For all its negative connotations portrayed by the media, civil disobedience is a necessity in a democratic system to bring about foundational changes to the government. Civil disobedience is defined as “refusal to obey laws as a way of forcing the government to do or change something” (Merriam Webster). History and literature has many cases of civil disobedience: Antigone burying her brother Polyneices, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.’s protests for civil rights, and Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom movement in India. Even with democratic systems and mechanisms to change the government, civil disobedience is sometimes the only way to uphold fundamental rights and change broken structures.
Civil disobedience has the ability to force a government …show more content…
In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was able to use acts of civil disobedience to rouse those around him who were against the practice of apartheid but may have been too reserved to speak up, “These countless human beings, both inside and outside our country, had the nobility of spirit to stand in the path of tyranny and injustice, without seeking selfish gain.” (Mandela). Civil disobedience can inspire people to be brave and fight for a cause, but not take advantage of the situation for personal benefit. Martin Luther King Jr. was also able to this advantage of civil disobedience to have large masses of people during marches. He describes how as a leader in the civil rights movement he feels a need to spread the word of equality for all races, “I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown.” (King). Through his acts of civil disobedience, King was able to spread the possibility of a free future with no racial discrimination and roused masses of Americans to participate in the civil rights movement. This is one of the advantages of civil disobedience that can immediately counter criticism by the media. Without a large number of supporters, civil disobedience can be seen as a problem to shut down. As soon as the acts of civil disobedience gain traction, however, the media and the world will be behind the movement and can bring exponential growth of supporters of the movement. Many times, however, a government will not even have a system that allows for changes to be made
Civil disobedience has the ability to force a government …show more content…
In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was able to use acts of civil disobedience to rouse those around him who were against the practice of apartheid but may have been too reserved to speak up, “These countless human beings, both inside and outside our country, had the nobility of spirit to stand in the path of tyranny and injustice, without seeking selfish gain.” (Mandela). Civil disobedience can inspire people to be brave and fight for a cause, but not take advantage of the situation for personal benefit. Martin Luther King Jr. was also able to this advantage of civil disobedience to have large masses of people during marches. He describes how as a leader in the civil rights movement he feels a need to spread the word of equality for all races, “I too am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my particular hometown.” (King). Through his acts of civil disobedience, King was able to spread the possibility of a free future with no racial discrimination and roused masses of Americans to participate in the civil rights movement. This is one of the advantages of civil disobedience that can immediately counter criticism by the media. Without a large number of supporters, civil disobedience can be seen as a problem to shut down. As soon as the acts of civil disobedience gain traction, however, the media and the world will be behind the movement and can bring exponential growth of supporters of the movement. Many times, however, a government will not even have a system that allows for changes to be made