Democracy and Violence Part 2

Some more rambling thoughts on democracy and violence. WARNING, THIS POST CONTAINS RAMBLING, INTENSE BRAINSTORMING AND STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WRITING.

I think I need to do a more in depth analysis of violence.
Let me start by explaining something about human cultures. We have commonly held beliefs about the way things are accomplished. A simple example of this is the way we make circular holes in things. We make circular motions, like a drill. Indeed, the drill motion has become so accepted as the way to make a small circular hole that we are prone to interpret holes in ancient artifacts as produced through a drilling motion. But they often weren't. It is easy enough to make a circular hole with other carving motions. When a culture vests a certain amount of belief and confidence in a means, then they start to believe that everyone does it that way and that other ways do not really work.
This is what has happened to our culture with violence. Violence is seen as THE method to force people to do things, to force their consent. So people on both sides of the conflict tend to obey this misconception... the forcer will believe the forcee will accept it, and the forcee believes that they have no choice. As a result, the belief is reinforced because everyone consents to go along with it. There is nothing inherent about violence that makes it have this power, it is a social construction and nothing more. It is one of many social constructions that need to be dissolved before democracy can be installed.

Having large numbers of people solving conflicts through violence (either personal or state violence), as happens now, will not work for a democracy. Using violence to solve a problem does not actually solve it. In fact, it complicates the matter. It denies the right of the victims of the violence to have their concerns addressed and it assumes that those imposing the violence have the right to value the issue of contention over the person. In a democracy, people are the most important thing, they should be prioritized over everything else.

Violence is done out of desperation. Resorting to this type of action assumes that the victim is unreasonable and will not be persuaded any other way. It shows how little control someone has over a situation if they resort to violence. This is the difficult position police are put into. They are invested with the responsibility of keeping the peace, and controlling a situation. When they lose control, they get desperate and they get violent.

Right now our society lacks the social institutions necessary to conflict resolve on the spot. The police are the only institution vested with immediate conflict resolution, and they tend to do it by arresting one party. If there was a common belief in a system that involved real, on the spot conflict resolution, then the police would not be forced to resort to physical force and violence.

The act of forcing someone in this way is anti-democratic. Democracy is about discussion, compromise, consensus and understanding. It is not a results-oriented method of governance, it is a people-oriented method. Violence places results over people.

So far, I have said:
1. Violence and democracy have different priorities
2. Violence and democracy have contradicting products
3. Violence does not produce circumstances conducive to democracy.
4. Violence is used (ineffectively) in the stead of democratic institutions of conflict resolution.
5. Violence is a social construction that is thought to be practical, but ends up not being in practice.
6. Violence undermines the democratic prerequisite that citizens need to be able to make decisions free of oppression
7. Violence as a means to force consent would be replaced with other institutions under a democracy

Things I wish to explore further: How violence effects the victim. The ends produced when one uses violent means. And the chaos factors in democracy and violence.

Protesting Attire

I will try to post a couple times in the next week to keep my average at around 1 a week. I cant let bucky show me up with his posting rate.

I was surfing the internet and found a cool experiment that a couple of people preformed concerning dressing up for protests. Blogger doesnt seem to want to publish my link... the article is called "Protesting in Professional Attire: A Follow-Up." just google that and it will be one of the first few. it is on theseminal.com

Having dressed up for some protests, I believe that it is quite effective. People generally take you more seriously when you play to their stereotypes of serious people. Part of me wishes it wasnt so, and that everyone would be taken equally seriously when they are presenting their concerns. But if I can do something as simple as put on professional attire to make people take me seriously, I will certainly do so. Using symbols like that to one's advantage is an essential component to navigating the treacherous waters of the political and cultural landscape. Symbols have a power all their own, and they can be used to effectively bring certain topics to mind when the public is viewing a political activity.
For example, if I had been organizing the Port of Tacoma blockade, i think it would have worked better to dress up like American Revolutionary soldiers... and have old-timey flags and drums and such. That would evoke a very interesting dynamic in the minds of the viewing public. It would associate the blockade with the American struggle for freedom that most Americans associate with. It would give the impression that the blockaders were opposing something similar to the British tyranny that America rebelled against.
Dressing this way would also throw off the police who are trying to prevent/break-up the blockade. It is much harder for an American police officer to attack a group of people sporting the symbols they grew up associating with the goodness of their country, than it is for them to attack a group of people sporting no particular symbols, or symbols that the officer has associated with trouble (like certain types of clothing, chants, flags, and other typical peace movement symbols).

Anyway. Things have been good with me lately. I had some annoying flying adventures before the holidays, including almost having to spend the night in George H.W. Bush airport. But it has been really nice to see my family. I am preparing for more job application things, and thinking about what my future will hold. I have started reading "The Left Hand of God" by Michael Lerner, which has been a very excellent read so far.