Forum Post: "Justice is what love looks like in public." - Cornel West. --- THIS POST CONTAINS INFO ON THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF NON-VIOLENCE
Posted 12 years ago on Sept. 28, 2011, 9:44 p.m. EST by GandhiKingMindset
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As I understand it, those who are really good at this non-violent action thing have a very good idea of exactly how the group they're engaging in action against will react. So they plan each move out, having the appropriate action linked up with the predictable reaction. That's why non-violence works so well because no matter what the group subject to direct action does, it doesn't look good. Gandhi, King and others always made sure the cameras were right there when the reaction happened. It was hardly ever an action. They were masters. And it forced the other party to the negotiating table. I suspect the other party would often forget soon after....and then King / Gandhi would remind them. This works. It just plain works. Now all we have to do is live up to their legacy and be inspired and informed by it in our own small way.
I haven't talked about it yet, but it is important to note that both King and Gandhi saw the good in people and won because they did not hate them. They absolutely did not. They actually loved the other party who was doing the oppressing (the form of love King called "agape" -- love of humanity that comes from a recognition that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice). King and Gandhi loved the other party that was doing the oppressing so much that King and Gandhi worked tirelessly to help set them right. The setting right came from non-violently acting in a way that illuminated the injustice, brought it out of the shadows and into the light. Injustice can't survive in the light of day.
I love the Cornel West quote "Justice is what love looks like in public."
Here's some info on possible demands and tactics and some more info on power of non-violent direct action: https://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
I read the book The Rich and the Rest of Us, by Cornel West and Tavis Smiley. Absolutely a great book.
Cornel West is a good and honest man. His words of wisdom are reminiscent of the great Martin Luther King.
The tactics of nonviolence are key to a real revolution.
Many a 'good and honest' have been hypocrites before and now.
Non-violence is absolute. You cant praise violence and the violent and then advocate for non-violence. Marx advocated for violent revolution, with the ultimate goal of aquiring material wealth.
Dont praise violence.
I'm not. And Cornel never praised that aspect of Marxism.
praising any aspect of marxism is a acceptance of violence.
you cant pick and choose and then put a name to it. if you are going to pick and choose then call is Cornelism, not Marxism.
Cornel West is a hypocrite, an honest and sincere one; but a hypocrite none the less.
Cornel does not condone violence. In fact he speaks against violence. So your rhetoric here is unfounded.
He speaks against violence, yet in favor of Marxism. Is that not the quintessental hypocrite?
You don't understand the term hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy would be Cornel speaking against violence and then participating in it, or telling people to commit violent acts.
He however is not doing that. He speaks against violence at all times. Never once condones it.
Even MLK liked aspects of Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth, but ultimately said he does not condone the violence of it.
Advocating for marxism is a violent action. Advocating for the destruction of anything is a violent act.
Just as you can fight without violence, you can use violence with out physical force.
Violence is destruction and revolution.
Non-violence is progress and innovation.
Cornel has never once advocated for violent action.
YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT, DONNY
He has contiually advocated FOR marxism. Marxism is violence.
You cant have revolution without violence, you cant have marxism without revolution.
He advocates violence whether he means to or not.
You have no idea what you are talking about.
You have no idea what You are talking about. Cornel is a good honest, nice, hypocrite.
This is from his bio on the European Graduate School website: "His contribution to the field of philosophy is grounded in the African American Baptist church, Marxism, pragmatism and transcendentalism."
Marxism is the distribution of material wealth equally and the common ownership of capital.
Trascendentalism is the purging of all material wealth in search of a state that doesnt require material wealth to enlighten one's self.
You simply cannot be both at the same time. Maybe you can be a third something in between, but you cant be at both extremes at the same time.
Cornel West listens to the populists and then spews portions of what he hears and hope something will then stick.
He passes off his pop-philosphy as 'eclectic' and then says he is both a follower of K.Marx and Ralph Emerson.
Is it 'conformity' as Karl wanted? or 'non-conformity' as Ralph wanted?
the ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. - MLK
War breeds extremism.
I know that MLK was non-violent, but he also didnt go around praising Marxism, Socialism, State Capitalism and violent revolution.
Violence is ALWAYS wrong. Not just most of the time.
Cornel ALWAYS pushes for non-violent action.
and at the same time he wants revolution. There is no such thing as a non-violent revolution. Innovation and progress are non-violent traits. Revolution and destruction are violent traits.
Cornel West is a hypocrite. He claims to be in favor of socialism, then he is also a transcendentalist and a christian.
You also cant be Pro-military and non-violent at the same time.
Still haven't read any of his work, yeah?
Cornel West is a great mind.
Your misconceptions about him are exactly that, misconceptions.