“We can’t tolerate this anymore”: The salve of toothless words

"We can't tolerate this anymore." But we will.

Americans are in love with violence. Our nation was born through warfare, genocide of Indigenous peoples, domination, oppression, conquest and the abuse of peoples and lands. We have always turned to violence to solve our difficult problems. Diplomacy is mocked, prevention is disallowed for fear of stepping on toes or causing embarrassment, empathy is given lip service. We distrust change.

In the aftermath of the Newtown, CT massacre, we cry and lament, we demand justice and answers, we claim to want change and vow to make things different. We scream that we "can't" tolerate these mass murders anymore. Our lawmakers look on sternly, threatening to pass new laws and restrict access to guns and increase funding for mental health services. We claim, we argue, we demand, but our words are a toothless salve to our imagined wounds. We are horrified today. We will accept more tomorrow. 

Here is the ugly truth. We are in love with violence, our deep-rooted national mother. The roots are now enmeshed into land, as much as into our spirits, our national identity, our communities, and our homes. I could easily make this argument broader and say that the human species is in love with violence, but I am speaking as an American, and so am focused on America.

Americans are in love with violence. From the genocidal conquest of the millions of Indigenous peoples not so long ago, to the wars fought in the name of money, resources, land, ideas, and revenge, to the seemingly minor and insignificant presence of violence in our everyday lives with television shows, movies, video games, insulting gossip, road rage, intolerance of difference, and looking the other way when a person’s behavior is “off.” We walk around each other on eggshells, ready to fight and argue at a moment’s notice, hair trigger tempers kept in check by weakening threads of civility.

We know what the problems are. All of us stand ready with reasons, arguments, evidence, and pleas, but none of us has the courage to admit the truth: We are in love with violence. We turn to violence as an answer – we always have. And here is the ugly truth: We always will.

The events of Newtown, CT did not occur in a vacuum. We are all culpable. We are a violent society born out of violence, forged over hundreds of years of violent acts used as resolution, and hardened and desensitized by our entertainments, our news, our daily commutes. We speak toothless words of outrage to salve our violence-loving selves. But we will not change. And this will happen again. Because we will not change.

Perhaps we really are like the Romans after all.

Making it known

"Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it."

Henry David Thoreau penned this statement in the first part of his famous essay, "Civil Disobedience" in 1849 (originally "Resistance to Civil Government") and the idea rings as true today as it did in his time. Perhaps more so.

In light of the heinous acts perpetrated on the UC Davis student protesters this week, which in itself reflects a disturbing escalation in the authority-driven violence that this movement has somehow incited (possibly because of a few lone out-of-line protesters in some locations?), I was reminded of Thoreau's essay and of our nation's long history of civil disobedience in order to create real and substantial change.

If Jefferson, Franklin, et al, hadn't disobeyed the King, we might still be English. If people hadn't protested slavery (and had a war that contributed to that argument), we might still have pro-slavery laws. If women hadn't broken the law by occupying public spaces and protesting on behalf of themselves, we might not have the right to vote today. If brave men and women hadn't linked arms and walked across Selma, Alabama, or taken seats at lunch counters and on buses where they were not allowed to be...the American Civil Rights movement would have been a faint whisper, not a roaring lion of change that now inspires gay rights activists to push for changes to antiquated, religiously-based marriage laws in our secular government.

Our government has always changed to reflect the needs and desires of its citizens...usually because we citizens rise up in non-violent civil disobedient actions that cause a whole lot of people a whole lot of headaches to the point that they can't ignore the issue anymore. Pretty sound and effective strategy if you ask me. Thoreau was on to something.

Let's take a look at that initial statement I started with:

"Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it."

Notice that he doesn't, at this point, say HOW we should make it known. Just that every man should make known what kind of government would command his respect. And the making known is "one step toward obtaining it."

The Occupy Movement is beyond this first step just three months after its inception, but these words reflect how that movement started - a rather unorganized, but solidified group of Americans, believing in the idea that wealth and economic opportunity are dangerously unbalanced in this nation, to the detriment of 99% of our citizens. (And yes, I chose a liberal web site for a description because all of the conservative-leaning explanations are so fallacious and filled with fear rhetoric that it paints a terribly unbalanced and untrue picture. The Huffington Post site is sympathetic to the cause, but I do believe they present the facts as they are, not as they wish to see them, at least in this case.)

Now to the question: What kind of government would command MY respect? What kind of government would command YOUR respect? This seems to be at least one of the underlying questions the Occupy Movement tackles - they are presenting their case (making known), through civil disobedience (and Constitutionally-approved actions), the kind of government that would command their respect. And in the making known (the occupying, the protesting, the Youtube videos, etc.), they are taking the first step toward OBTAINING the government that they/we would respect.

Given all of the historical precedents...why is this movement such a problem for those in "authority"? When faced with seated, cowering, unarmed college students, why would a police officer in full riot gear, loaded with various weapons of control, feel that the right course of action would be violence? Perhaps for the same reason that in all of those historical situations that I cited, the people in authority at that time reacted violently...because they could sense a sea-change coming and they not only disagreed with it, they feared its coming. Think about all of the fear-based rhetoric surrounding our current President - if you ask my parents, you'll discover that world as we know it is ending. Right now. And that idea is endorsed daily on conservative talk radio and on the many shows of Fox News.

However, for those of us that live in this world right now, and see it and accept it in all of its variety and tainted glory, and are willing to accept the good with the bad, the not so great with the absolutely amazing, we understand that making it known is not against the law - even if it requires breaking a few rules to MAKE it known.

We have a right to peacefully assemble according to our Constitution. And according to Thoreau, every person should "make known what kind of government would command his respect" as a first step toward obtaining it. This is the fundamental principle underlying our flawed and imperfect, yet somehow useful system of government. We embrace its flaws and misguided ideas as much as we tout its strengths and capabilities. And this is precisely why those of us who don't make $1,000,000 or more a year should embrace the Occupy movement and condemn any who stand in its way.

Let the movement run its course and see what kind of sea-change will result. No more pepper spray attacks on unarmed, seated, peaceful protesters. No more rubber bullets or batons or paintballs. Unfortunately, the violence perpetrated by authority figures, while sickening, might be necessary to capture the attention of those with the power to make the change. That also has long historical precedent - a peaceful movement reacted to with violence, which only galvanizes the movement and hones the power of the message to a fine and persuasive point, which leads to substantial legal change.

This is a very exciting time to be an American. With massive unemployment and economic disparity, change like this is inevitable. So to those who fear or misunderstand it, take note of our history and of Thoreau's words. May they give you solace and courage to accept the change that is coming.