This is a thoughtful thread and deserves a thoughtful response.
I'll be making this the centerpiece of a Mailbag note on "Lucifer's Hammer" (because I've rec'd a ton of similarly smart comments on this note), but here's a brief thread on where I'm coming from ...
I'll be making this the centerpiece of a Mailbag note on "Lucifer's Hammer" (because I've rec'd a ton of similarly smart comments on this note), but here's a brief thread on where I'm coming from ...
The sine qua non for any successful campaign where you are the underdog - whether that's a business campaign or a military campaign or a campaign of resistance for social change - is *discipline*.
If you're the underdog and you do not excel in discipline, you will lose. Period.
If you're the underdog and you do not excel in discipline, you will lose. Period.
By allowing violence to permeate this campaign for social justice, its organizers have failed their most crucial (and difficult) leadership task.
The violence genie is incredibly difficult to put back into the bottle. Your reactionary opponents will egg it on. Your members will want to hit back.
Similarly, discipline is incredibly difficult to maintain. Why? Because discipline is not fun.
Similarly, discipline is incredibly difficult to maintain. Why? Because discipline is not fun.
Once discipline is lost and violence emerges, your narrative fails. Not just the narrative that others have about you, but more importantly the narrative that you tell yourself.
"Speaking out against the violence" is no longer enough. You must crush it within your own ranks.
"Speaking out against the violence" is no longer enough. You must crush it within your own ranks.
Disciplined courage in the form of nonviolent protest is THE weapon of effective social justice movements.
If you don't have that, you will lose.
If you don't want to lose, you must regain THAT.
If you don't have that, you will lose.
If you don't want to lose, you must regain THAT.
