of the originators of the group, starts wearing very, very short shorts. Some members don't think his way of dressing is appropriate and he can pick up their disapproval without any words being exchanged. At lunch one day, the subject of appropriate on-the-job dress comes up. Another originator pulls out his copy of the group's bylaws and reads Section 4.2 aloud. It says that on-the-job dress is recognized as an individual matter and the group shall make no rules impinging on the individual's choice of work costume.
Until this section of the bylaws was drawn to the members' attention, some had not read the by-laws. Several had no idea that the group had any bylaws. Some of the longtime members remember the long discussions of the proposed bylaws. Some of the longtime members felt at the time that several of the bylaws were wrong, badly constructed or unduly restrictive. As members of the group began to read through these bylaws, some felt they were out-of-date while some liked the ideas expressed and admired the language used.
As far as I know, this cooperative of carpenters does not exist. I made them up. None of them said 'bylaws, schmylaws, I didn't write them or agree to them and I ain't following them.'
