Methods

I just finished reading Pacifism As Pathology by Ward Churchill. It was an excellent read; however, the quote that stuck out to me most wasn't Churchill's own words. It was a quote from Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael):

If we are to consider ourselves as revolutionaries, we must acknowledge that we
have an obligation to succeed in pursuing revolution. Here, we must
acknowledge not only the power of our enemies, but our own power as well.
Realzing the nature of our power, we must not deny ourselves the exercise of the
options available to us; we must utilize surprise, cunning and flexibility; we
must use the strength of our enemy to undo him, keeping him confused and
off-balance. We must organize with perfect clarity to be utterly unpredictable.
When our enemies expect us to respond to provocation with violence, we must
react calmly and peacefully; just as they anticipate our passivity, we must
throw a grenade.

Now I realize that I am potentially igniting a firestorm by highlighting this quote but I can't emphasize enough how much this quote got me thinking. I have been wrestling for months with the following questions. Does pacifism work? Is there ever a time where more direct action is called for or justified? What keeps those of us working on a variety of social justice issues from unifying? How do we build solidarity in our community? I am going to leave you all with these questions and this quote to see what dialogue, if any, ensues.

rants

Why do people think it is okay to invite themselves to gatherings? It's okay to ask if you can come along, but don't just announce that you're going to attend when you weren't invited. That is one of those little societal nuances that I DO believe in.

Words without action are meaningless. I pay much more attention to what you do rather than what you say. If the actions don't add up to what you say, then I am going to call you on it. I expect people to do the same to me.


Why do people get so pissed off when I question our military actions & tell me I should support our troops yet turn their nose up at the homeless veteran when they ask for help??

Why do people feel like they can defensively question me about my lifestyle when I say NOTHING to them about the way they live their lives? Just because I live my life differently than yours doesn't cause me to ask you to justify your lifesyle to me, so don't ask me to justify mine.

If another person asks me if I am afraid that my kids aren't going to be properly socialized because I homeschool, I might just snap. Seriously people, who is more qualified to socialize your child - you? or 30 of their peers who are lacking the same skill set? I am confident that my kids will be socially more well rounded than any kid in the public school setting, hands down.

I could keep going, but I won't. I don't enjoy being in this negative space. I need to get the hell out of this place & recharge my psyche or else it is going to suck me into this blackhole of shittiness that is known as Norfolk, VA.