If You Are Still Attempting Moral Suasory on Racists then You Have Missed the Point. And Rep. John Lewis definitely has missed the point. In video below he discusses the march at Selma. He philosophizes about such topics as 'teaching non-violence to police' and one of Obama's favorites, - 'how voting solves Black people's problems!'
Always endeavoring to undeceive Amos Wilson explains, 'politicians and the media strive strenuously to convince the Black votary that every conceivable problem which confronts it can be resolved through voting heavily for Black and friendly White politicians. The establishment is ever quick to remind the Black electorate of the historical struggles necessary to achieve their right to vote. It indicts the community for any perceived electoral apathy and seeks to evoke guilt feelings in those who do not participate in the electoral process — making such ritualistic participation emblematic of democracy and first-class citizenship.
This is of special interest when it is realized that very few, if any, of the major political, economic and social goals achieved by Black America, including the Voting Rights Act, were accomplished through Black voting prowess. The ballot box has been a relatively impotent weapon in the achievement of major victories by the Black community. Suddenly vigorous protest and direct-action legal suits and extralegal processes such as boycotts, sit-ins, and the like, which were used so effectively by the community to achieve its sociopolitical ends and to fight injustice and oppression, have fallen far behind the election of Black and friendly White politicians to achieve the same ends. Politicians who in no way are interested in developing a program for the economic emancipation and empowerment of the Black community, and who are not committed to neutralizing White supremacy.' [MORE]
Beggar Politics. 'I had toothbrush and toothpaste. Then I got my ass whipped for my benefit and yours. I learned about non-violence from comic books about Gandhi.' - John Lewis on TV.
"Turn his other cheek – and hit him harder." We are taught much about the civil rights philosophy of non-violence. This theory of so-called non-violence was also used by Gandhi and Jesus. It most likely originated in India or Egypt some 5000 years or so before Jesus is said to exist.
Jesus was tremendously impressed by the idea of non-violence. And the idea was rational: to harm somebody must be against God, because it is God’s creation – you should not be destructive. But the question was, if others harm you, then what...? That’s where turning the other cheek comes in; that was his invention. It is mentioned nowhere in Indian scriptures that you turn the other cheek. The question was not raised, it seems. Non-violence was preached so rationally that nobody asked, ”If somebody harms you, then what?”
Jesus said that if somebody hits you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. But, as explained by Bhagwan Shree Rajineesh, 'when you are hit by somebody and you give him the other cheek, you are encouraging violence in the world. It is not non-violence. And you are assuming something which is absolutely your imagination. If somebody hits me, according to Jesus I have to give him my other cheek. But his tastes may be different. He may have enjoyed the first hit, he may enjoy the second even more; he may be a sadist. Then you are encouraging a sadist to torture people; you are encouraging violence. Even to allow your own body to be tortured by somebody is to encourage violence.'
This operating system of racist domination and control is carried out through deception and/or violence. [MORE] A philosophy of non-violence in such a system is idiocy leading to mental slavery and impotence. This ideology fails to take into account that the other people surrounding you - that is, racist white people are not non-violent. In their relations with each other most white people treat each other humanely -- but in their relations with non-whites, racist white people function as psychopaths.
'Behavioral scientists generally agree that the outstanding characteristics of the psychopathic personality are the almost complete absence of ethical or moral development and an almost total disregard for appropriate patterns of behavior. Psychopaths simply ignore the concept of right and wrong. As stated by Dr. Bobby Wright 'by ignoring this about racist White people (the lack of ethical and moral development) Blacks have made and are still making a tragic mistake in basing the Black liberation movement on moral suasion. It is pathological for Blacks to keep attempting to use moral suasion on a people who have no morality where race is the variable.' [MORE] In what world is John Lewis living in?
In this environment, civil rights theory of non-violence is pure nonsense; you cannot allow people to be violent to you - you only encourage more violence against yourself. You are encouraging those people, inviting them: ”Come and be violent to us.” Bhagwan explained, "that’s actually what has happened in Indian history for twenty-five centuries. Anybody who wanted riches, women, slaves, invaded India. There was no trouble, India was non-violent. Most probably they would pass through kingdoms and there would be no fight at all, no resistance even."
Similarly, racist whites do as they wish with non-whites, especially powerless Blacks - what are the repercussions? There is no real trouble.
There will be no political fallout from politicians ignoring the concerns of Black & Brown people about police brutality. There will be no real trouble. For instance, Ferguson/St. Louis, Mo. & NYC are dominated by Democrats. What election will be impacted by our protests? The Democrat and Republican parties are both white parties for rich white people. Stop pretending. Belief that we have this kind of illusionary power is actually submission to and/or cooperation with white supremacy. [MORE] Belief in somehow changing white people has led to suffering, it is your prison. Drop it, let pharaoh go.
Non-violence has made Black people just like butter – you just cut into them with your knife, and there is no response just reaction with no repercussions. And millions can be killed and demeaned without any resistance, because resistance would be violence.
Bhagwan explains, "But you go on missing seeing the point that you are provoking the violence in the other person. Who is responsible for it? Now turning the other cheek means you are telling the other person, ”Please hit me a little more, it is not enough; I am not satisfied. Hit me a little more so that I can become a little more saintly.” And you have only two cheeks. What are you going to do when he has hit you on your second cheek? What Jesus is saying looks a beautiful statement but it is not at all practical, pragmatic, scientific.
Reverence for life approaches the whole problem from a different angle. I will say respect life, yours included.
In fact, you are first to be respectful towards yourself, then only can you be respectful towards anybody else.
Be loving towards yourself, then you will be able to love others too.
Reverence for life will not allow any provocation to violence. It will not start violence, but if anybody starts it, it will stop it immediately.
Jesus says, ”If somebody hits you on one of your cheeks, turn the other cheek.” I say, ”Okay, turn his other cheek – and hit him harder. Give him a lesson! Make it clear to him that it is not so easy to hit somebody on the cheek – that it comes back, and comes back harder. And if you are capable, hit both his cheeks at the same time. Why give him the chance to turn the other cheek and become a saint? Hit him and tell him simultaneously,’I do not believe in violence, hence I have to stop it at the first chance. And remember that you cannot just be violent without being prevented.’”
You have to prevent violence if you respect life. And in another way too, it is respectful to hit the man, not to give him your other cheek, because that is very disrespectful. This may seem a little difficult for you: you hit me, and I don’t hit you but show my other cheek to you, and say, ”Please be kind enough to hit me.” I am trying to be superhuman and reduce you below humanity.
I am humiliating you far more than I can humiliate you by hitting you. By hitting you I simply declare you are human, I am human, and I speak the same language that you speak. We are both on the same ground. This is more respectful because you are not raising yourself higher; you are keeping yourself on the same ground as the other man. You are telling him, ”You are my brother; if you hit me you are going to get a bigger hit. Be watchful and be careful, because somewhere you may get into real trouble.”
I am not in favor of your being superior to the other man. That’s what Jesus is saying: ”Be meek, be humble, turn the other cheek, because then you will inherit the kingdom of God.”
I am not promising you any kingdom of God.
You are not going to inherit anything. You have already inherited it – that is your life.
Be loving and respectful to it. Be loving and respectful to others. But don’t try to be superior and higher and above others. Don’t put the other man down.
Never do any harm to anybody, but never allow anybody to do any harm to you either; only then can we create a human world.
We have tried the other way in India, and the experiment has completely failed. Twenty-five centuries of slavery, slaughter, rape. The philosphy of non-violence created this impotence in the whole country, this weakness in the whole country. No, I am not in favor of creating impotence, slavery, and provoking people to do violence to you.
Never do violence of your own accord, but never allow anybody else to do it to you either. Only then is there a possibility of creating a human world. [MORE]