George Saunders’ PRKA Manifesto is a satirical piece. He describes an organization for peace in the style of one set to bring destruction. He writes of not bulldozing homes or beheading or flying planes into buildings. Instead of describing a cause worth killing or dying for, he describes a cause that isn’t worth the shedding of blood. At the end of the piece, Saunders summarizes his group as “resisting the urge to generalize” and insisting upon valuing the individual, the small decent act, and the complicated reality of the present moment.
In writing an ironic manifesto for a peaceful group in the style of one aiming to spread their message through force, Saunders provides his views of a better world. He aims to convince his readers that, instead of always taking action, people (and the world) could benefit from more reluctance.