fandomhigh | Build Your Own Philosophy, Period 2, 4/5/10

"Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Today," Tyler announced with a slight smirk once the class was assembled, "we're talking about nonviolence. Pretty weird, I know, but it's one of the most important philosophical movements of modern times." And total hooey, in Tyler's opinion, but he'd stay neutral as he taught.

"Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of violence. It's an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it. Practitioners of nonviolence may use diverse methods in their campaigns for social change, including critical forms of education and persuasion, civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action, and targeted communication via mass media."

He continued his lecture, for a while, then cued up the DVD player. "This is from a film about Gandhi," he said. "It's a speech recommending nonviolent resistence."

"I want to watch it, and then I want you to discuss whether being nonviolent is a solution to social problems, or a slow road to nowhere."

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Nonviolently.

Watch the video, listen to Tyler talk (and talk, and talk), contemplate nonviolence...

What do you think about nonviolent resistance? Is it the best way to overcome oppression?

Really not a nonviolent kinda guy.

See what she thinks about nonviolence.

Tyler and I so disagree on this one, it's not funny.

Effy Stonem

Raven

Raven was absolutely delighted to have a class on non-violence. Really!

Calvin

"It is much better to educate and attempt to forge a compromise than to engage in violence," Raven said. You were expecting anything else?

Hayley Fitzpatrick

"I think you're right," Hayley said. "Violence only is gonna lead to... more violence. And then it just grows and gets worse, until someone's too afraid to throw a punch. I think."

She was trying really hard to be smart. All she knew was that violence scared her. Not because she was afraid of it, but because sometime she thought she liked it.

With Effy's most recent experience with violence still rather freshly in her mind, she was leaning away from that side of things pretty firmly.

She... also didn't really want to talk about it herself, particularly. Internalising everything worked for her, so unless coerced she'd just be idly watching and listening to Tyler's lecture.

Raven nodded. "Violence can easily escalate. If you protest something by engaging in violence, you will be met with violence."

Calvin doodled idly in his notebook, his views on non-violence varied wildly depending on whether he was on the receiving end or not.

Jak

Dinah Lance

Dinah would like to think you could settle things non-violently, and thought it was a good place to start from, but... most of her experiences were with people who didn't subscribe to it. So the question was usually moot.

Priestly

Priestly's notes today could pretty much be summed up with the word YES written in caps and circled several times.

Yeah, yeah, the guy who kinda sucked at fighting was totally into nonviolence. Big surprise here, right?

"Completely. Plus, in today's culture and political climate, you might just get more respect for not opening a can of whoopass on someone."

Leto Atreides

Mulan

Yamanaka Ino

Oh yes.

Of course Ino was going to contemplate nonviolence.

Or not. Reaaally not today. She was just going to sit. And brood and try not to worry about the fact that she'd left Zack alone. (She was failing at that. She was a ball of worry and fretting and general displeasure today.)

And not going to think about the fact that, thanks to her morning, her hair was still wet and that was not a fun situation to watch anything in. Ino was doodling. If Tyler-sensei wanted her to pay attention to something she thought was stupid anyway then he could demand that she do it.

Joan Girardi

Joan was all about non-violence. She knew it was a sad fact of life but that didn't mean she liked it.

"I agree," Joan said. "Violence seldom actually solves a problem. People hitting each other until one side acquiesces isn't going to find a solution that will benefit the masses."

Joan would be happy to share her opinions on nonviolence if anyone cared to hear them.

Marco

Build Your Own Philosophy, Period 2, 4/5/10

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