Why Not Try Non-Violence?

We all have well aware of the protests and the riots and violence that keeps breaking out.

30 years ago I presented a paper at a scholars conference at the Univ. of Louisville on the “Shortcomings In The Theory Of Non-Violence”…..I apologize but the original paper was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina…I lost a large portion of my pre-pc papers in that storm.

Let me say before I begin…I am not saying the a non-violent campaign has no place in protesting for change…only that it is not always a win even when it is declared to be one.

I have read many op-eds that call for these protesters to return to the days of Gandhi and MLK,Jr and their use of non-violence to achieve their goals.

Now I ask what did these movements achieve?

I actually wrote about this back in 2017 with the Charlottesville situation…….https://gulfsouthfreepress.wordpress.com/2017/09/25/society-was-warned/

In case you are too lazy to read this post then I shall break it down further……try to keep up.

Did the use of non-violence actually solve the problems of the movements?

Let us begin with Gandhi.

Basically, Gandhi’s non-violence campaign in India began around 1930….it all revolved around independence from the UK…..some of the other issues within the movement was an end to the class system, equality of the religions….(that is a simplistic explanation for brevity)…

Now fast forward to today…..India is independent…..religions are seldom tolerated….class system remains….just from those two I ask what did the non-violence campaign of Gandhi actually accomplish for the people of India?

Now let’s look at Americans favorite “rebel”…Martin Luther King, Jr…..first I am taking nothing away from the efforts of MLK, Jr and his movement….I am just pointing out what his campaign of non-violence accomplished for the Black people of America……

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought to raise the public consciousness of racism, to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United States. While his goal was racial equality…..again it was more complex than my explanation but again for the sake of brevity and understanding I did it as simple as I could….

Once again fast forward to today….segregation has ended in the US (or has it?)…racial discrimination is as prevalent today as it was in 1957…..just not a blatant…..racism is still raging across the nation…..blacks did get the right to vote and are losing that right state by state….housing is still a problem….pay is also unequal…..

So I ask….what did the non-violence campaign of MLK,Jr actually accomplish for all the violence inflicted on the participants?

I think most blacks are sick of the “conversations” that so many leaders pretend will end the cycle of violence.  Most have tried to go about their citizenship in a proper manner….sadly the white establishment has not taken any steps to meet them in the middle

Here is a few thoughts from Thomas Jefferson (remember him)…..

“Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”

Plus I would like to throw a favorite quote of the slugs in the Tea Party from Jefferson back at them….

“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”