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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
September 6, 2017 Page 13 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O PINION The Old General Fought for an Ugly Cause But even he could lend some wisdom to Trump This surprising side of Trump popped out several days after the Charlottesville, Va., attacks by raging white supremacists. In a presidential tweet, he said: “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart.” by J iM h ightower Yes, very sad to While our presi- see a resurfacing of dent’s moral char- raw bigotry ripping acter seems stuck so viciously into somewhere be- America’s historic tween boorish and attempts to create a brutish, it’s only fair to note that he also has an culture of mutual respect and unity in a nation of extraor- aesthetic dimension. dinary diversity — e pluribus unum, as our national maxim puts it. Oh… wait. That’s not what Trump meant. He was actually advocating keeping the statues of Con- federate champions of rac- ism — pieces of bronze and granite that publicly celebrate America’s shameful history of slavery, secession, and white supremacy. The KKK thugs invaded Charlottesville in violent ob- jection to the city’s planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, who led the southern states’ war against the United States so they could keep en- slaving African Americans. Trump’s lament, then, was not about the attack on America’s better angels, but merely about “the removal of our beautiful statues.” Apparently, it never oc- curred to him that most Amer- icans don’t consider those statues either “beautiful” or “ours.” Ironically, Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate statues across the south: “I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war,” he said, but instead “to obliterate the marks of civil strife.” We could use a leader with such wisdom today, when big- ots feel newly empowered to incite civil strife across our nation. OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commen- tator, writer, and public speak- er. He’s also the editor of the populist newsletter, The High- tower Lowdown. Distributed by OtherWords.org. Should I go that Neo-Nazi Rally to Fight Back? When the level of dehumanization is extreme by s tePhanie v an h ook and M ichael n agler When we hear that the Neo-Nazi movement is coming to our town, most of us naturally feel called—or pushed-- to some kind of action. But not every action is going to be effective, espe- cially if we are walking into a situation where the level of dehumanization is extreme—where people are prepared to harm or kill others. How then can we draw from the power of nonviolence in a situation of escalating violence? First, we have to understand that nonviolence is strategic, principled and revolutionary. It answers to the vio- lence around us by offering, in a disci- plined manner, its opposite. Nonviolence is by no means passiv- ity. It is not inaction. And, we would include, it should not be shortsighted, reactive action. When using this pow- er we should know what we are taking on and be prepared for encountering hatred without the fear of being over- come by it. Remember, the power of nonviolence comes from not opposing the real well being of anyone, even – or especially – when we have to oppose their actions. When we choose to go against our “fight or flight” response, we can find creative, nonviolent ways for respond- ing to “Unite the Right” rallies that do not escalate violent tensions with more violence--whether defensive or offen- sive. The real answer to violence is not counter-violence, however strong- ly we’ve been conditioned to believe that, but the demonstration of a count- er-force. 1. When a hate group is coming to town, instead of directly confronting them and falling into the trap of cha- os they want to create, instead of pro- viding them the publicity that blows their importance out of proportion, we can engage in other activities and get the media pointed at those, such as a pro-peace concert or dance con- test at the same time as their meeting. Or failing such an alternative, just plain ignore them – the way the good people of Montgomery just ignored a normally terrifying Klan ride in 1958. It shows that we are reclaiming 3. In all this, though, it’s important to not unthinkingly imitate past sen- sational nonviolent actions or tactics. Each situation is different, and we need to explore what is at stake and plan for a variety of possible outcomes. May- be we’ll get arrested by the police, but what happens if we don’t? How will we take care of each other if we do? If someone is hurt? If we don’t ask these kinds of questions, we leave the door open to violence, which can only add fuel to the fire. Make no mistake: nonviolent action takes courage, planning, and intelli- Human nature is such that even though we may not see the effects of such a demonstration in the short term, it always works under the surface to change the hearts and minds of our opponents – even those deeply conditioned by hate (and feeling deeply inadequate, though they themselves may not be conscious of it). Human nature is such that even though we may not see the effects of such a demonstration in the short term, it always works under the surface to change the hearts and minds of our opponents – even those deeply condi- tioned by hate (and feeling deeply in- adequate, though they themselves may not be conscious of it). Here, then, are some of the things we can do. our spaces with humanity and safe- ty while acting together as a mature, loving community. 2. Another creative solution that can deflate the vehemence of a hate rally is to gather the community to donate money to a group like the Southern Poverty Law Center for every square foot covered by the hate group. Turn their gatherings turn into nonviolent, anti-fascist, pro-peace fundraisers. gence. It’s the best and quite possibly the only way to really counter these manifestations of hatred and ignorance that are disfiguring our society. Stephanie Van Hook and Michael Nagler write for PeaceVoice. Van Hook is executive director of the Met- ta Center for Nonviolence; Nagler is professor emeritus at UC Berkeley and co-founder of the university’s Peace and Conflict Studies program.