Peaceful resistance or necessary violence?

I have been thinking a lot lately, especially after viewing Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (which I found an incredibly valuable fim) and Spielburg's Munich (which I found an especially frustrating movie) ...

What IS the right thing?

In my life, I tend to take the path of peaceful resistance, because I find that violent protests are more easily dismissed as "caused by a bunch of crazies" rather than put across by a group of informed demonstrators ... yet I can COMPLETELY see the point behind necessary violence.

What do you think?

 

You start off peaceful and then move on to violence. There is no skipping straight to violence. Somethings are worth fighting for...

 

If armed resistance to something saved many lives, then surely it has a lesser human cost, and most that preach about being peaceful have human cost in mind...

 

it depends what you're fighting for.if it's a fascist/dictatorship thing,then it's ok.

also,violent changes tend to turn things upside-down,and that's bad,any way you'd look at it.if you overthrow a corrupt government you'll have to put somebody better instead.and who's better at governing than the government?joking,but there are a lot of things about being responsible for a country that we are not told.

when it comes to protests,not revolutions,waving pancarts will get you nowhere.neighter will breaking windows and attacking the police.you need something peaceful,on the edge of legality,but shocking and appealing.

 

My favourite myth.

 

Any kind of violence is STUPID because it will always be met with greater violence. It also provides a prextext for things such as martial law. So really, violence, especially violence without logic, information and direction, only leads to the digging of one's own grave.

 

start with peaceful protest and see what happens. i don't like violence at all.

 

ok. let me get this right. this is a "hippy" site, right? well, i don't know about you, but received my father's peace values from him. i am against violence at all times. if there is peace, there won't be any violence. i think more people just need to listen to lennon's "imagine." that is the dream place to be. i agree with the peaceful protests.

 

i do believe in taking every step to prevent violence
however if someone is coming at me in a threatening way and i might get hurt, i consider that self-defense
and so i choose self-defense is intellegence
however i also believe that ever situation is different and it often depends on the cirumstances

 

i say don't be agressive,but be violent if there is the need to.
you can't just sit when someone slaps you or your friend

 

What about Ghandi - he never raised a finger of resistance and defeated a whole empire

 

who ever said they would do that?

 

A very, very mean and sad man who bitches on the internet.

Good way to describe you.

Peace on you, angry dude.

 

Peace, man, I just kidding you!

 

I say peace all the way. If we use violence than the government will retaliat in violence and it will be easier to convince people that we are wrong. If we don't use violence any violent act against us strengthens our cause and will help us gain respect and support.

 

violence is despicable. peace, man, there should only be peace. but it's not going to happen. it isn't in the human nature to cast all violent behavior aside and simply abide. a pity, really.

 

he also sent a whole lot of people to their death...

However, there are far greater reasons for the collapse of the british empire than a guy with bad breath.

 

If you reply to hate with hate, how will the hate stop? If someone threaten you, just run away.

 

you answer hate with justice, not hate.

If you believe you can't answer hate/violence/illegal action with force...how can we justify lockign up ANYONE?

Putting someone in jail is the legal equivalent of kidnap. You must be able to answer illegal actions with justice or else society breaks down.

 

If we hadn't used violence back in the 1700's to throw out the British, to this day, we'd have a picture of the Queen in our living rooms. If we hadn't stopped the Japanese with violence during WWII we'd be eating with chopsticks. And if we hadn't used violence against the Germans/Hitler.........As the saying goes: Nothing educates people more vigorously than a bomb.