Without a Blow
Norml News 1993/1994 Spring
The history of Non Violent Resistance begins in Aotearoa, with the campaign for Justice at Parihaka. Garth Bishop and Nandor Tanczos look at how this venerable tradition can be applied today.
Dedicated to the honoured memory of Te Whiti 0 Rongomai, Tohu and M.K.Gandhi.
We live in a world full of violence and oppression. To overcome this violence it is pointless to use violence. Better to fight fire with water than with fire. There is something greater in humankind than brute force. This is the force of love and it lies deep within the hearts of us all, without exception. This article seeks to explore that force and how we can harness it in our struggle against injustice.
The Nature of Power
Non Violent Resistance is based on the understanding that power rests on the consent of the governed. It is our compliance that allows the government to function. If enough people refuse to go along with the decisions made by those in power the country would become ungovernable.
By giving up responsibility for decision making to those in power, we give up a large part in determining what happens in our community. In this way we hand over power. Most of the time it suits us to do this. This is because the costs to us of not cooperating are more than we are prepared to pay. Also, we are used to giving away our power. How often to you hear people complaining about the way things are run, but then finishing by saying "oh well there is nothing I can do about it". We have learnt that we can't change things.
However we can take back power - by not complying with laws that we consider unjust, and by cooperating with each other.
Marijuana prohibition is a perfect example of a law completely dependent on compliance. This compliance extends from those police officers who strongly believe that marijuana prohibition is harming our country yet continue to bust users, to bustees who plead guilty and pay their fines. Most users are fully aware that they are harming no one by smoking marijuana, yet they continue to skulk in back alleys and huddle in cars to smoke their herb. Why do they act as if they are doing something wrong when they know full well they aren't?
Fear of Violence
In opposition to the non violent resister is the violence of the system. Yet it is not violence that stops us challenging power, but our fear of violence. Violence can only be used against us after we have done something. Our fear of violence is what leads to our compliance. Our compliance in turn allows those in power to maintain their dominant position. Our society uses a philosophy of violence when confronting problems. It seeks not the cooperation of equals but the compliance of subjects. True cooperation is when people come together to work for a common good. Compliance happens when people yield to a superior force. Compliance is based not on love but on power.
Marijuana prohibition masquerades as a policy designed to care for the well being of the community. But it does not take much to see that it shows no love in its treatment of those it is intended to care for. Its primary result is fear.
People are afraid of even talking about this issue for fear of punishment. Paranoia abounds - far of being locked up or fined, fear of phone taps and house bugs. Fear of having the police come round and the resulting humiliation. People fear having their house turned over and personal possessions ransacked by officers who show no respect for personal privicy. Are these actions based on love and caring?
One of the most powerful things for people when they finally begin to live according to the truth in their hearts, when they start refusing to accept what they know is wrong, is in facing their fear. By going into their fear they discover that the fear was an illusion. Mostly our fear of what might happen to us is wildly exaggerated. This is particularly true when talking about the NORML freedom movement. This may not always be the case. The non violent resister may experience real violence. But living in constant fear is more demeaning than any punishment that might be used against us. As long as we are true to our selves we can never be defeated.
The nature of victory
Power is never given up by those in authority - we have to struggle for it. But we are not engaged in a struggle for power over others, but over ourselves. Instead of a society based on violence and coercion, we seek a society based on mutual respect and cooperation. Therefore we have to examine carefully the means by which we seek to achieve those ends.
Most importantly we recognise the need to convert our opponents rather that force them to comply with our way of thinking. We cannot know the supreme truth and therefore cannot guarantee that our truth is correct for others. We are unwilling to risk harm to others in seeking to convert them. This means that we depend on other tools than the force of fear and threat.
One important tool is the correctness of our stance. To be sure of our position we need to constantly re-examine both our goals and the means we use to achieve them. Connected to this is the need to be honest both to ourselves and to others.
Another important point is that in seeking to express our own humanity we have to recognise the humanity of our opponents. We refuse to stereotype our opponents, just as we refuse to allow them to stereotype us. Furthermore, by showing love to our opponents we make it harder for them to show hatred to us.
Non compliance
If we want to take back power over our lives, and in the process take account of the points made in the last paragraph, one of the most powerful tools we can use is noncompliance. Noncompliance can be categorised into two groups:
- Noncooperation
In noncooperation we seek to make enforcement of unjust laws as difficult as possible. If we refuse to admit guilt when we are prosecuted for breaking an immoral law we make that prosecution more difficult. We refuse to assist in our own punishment. Under certain conditions this may mean that we risk accepting a harsher penalty (jail rather than a fine). However this stance is based on the recognition that punishment does not demean us. On the contrary, willingly accepting a stronger sanction (punishment) rather than compromising our principles actually ennobles us. Only we have the power to demean ourselves by cooperating with injustice.
- Civil Disobedience
Civil disobedience refers to the breaking of immoral or unstatutory laws with the intention of inviting punishment. It is in opposition to criminal disobedience which seeks to break the law and get away with it. No violence is used and no one is harmed. When civil disobedience is combined with the purest morality it acts as a direct challenge. "The greater our innocence the greater our strength, the swifter our victory". (M.K Gandhi)
How does this apply to NORML?
Prohibition is the perfect example of how, by giving power away, we allow an unjust law to continue. How else could the government get away with processing 20,000 cannabis offenders each year, especially when the prisons are full? Only with the total compliance of its victims. There are a number of ways that we can cease to comply with these laws:
- Noncooperation
By refusing to answer unnecessary police questions, and refusing to consent to searches, we make enforcement of prohibition more difficult. All NORML supporters should be fully informed about their civil rights. Later in the campaign, as part of a coordinated action, people may refuse to allow the police to search them even with a warrant or other authority.
By refusing to plead in court we signify that we recognise that no crime has been committed. We also drag out the court proceedings, making the process so much more expensive and time consuming.
By refusing to pay a fine, do PD or community service, we are refusing to cooperate with our own persecution.
- Civil Disobedience
NORML's summer celebration of fearlessness is something you can expect to take part in this year. Activities planned include festivals, smoke outs (we're sick of smoking in) parties, marches, public talks and generally being more 'out' about marijuana in our community. Any other activities aimed at overcoming fear and celebrating joy and togetherness will be welcomed. A strong sense of community is the best antidote to fear.
Also planned in the coming year is a national Day of Action. This will consist of more uncompromising and radical activities. Unlike the summer activities, which are geared to celebrating our togetherness, the Day of Action is aimed at forcing the power structure to confront the disaster of prohibition. We will be deliberately seeking imprisonment on a mass scale.
NORML is a non violent movement seeking to reform the marijuana laws. However the principles at stake go far beyond marijuana law reform. Fundamentally we are involved in the taking back of power over our own lives. We seek to overcome fear - people that were once fear stricken will cease to fear authority and cease to fear their own freedom. NORML is part of a powerful movement for change. We reject the principle that the solutions to social problems lie in violence and coercion. Only through caring and cooperation will we achieve a society where we can live in peace and oneness with each other. It does not begin with the use of force, it begins with us.
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