I was in the garden (fiddling with the plants, repotting, tidying, and so on) and listening to the Who did what now? podcast with Katie Charlwood, episode 150 – John Brown part 1: American Abolitionist. (I highly recommend this podcast, she is hilarious AND a most excellent teller of stories.)
And as an aside in the midst of narrating the life and work of John Brown the American Abolitionist, she said this, which I had to rush in and scribble down immediately because YES – I am all for restorative practice and non-violence and peacebuilding and All Of That, but I often worry about how to do this in the face of *actual* violence. My ex used to say the only possible response to force is greater force (I think, something like that) and he basically meant if they hit you, you hit them back harder. I didn’t want to agree in principle but what else is there? Well, community. There is greater force in community.Thanks, Katie.
“It would be great to solve the world’s problems and solve wars with non-violent action and pacifism, but when you are trying to deal with an oppressive voice, what is your option to violence… magic? is it magic??
Because unfortunately as well, it’s always the people at the bottom of the ladder who get hurt the most. It’s terrible and atrocious. It doesn’t matter what route you take, there’s going to be suffering – the only choice is to try and reduce that.
And you do thatvia community.
Community is the only non-violent action, because you have to support each other, and care for each other, and consider each other – you need bonds, and friendship, and support, being there for each other.
There’s this whole thing about how the left tears itself apart, with “you’re not good enough for doing this, this is performative, blah blah blah” when we should be standing together to fight the fucking enemy, that’s the thing. And it’s community, it’s helping each other, it’s providing support – thatis what’s going to help get through.
You need to do something. We have to support each other, and help each other regardless of our continent, religious affiliations (whether we have them or don’t have them). We’re supposed to be making thing better. Because otherwise what’s the point?
You want things to be shitty? That’s a you problem and you need therapy.
We’re supposed to make things better for everybody, because why not?”
Edit: retrospectively numbered #1, because there is now a #2.
