Five types of movement disruptor, long (part 2)
THE CONTRARIAN
They only ever seem to say "but". Whenever a plan is suggested, whenever a goal is specified, they will be there; trying to seek out the most obscure failure modes and counterarguments possible, and - and this is the crucial part - presenting them as if they are a major showstopper. They go well beyond "planning for failure", and seem to actively enjoy "playing devil's advocate"; they seem more interested in *challenging* you than in helping you achieve anything. They probably subscribe to "debate" (in the adversarial sense) as some essential facet of life, some essential tool in the toolbox to prevent unspecified disaster or societal collapse. The distinction between "debate" and "discussion" seems lost on them.
Left unmoderated, the contrarian will make your movement immobile. Nothing will get done; they will just forever tie everybody up in endless discussions about non-existent scenarios, only to eventually land at the conclusion that "well, I guess we can't do anything". If they refuse to accept that "debate" is the wrong tool for collaboration, you should remove them from your community.
THE COMPROMISE-SEEKER
Whenever there's a conflict, they're always the first to suggest a "compromise". Curiously often, that "compromise" shifts the movement further away from its original goals and morals. They rarely seem interested in getting at the root cause of a disagreement and figuring out a common solution (or determining that one party is just wrong); instead usually settling for something that is nominally "in the middle" of two other options. They usually show strong interest in working with other people and groups who do not actually share the movement's core values, sometimes on the basis of some superficial similarities, and don't seem to understand that not everybody has the same end goal. The "big tent" metaphor is a common example of this.
If left unmoderated, the compromise-seeker will pull your movement further and further away from its roots, until it becomes an ineffective progressive-sounding version of the status quo; because the status quo is so widely accepted, it is a virtual certainty that there will always be *some* people arguing for it, and so the compromises don't stop until you end up at that point. Try to make them understand that some differences are irreconcilable; if they cannot accept this, they should be removed from your community.
Five types of movement disruptor, long (part 3)
THE FAUX PROGRESSIVE
They *sound* very progressive - but they seem to be uncritically following 'traditional' power dynamics suspiciously often. They're speaking from a privileged position a lot, but rarely amplifying marginalized folks. They uncritically appropriate other cultures, or happily talk about their many expensive purchases. Or maybe, whenever a conflict arises, they somehow always seem to be the person arguing for "reason", and telling people to "calm down and find a compromise". All the while flying a radical flag or saying "Black Lives Matter".
They are the faux progressive. They like the *aesthetic* of radical action, but when it comes to introspecting on *their own* privileges or role in oppressive systems, they seem suspiciously unconcerned or even defensive. They seem like they're actually pretty happy with the status quo, and just like the opportunity of sounding (and feeling) like one of the "good guys" within it. They probably show some of the other behaviours in this list. They do not *really* want societal change - they just want to be seen as arguing for it, because true change would mean they'd have to give up their privilege and their saviour aesthetic.
On top of all that, there's a not insignificant chance that they're financially profiting off the whole thing too.
There's really no hope for this kind of person in your movement. They're just there to benefit from its image, not to contribute towards its goals. They will take away the oxygen in the room (and often also the funding) from the people who are actually doing the work. Get rid of them as soon as you possibly can, once identified.