198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action were interesting in that he had a well defined list of interventions that had proven useful in the history of peaceful intercession. He tried to make nonviolence almost scientific by categorizing different techniques.

I feel that the methods listed in Sharp’s list do not always produce the desired results. One must be selective in the form of action they use. For instance, it would not make sense to use religious processions (Method 40) to advocate separation of church and state. However, one of PETA’s campaign slogans was, “I would rather go naked than wear fur.” Demonstrators then performed protest disrobings (Method 22) to drive their point home.
One nonviolent action that I never previously considered is turning one’s back (Method 54). It’s remarkably simple and rather effective in many circumstances. By turning your back to someone, you are empowered. You are showing them that what they have to say is no longer important.

I also appreciated method 174, establishing new social patterns. That technique seems to encompass many different nonviolent acts. The whole purpose of nonviolent action is to alter social patterns.

It was a very useful teaching tool for individuals interested in the application of nonviolence. It can give them a clear picture of how many options are out there.

Poland

Poland, a formerly communistic country, has a history strewn with violence and suffering. During the Warsaw Uprising alone, more than 200,000 people were killed and the capital was destroyed. Due to their military struggles, Poles referred to their country as “the Christ among Nations.” It was not until the 1970s and 1980s that nonviolence was truly embraced.

The nonviolent movement in Poland was largely centered around the Catholic Church. Poland was and is a primarily Catholic nation, so when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II, the church’s connection to the movement was strengthened. He desired for transformation in Poland. Like in the civil rights movement, the church became a place where ideas could flow freely. People could talk at the church openly, without being silenced by a communist oppressor.

The movement for freedom from communist oppression in Poland became known as the Solidarity Movement. In 1989, it led to the democratization of Poland. This was the first time that a communist country was converted to a multi-party democracy. Originally, the goal was not for democratization, but rather a more liberal communist rule.

This movement showed me how people become empowered. The church was one of the main motivating forces. It helped create a sense of unity and allowed for people to express their ideas and feelings.

Andrew Young

Andrew Young portrayed King in a very different light. It was interesting to read that he may have been pushed into his role as a nonviolent leader, rather than choosing to do so from the beginning. His pursuit was not in leadership, even though he naturally displayed leadership characteristics. Young explained that the only reason King went to Montgomery in the first place was to have a quiet place to finish his doctoral dissertation.
It is hard for me to imagine that the same Martin Luther King, Jr. who delivered history altering speeches and was so integral to the civil rights movement, would have been pleased with a life of preaching and writing.

It was fascinating to read about King taking his role as a leader in the civil rights movement more serious as time progressed. So serious in fact, that Young expressed fear for King’s health. This was because he was not sleeping, and he was getting stressed about things. He would practice his speeches in front of Young even.

It seemed very odd to me that the government should bug King’s motels. Young described in some detail the government’s agents bugging the rooms of the civil rights activists. The history classes that I have taken have always portrayed King and the government as parallel entities, moving forward without necessarily keeping in check with one another. The fact that the government bugged his rooms seems to imply distrust as well as fear of opposition.

This reading taught me not to take contextually distorted history as fact. I had always assumed that King took leadership because of his desire for equality. Surely that wish was present, but this reading helped me better understand the struggles and the external influences that impacted the life and decisions of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Albany

Albany, Georgia was a learning experience for those involved in the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. described it as his greatest failure. It was however a success in that it was the first large scale movement with an end goal of desegregation.

There were many factors that made the Albany Movement less successful. First and foremost, there was very little publicity. At the beginning of the movement and after Martin Luther King’s arrest there was national media coverage. However, its impact was lessened by local authorities who bailed him out of jail. They did this to knowingly avoid media confrontation. They also used nonviolence by simply making arrests. There were not beatings and therefore there was no negative publicity. Those sent to jail were not sent to the same one. The authorities did this in order to avoid overfilling the jails, which was one of King’s strategies.

Religion played a powerful role in this movement. The church was at the forefront of the Albany Movement. It was a place where the oppressed minority could go for support, reinforcement, prayer, companionship, understanding, and togetherness. They would also sing together. Song was a strong force in maintaining togetherness. They would sing in church, and when they were imprisoned, they would sing together there too. Undoubtedly, the church was essential to the civil rights movement.

Means and Ends

I loved Ferdinand Lassalle’s quote, “For ends and means on earth are so entangled that changing one you change the other too.” People tend to think of means as justifiable as long as a desirable goal is reached. Cady argues that ends are defined by their means and in that, the products of war would reflect violence.

In the reading “Means and Ends”, Cady explains that one way people have tried to settle the problems of war is with religion. However, spiritual principles differ from religion to religion, and often from sect to sect. I know, within my own church I have seen disagreements between members in their interpretations of the doctrine. So clearly, a common ground cannot always be found and there will be disagreements if this method is used to try and bring peace. It is for that reason that I believe religion is an inappropriate medium for conflict resolution. Furthermore, church and state are to remain separate. It would be unconstitutional for us as Americans to use religion in order to bring about a desired result. If the means used to attain peace are the views of a particular religion, then the ends will surely reflect that.

She wrote about the “just-warist”. What a strange term. She said that a just-warist is a person who argues that the ultimate good of war outweighs the negativity. I would argue that there is no such thing as a just-warist because war is never justifiable. There are pacifists and there are those in support of war. Anything in between is just violence with varying shades gray. She further describes that some just-warists would go as far as to believe that war should be fought even if defeat is certain, because it is better to go down fighting than to surrender. Why should one fight at all if loss is inevitable? Why subject more to violence than necessary? Those thoughts echoed in my mind as I read the chapter. In my opinion such logic has no place in society. By victimizing more people with the brutality of war, we are only creating an undesirable end with an unnecessary mean.

Refusing to be a Victim

Women throughout history have been perceived as weak. They have been socialized into roles of submission and victimization. I don’t say that to sound sexist, nor do I agree that weakness is characteristic of women; but society as a whole has typically believed that women are in some way inferior to men in that they are in some need of protection. This view has enabled women to play the role of victim, because it has been in accordance with society’s views, thus giving them certain sway in the decisions of men. This façade of weakness has at times brought women great influence. However, it has also made it difficult to gain roles of leadership and power.

In “Refusing to be a Victim” the author was taken aback by the thought of women as victims. She grew up in the south and the black women she was raised around were emotionally strong, knowledgeable individuals who refused to act as victims. These women were powerful; however they did not gain their power through the perception of victimization. Instead they gained power through mental and emotional strength.

Some women, “privileged-class white women” in particular were able to use a victim identity in order to get positive, nonviolent results during the civil rights movement. They could see that, as victims, they were less likely to be attacked by the police and assassinated, thus giving them a clear upper hand. In this case, using victimization worked in women’s favor.

The author further explained, “The image of blacks as victims had an accepted place in the consciousness of every white person.” I don’t know that I completely agree with that statement. Like in the case of women, people often held the belief that a role of submission was a black individual’s place in society. I think that many people did not view blacks as victims. They were not perceived as weak, they were seen as lesser. Whites saw them as a group of people not needing help, nor playing the card of the distressed; but as strong group of people, that regardless of their knowledge, were inherently inferior. It is in that belief that they moved out of the role of victim, and into the role of inborn subordination. That was also the reason whites had such a struggle with cultural solidarity, where blacks and whites could be accepted as equals.

Personally, I view people across the board as equal. A Caucasian male is not inherently superior to an African American female. As far as sexism, as a society we are thankfully moving closer to equality. Racism is a little more complicated. I think that we are for the most part perceived as equals. However, I think we as society have moved in the direction of reverse discrimination to level the playing field. I understand that they were victimized, but I am in no way at fault for what occurred and I am not responsible for fixing it by experiencing discrimination of my own people. Hopefully, racism and sexism will someday be obsolete and no longer integral to our society. We are at a point in history where people are getting closer to equality; but we still have a long way to go before we reach unity.

Pilgrimage to Nonviolence

I never realized how little I knew about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and there are several topics in this reading that I would like to discuss. First of all, I thought that it was interesting that he had studied Gandhi. He said, “My study of Gandhi convinced me that true pacifism is not nonresistance to evil, but nonviolent resistance to evil.” Addams, Stone, Gandhi, King, and many other pacifists and nonviolent activists seem to agree on that idea. In order to fight violence, there must be nonviolent action.

King’s view of Gandhi fascinated me. He at one point described him as being Jesus like in his social effect. I feel that Gandhi was a great man, but never before had I considered him to be savior-like as King implied. He did seem to possess qualities of kindness, compassion, and altruism that were ever present in his quest for human civility.

“A religion that ends with the individual, ends.” I was intrigued by that quote because it is rather contrary to what is often taught in the Christian church, and yet fundamental to King’s teachings. You can see that traditional denominations within the Christian church are crumbling because there is a lack of outreach. I grew up going to a traditional Methodist church, which at the time was a flourishing church in the Huntingdon area. Now, it is dwindling down to its last few members. There is little missionary work, very little youth involvement, and therefore, a very bleak future. I now attend a church that is flourishing and will probably do so in the future because of the involvement with the youth and outreach programs. King used this quote when describing that religion was clearly meant to be understood in physical terms, as well as metaphysical. For King, the gospel was more than just an instruction manual to get into heaven, it was concerned with the whole individual; mind, body, and soul. I agree that if you do not in some way profess your beliefs, then those beliefs will die with you. Because of his willingness and persistence in professing his beliefs, even though King has long passed, his beliefs and are ever present, shaping our society.