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mre · Senior Member

Assignment #19: A Class of Nonviolence (Alternative)

rodrigues09 · Member

Helena Rodrigues

Block: C

Explain what you think nonviolence means.

* Nonviolence means an active opposition to those acts and attitudes that demean and brutalize another and it means an active support of those values and expressions that foster human solidarity.

Peter Maurine wrote, "Society should be so structured that it is easy for people to be good." Do you think this is an idle dream? If achievable, would it make us more peaceful in our relationships?

*I think you choose your own path and destiny, if you choose to be good you probably will. Yes I think if people start acting with their heart and not with they think its cool, lots of relationships would be peaceful.

Many anthropologists point to the violence in the animal kingdom as evidence that human animals are prone innately to violence. Are we really inherently violent or have we "learned" violence from others, from society?

*I think because the way we have been brought it had an impact on us. For example if you been raised in a criminal environment you are probably going to grew up and be a criminal. I guess what I am trying to say is that people are trying to other people not their self (like a gangster they saw on the TV) and thats why there is so much violence.

Of all the forms of violence physical, verbal, psychological, spiritual which have you experienced and how did it impact you?

*I have experienced physical, verbal and spiritual violence. in the past I been in through some fights and arguments and also on verbal arguments, and now I see that wasnt thinking while that accident happen. It still has an bad impact on me because I let ma anger speak louder than myself.

D.crosson · Member

Class of nonviolence Lesson 4

Why was "forgiveness" and "inclusive peacemaking" the crucial underpinning of Martin Luther King's approach to confronting a racist society? Because martin new that you could not move past something without forgiveness holding grudges would be a big part of todays society people that didnt forgive wouldnt forget and that would cause an imbalance between the two groups. It was important to reinforce peacemaking to let everyone to know that blacks wouldnt vengeful that all he wanted was for us to get along with no discriminations.
Define and give an example of institutional racism. How might you be contributing to such an entity unknowingly? Institutional racism is racism that goes on in institutions without the full knowledge of knowing there being racist. Like how in private schools or parochial schools its predominately white and we accept this because we gave to.
Do you believe affirmative action programs are justified? If so, why? Yes, because in desperate time calls for desperate measures.
Have you tried to become personally acquainted with and appreciative of people from ethnic and racial backgrounds different from your own? How did it change you? Yes,I have I worked with Mexicans at a fish house unloading scallops and its hard work. It made me look at Mexicans as hard working individuals that have the same purpose of being there and that it wasnt fair that I looked at them as border jumpers that are stealing are jobs.

5. King assumed the basic oneness of humanity as a means of overcoming racism. How have you advanced this notion in your life? I have done this in my life by not judging people and by not believing in stereotypes. Because I believe that we all bleed red and that its not right to think for one second that your better than someone else.

svizzy09 · Member

Lesson 2

1. What do you think Gandhi would say or do if he showed up in the United States at this time?

He would start a movement to end the war in Iraq and would hold public events where he would speak to many people at a time. I think he would get most of America against the war.

2. Gandhi believed that "poverty was the worst form of violence." What do you think he meant?

Poor people steal from poor people. They attack poor people and do anything to get ahead and make themselves feel better. So he probly meant that the poor people were causing most of the violence cause they havent nothing to look forward to.

3. Why did Gandhi totally reject the notion of making anyone an "enemy"? Who was the "enemy" in Gandhi's mind?

There was no one Ghandi considered a enemy. He didnt like the word because he believed in peace heavily and was always promoting it.

4. Do you think the U.S. government in El Salvador mirrored the treatment of India by the British during Gandhi's time? The book, "Salvador Witness" by Ann Carrigan, on the life and death of Jean Donovan, will help you answer this relevant question.

I dont think it did the British were more violent with the people in India.

5. Describe what Gandhi meant by ahimsa and satyagraha. Do these Gandhian doctrines jibe with his notion that it is better to resort to violence than cowardly retreat from nonviolently confronting unjust aggression?

He doesnt mean it to be a coward he is saying it in the way that it is the right thing to do. Not to fight back or raise a hand is what Gandhi wanted his people to do and he preached ahimsa and satyagrapha.

abrun · Member

Explain what you think nonviolence means.Nonviolence is resolving an issue, disagreement or an altercation without the use of fighting (fists, weapons, ECT.)I believe it also means not using verbal abuse as well as physical abusePeter Maurine wrote, "Society should be so structured that it is easy for people to be good." Do you think this is an idle dream? If achievable, would it make us more peaceful in our relationships? How do you make society easy to be good? You cant take away all of the poverty (a lot of crime and violence is derived from the poor community)I believe it is a dreamyes but achievableI think notMany anthropologists point to the violence in the animal kingdom as evidence that human animals are prone innately to violence. Are we really inherently violent or have we "learned" violence from others, from society? Yeshumans are animals (of a different more intelligent and advanced species) but we dont have the same instincts for violence as animals such as a bear or a lion. I think we have learned violence. Even from a young age we are exposed to violence in the community and especially in the media (through movies involving cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. even in cartoons such as buggs bunny or the coyote and the roadrunner)Of all the forms of violence physical, verbal, psychological, spiritual which have you experienced and how did it impact you? I think everyone has experienced some kind of verbal abuse but I have also endured some physical abuse throughout my life. I was jumped by a group of cowards on one occasion and its impact was that I learned not to take crap from anybodyI like to believe that it made me a stronger person.

mitchelltetreault · Member

Explain what you think nonviolence means.

To me nonviolence is finding a solution to a usually violent conflict without an altercation. This means solving the issue in a respectful manner in order to keep the situation from escalating.

Peter Maurine wrote, "Society should be so structured that it is easy for people to be good." Do you think this is an idle dream? If achievable, would it make us more peaceful in our relationships?

I do not think this would make people more peaceful in relationships, because you have some people who bring down others. Those people who are always angry or upset. Even though it would be easy to be good, they would rather do the hard thing and be bad.

Many anthropologists point to the violence in the animal kingdom as evidence that human animals are prone innately to violence. Are we really inherently violent or have we "learned" violence from others, from society?

I think we have learned violence from others, and from the society we live in. There are so many negative things around us and people who constantly try and recreate what they see on tv or in movies.

Of all the forms of violence physical, verbal, psychological, spiritual which have you experienced and how did it impact you?

I have experienced physical, verbal, and psychological violence. It impacted me because I have learned from the acts of violence, whether it is an argument, fight, or somebody trying to get inside of my head. I have learned to cope with whatever may happen, and understand everything happens for a reason.

acevedo123 · Member

Class of nonviolence Lesson 4

Why was "forgiveness" and "inclusive peacemaking" the crucial underpinning of Martin Luther King's approach to confronting a racist society? Because martin new that you could not move past something without forgiveness holding grudges would be a big part of todays society people that didnt forgive wouldnt forget and that would cause an imbalance between the two groups. It was important to reinforce peacemaking to let everyone to know that blacks wouldnt vengeful that all he wanted was for us to get along with no discriminations.
Define and give an example of institutional racism. How might you be contributing to such an entity unknowingly? Institutional racism is racism that goes on in institutions without the full knowledge of knowing there being racist. Like how in private schools or parochial schools its predominately white and we accept this because we gave to.
Do you believe affirmative action programs are justified? If so, why? Yes, because in desperate time calls for desperate measures.
Have you tried to become personally acquainted with and appreciative of people from ethnic and racial backgrounds different from your own? How did it change you? Yes, I have I worked with Mexicans at a fish house unloading scallops and its hard work. It made me look at Mexicans as hard working individuals that have the same purpose of being there and that it wasnt fair that I looked at them as border jumpers that are stealing are jobs.

5. King assumed the basic oneness of humanity as a means of overcoming racism. How have you advanced this notion in your life? I have done this in my life by not judging people and by not believing in stereotypes. Because I believe that we all bleed red and that its not right to think for one second that youre better than someone else.

IndiaRussell09 · Member

Questions for Lesson Four

1.Why was "forgiveness" and "inclusive peacemaking" the crucial underpinning of Martin Luther King's approach to confronting a racist society?
Answer:"a peaceful warrior who built an army and a movement that is mighty without missiles, able without an atomic arsenal ready without rockets, real without bullets; an army tutored in living and loving and not in killing."Martin Luther King Jr. the circumlocution of this statment can be easily reworded by saying that rather than fighting hate with hate we the people should love are enemies becuase in such a hateful society retaliation by means of violence could cause more violence and worse situations without any progression towards racial equality. Forgiveness was also important because if you can not forgive you can not look past the bad things that were happening inorder to meet your conflicting part at a common goal.

2.Define and give an example of institutional racism. How might you be contributing to such an entity unknowingly?

Answer:If a white man and a black man are in the work place but the white man is recieveing benefits although the quality of their work is the same, that is institutional racism. You contribute to this when you remain passive, rather than identifying the problem and demanding that it be change.

3.Do you believe affirmative action programs are justified? If so, why?Answer: Yes, because if I were living during this time i know that i would believe in affirmitiv action, so i would be a hypocrit to disagree.

4.Have you tried to become personally acquainted with and appreciative of people from ethnic and racial backgrounds different from your own? How did it change you?

Answer: I find diversity and different races extremely interesting. Also being a traveler I have developed a greater apprecitation for peoples differences and their style of living, so I do make an effort to become personally aquainted with people different from me.

5.King assumed the basic oneness of humanity as a means of overcoming racism. How have you advanced this notion in your life?
Answer:I have advanced this notion by applying these beliefs to my own life.I have learned that hatred towards a race of people because of an incounter with a memeber of that race should not determine how you veiw that race as a whole.

-- Edited by IndiaRussell09 at 16:11, 2009-01-15

-- Edited by IndiaRussell09 at 16:14, 2009-01-15

edalton76 · Veteran Member

Lesson 3

1. Dorothy Day, like Mother Teresa, seems to be devoted to healing the symptoms (the victim) of a sick and/or evil society rather than confronting the causes of its illness. Is this a fair assessment; and if so, what would be more fruitful to bring about change?
- I think that this could be true about Dorothy Day but only to an extent, she also seems to humanize those who are considered evil parts of society based on things that had happened to them in their past. I also believe that looking at things at that perspective isnt going to help them relieve the problems in society.

2. Dorothy Day once said of her church (Catholic Church), that, "She's a whore, but she's my mother." Should we try to reform a corrupt institution by staying within it or is it smarter to abandon it and build a benign alternative? Did Gorbachev's example of reforming the Soviet Union from within argue for this approach of staying "within?"
- I personally think that if you alienate yourself from the main institution and create an alternative you only serve to create a void in between the two cores. Additionally it is always believed that it is easier to reform an institution from inside rather than to combat it with another institution.

3. "Where there is no love, put love and you will find love" was Dorothy Day's lifelong theme. Does it play when dealing with unresponsive individuals, the scornful homeless, violent prisoners, those who hate and revile us?
- I dont agree that that particular motto would always be effective. No matter what you do, certain people will never respond no matter how nice, friendly, or loving you are.

4. What do you think the notion of "turning the other cheek" means within the context of resisting violence and/or aggression?
- I think that turning the other cheek basically equates to standing up for what you want to accomplish but also not lowering yourself to using violence or anger to achieve those means.

5. Would you vote for a pacifist like Dorothy Day to rule America? If so, why; if not, why not?
- In todays society I am not so sure that having a pacifist running the country would be the best or the most practical decision, based on the fact that in order to rule this country the President needs to be able to make quick decisions that could involve violence in order to protect the country.

edalton76 · Veteran Member

Lesson 2

1. What do you think Gandhi would say or do if he showed up in the United States at this time?
- I think that Gandhi wouldnt agree with the courses of action that we have taken especially in regards to the War in Iraq, but I do believe that he would accept our involvement in Afghanistan especially after the September 11th attacks, because he does mention he does not advocate running away in fear.

2. Gandhi believed that "poverty was the worst form of violence." What do you think he meant?
- Poverty seems to cause the most damage in any society and I think that is what Gandhi meant by poverty is the worst form of violence, because in any situation damage caused by physical violence is nothing compared to the damage caused by poverty.

3. Why did Gandhi totally reject the notion of making anyone an "enemy"? Who was the "enemy" in Gandhi's mind?
- Gandhi didnt believe in enemies. He felt that there was no need to consider anyone an enemy because it would go against his belief of non-aggression and peace and would be a contradiction of his values.

4. Do you think the U.S. government in El Salvador mirrored the treatment of India by the British during Gandhi's time? The book, "Salvador Witness" by Ann Carrigan, on the life and death of Jean Donovan, will help you answer this relevant question.
- I think that in some instances the treatment was similar, but in India the British government seemed to be much harsher.

5. Describe what Gandhi meant by ahimsa and satyagraha. Do these Gandhian doctrines jibe with his notion that it is better to resort to violence than cowardly retreat from nonviolently confronting unjust aggression?
- Gandhi believed that in some instances violence were acceptable and even necessary. Those were cases in which there were two choices, run away as a coward or fight to defend yourself. However Gandhi also said that the ultimate power was non-violence and being able to hold your ground without violence no matter what.

edalton76 · Veteran Member

Lesson 5

1. Given the chance, are women just as prone to violence as men? It it beyond men's capacity to establish a peaceful world? Are women's views of peace different from men; after all, don't women expect men to "protect" them at all costs?
- I dont think that all of these questions can be answered with a single truth, because they are all situational. Different people have varying opinions on peace as well as the situations that may or may not require violent actions.

2. If a woman is in a man's apartment after a date, a night of partying at 3 a.m., should she be surprised if "date rape" occurs?
- There is no excuse to justify raping someone no matter what the circumstances are, especially if someone was under the influence.

3. In what sense is sexism a justice related issue?
- Sexism is a justice related issue because it goes against the belief that no matter what the circumstance, gender included, everyone is equal and they should be treated as such.

4. Men's liberation must accompany women's liberation. Explain.
- I think that this statement could be interpreted as meaning that in order for anyone to be liberated; everyone needs to be on an equal page.

5. Sexual stereotypes are created and sustained by society. Why do you think this is true and why do people go along with it?
- There are always going to be sexual stereotypes. Many people believe that women are not strong enough to do the things that they do, or that women get carried away by their emotions and arent as reliable as men. I think that people generalize women and put every single woman into one category, so it is perpetuated just like any other stereotype is.

edalton76 · Veteran Member

Lesson 1

1. Explain what you think nonviolence means.
- I believe that nonviolence means that you are willing to stand up for what you believe in, but you are willing to be strong enough to do it without the use of violence.

2. Peter Maurin wrote that "society should be so structured that it is easy for people to be good." Do you think this is an idle dream? If achievable, would it make us more peaceful in our relationships?
- I dont think that it is possible to make everyone in a society good. As much as we wish that there were no wars, poverty, or crime there are always going to be those people who use violence in nearly everything they do.

3. Many anthropologists point to the violence in the animal kingdom as evidence that human animals are prone innately to violence. Are we really inherently violent or have we "learned" violence from others, from society?
- I think that in some cases violence is an instinct, especially if youre under attack, but in most cases violence is learned. From an early age if you are exposed to violence and anger you are much more likely to repeat that violence in your own adult life.

4. Of all the forms of violence physical, verbal, psychological, spiritual which have you experienced and how did it impact you?
- I have experienced most types of violence but I think I learned something every time I was involved in any kind of altercation and its helped me learn what my limits are and how I can avoid those kinds of situations.

5. Can a nonviolent lifestyle be attained easily in the face of a government which resorts to violence to resolve its conflicts; is there a carryover effect from top-to-bottom stemming from a powerful example from one's own national government?
- Of course living in a violent environment is going to have an effect on Americans. We are constantly surrounded by images of violence and even our own government becoming involved in foreign conflicts, and that is going to make it appear that violence is a means to solve problems.