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- THE DEVELOPMENT OF KINGS PHILOSOPHY OF NONVIOLENCE
- RECONCILIATION
- PREREQUISITES OF A NONVIOLENT CAMPAIGN
- THE PURPOSE OF NONVIOLENCE
- JUSTIFICATIONS FOR NONVIOLENCE
RACIAL EQUALITYLittle of King’s writing with the exception of his "I Have a Dream" speech discuss in great length his goal of racial equality. One of the main reasons for this is that he assumed equality to be a universal value, one which could be assumed. What he saw as an issue involving conflict was the means to achieve racial equality. The one aspect of racial equality that King felt was necessary to address was the conflict that developed between those who advocated integration and those who advocated separatism. King was wholeheartedly in favor of integration of races, not only in places like schools and restaurants, but in a more general sense, the integration of races in society. THE DEVELOPMENT OF KINGS PHILOSOPHY OF NONVIOLENCEMalcolm X, and other radical Civil Rights activists, argued that segregation and racism were problems of structural violence. The level of hatred they witnessed, from Southern whites in particular, in lynchings, the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, the willingness of the police to use violence against and jail black children, and in other ways, justified the use of violence as a response. They saw the problem as so deeply ingrained that absent violence, blacks would never attain real change. King, conversely, believed that responding to violence with violence would never be effective, for multiple reasons. First, it would justify, legally, the use of greater force against the demonstrators, increasing the chances they would be injured. Second, it would create legal justification to imprison them. While King believed that any nonviolent protester needed to be willing to go to jail for their cause, but going to jail for assault would drain the resources both in manpower and in bail money of the movement. Third, and most importantly, King believed that only through a nonviolent approach could you change the mind of the oppressor. Since the goal of his movement was the creation of the "beloved community" in which whites and blacks lived harmoniously, spurring greater conflict through escalating violence was contradictory to the end he sought. RECONCILIATIONOne of the goals of nonviolence that King argued made it superior to any other tactic was its ability to compel reconciliation between the oppressor and the oppressed. King believed that rather than blaming individuals for their racist acts, the protester should try to see them as caught up in a system that fostered hatred and prejudice, and that it was the role of the protester to help that person see the error of their bigotry. This would have the effect not only of solving the racism that the protests were geared towards, but is the only way to change the mindsets of the people perpetrating that racism. King frequently spoke and wrote about agape. Agape is one of three Greek words for love; it is distinct from eros romantic or aesthetic love or philia-the reciprocal love between friends. It means a creative, redemptive feeling of good will for all people. It means to love people without expecting their love in return, simply because they are human. Agape is at the center of the philosophy of nonviolence. King would say that you must love white Southerners as you fight against their racism. Without this feeling of open good-will towards the people you are engaging in nonviolent protest, there is no chance of reconciliation, because if you harbor anger about past injustices, even if you convince the oppressors to stop, you will be unable to become their friend and equal. PREREQUISITES OF A NONVIOLENT CAMPAIGNThere were many factors that King believed needed to exist before a nonviolent campaign could be effective. First, individuals in the movement had to recognize the need to speed up the inevitable. He believed that racial equality would inevitably come, but unless people were willing to actively seek it in the short term, the movement would accomplish nothing. Second, the leaders of the movement needed to collect the facts about the injustice they were protesting; ignorance would prevent any intelligent discussion of solutions. Third, the protesters had to be ready to negotiate, even as they held on to the lofty long-term goals of the movement. Fourth, in order to be ready to follow through with their pledge to be nonviolent, individuals needed to go through a process of self-purification, in which they examine whether or not they would actually be able to not strike back, if struck by angry whites or the police. The final step is direct action. That involves developing an understanding of agape, a willingness to endure suffering, sacrifice, or even death for the goals of the movement, the willingness to accept the legal penalties for breaking the law, and extraordinary levels of courage and self-respect. THE PURPOSE OF NONVIOLENCEThe goal of nonviolence is not merely to persuade the oppressor to stop, and create a unified community. There are many other facets to nonviolence as a specific technique. King believed that nonviolence would cause a "creative tension," so that a community that is unwilling to negotiate is forced to confront the issue brought to their attention. Nonviolence would dramatize and emphasize the issue so that it could not be ignored by moderates, and would appeal to the conscience of the "great decent majority." At the same time, it would awaken a sense of shame in the perpetrators of false. Finally, it would awaken a new sense of self respect in the people involved in the nonviolent campaign. King called them the "New Negroes," a group with courage and self esteem unheard of before their involvement in the movement. JUSTIFICATIONS FOR NONVIOLENCEDirect action, according to King, was necessary, because individuals in power are unwilling to give up their power and privilege voluntarily. However, there were many reasons why nonviolence, specifically, was a superior tool than those other movements had used. The influence of Niebuhr convinced him that individuals are less immoral than groups, and society as a whole. Nonviolence is superior, therefore, because it attacks the system, not individuals within the system. Second, complacency and a willingness to wait are merely a perpetuation of injustice; King believed that the action taken needed to be immediate. A balance needs to be found between inaction and violence, and nonviolence fills that role. Third, nonviolence shows a respect for the law that transcends the brutal reactions of the police, because nonviolent protesters would be willing to endure the penalties for the laws they break, while the police were never held accountable for their abuses of their power. Finally, King saw nonviolence as rooted in biblical morality, as reflected in Rauschenbusch’s writing. 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