American Samizdat

Tuesday, January 29, 2002. *
Arguing the pacifist line in an age of war.

"W.H. Auden wrote that you can't tell people what to do; you can only tell them stories. This doesn't stop people from trying, nor does it stop people from asking—particularly in ethics classes, particularly in times of crisis...."

"Where pacifism is a minority position suspected of aiding and abetting the 'enemy,' 'pacifism' is often read as 'passivism.' But pacifism is not passive. Pacifists are often cantankerous, sometimes confrontational, and frequently argumentative—particularly in times of war. Pacifists may be off radar in times of relative peace, but war fever makes us visible. This is a reminder (conveyed most powerfully in life stories of people like Dorothy Day or Mahatma Gandhi) that not all struggle is violent. Violence is never the right choice, but struggle often is."


A worthwhile read, indeed.
posted by brooke at 5:00 PM
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