I am coming to the conclusion (1/1/20) that huge marches and demonstrations aimed at the U.S. government are not going to be effective for what we need to accomplish. Their main use is in counteracting the feeling of alone-ness that most of us have as we face the climate emergency.
While electoral politics will continue to be somewhat useful, it’s time to shift our attention to the real power holders — the Big Energy corporations. These multi-nationals have known for 30 years that their product would cause irreversible disruption of Earth’s atmosphere and weather patterns. Yet they continue to pursue their own profits in the face of disaster for all.
In my opinion, it is time to put pressure on the Big Energy corporations in order to disrupt “business as usual.” Our tool of choice is a well-planned strategy of hundreds of joyful, creative, non-violent local campaigns, carried out persistently over the next several years.
Non-violent action takes courage, strategic planning, and stamina. It’s an effective way to stand up for what we want, and has been used successfully many times in the past hundred years.
In particular, it’s an excellent way to attract and educate people and grow a movement. Undecided citizens would be repelled by violence.
Some of the advantages of non-violent action over violent or military action:
— Many fewer people get killed or injured.
— By gradually escalating the tactics used, people gain experience and confidence.
— Non-violence respects the underlying humanity of the opponent, and thus maintains our own integrity.
There at least 200 types of non-violent action that have been used over the last century, to bring about major political and social changes,
— from boycotts to pray-ins
— from lunch counter sit-ins to non-cooperation with anti-democratic laws
— from flash-mob street theatre to police refusing to follow orders.
A well-thought-out strategy takes into account our own strengths and weaknesses, and those of the power-holders, and uses our strengths to push on the opponent’s weak points. We can take inventory of these in order to choose the most effective actions.
A non-violent approach requires a long view, similar to a military campaign. Single protests, such as marches, however large, can be ignored by the opponent. A persistent program with a variety of creative actions gradually wears down the opponent’s pillars of support.