The Move movement and Cliven Bundy standoffs ignite passionate feelings within most of the people that take the time to acknowledge them. At the same time, these events share several similarities along with differences that represent the current social climate of our country. These events both derive from the Move members and Cliven Bundy’s urge to fight against the law. For example, the Move members believe in Natural Law, which inspires them to ignore laws set by their government. This is a part of their way of life that they try to protect against the change that the Philadelphia law enforcement force on them.…
Peaceful resistance to laws has the possibility of having a positive or negative impact upon a free society depending on the situation, but throughout history it has been proven that more often than not civil disobedience has brought positive change. It all depends upon circumstance when deciding whether or not something can be good or bad for a society and this includes civil disobedience. While it has impacted our society positively, there are ways for it to be abused by the masses in order for them to get what they want or for the result to turn out as less than desirable, though it is unlikely that it would ever work out that way. For example, Cohen states in Seven Arguments Against Civil Disobedience that one of the arguments…
It always has been controversial if peaceful protest is the way to proving one’s point. Nonviolent resistance has been in effect for centuries. Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and the Danish resistance are all examples, but surely not the only people who have protested peacefully. Gene Sharp is known for his in-depth studies and writings on nonviolent resistance. Sharp’s theories have influenced anti-government resistance movements globally.…
A group known as Black Lives Matter has been created to combat police brutality against minority men and to exclaim these lives should not be taken away or put in harm’s way simply because of the pigment of their skin. However, according to the media, this group has caused more harm than good (McClain, 2016). Not only has it caused a divide between police and minorities but it has also caused a divide between minorities and Caucasian Americans. The riots, while they bring exposure to the incidents, they do not actually change anything. The public perception of something that started out as a positive initiative has quickly shifted to a facilitator of racism.…
Civil disobedience has been a part of this country since its inception. From the acts which led up to the American Revolution (like the boycotting of British products) to this day, the very fabric of the United States is stitched together with the threads of challenging abuses of power. What is often misunderstood about civil disobedience is that it is not a display of disrespect. It does not mean that those protesting are not patriots. Rather civil disobedience is an act of fighting to protect the values of the United States when one feels as though they are in jeopardy.…
Disobedience is often looked at as an unfavorable trait. Disobedience can sometimes result in progress, but also other times it can result in distress or conflict. When the world as a whole is viewed, disobedience has been used as a tool either to gain triumph or to invoke conflict. Disobedience isn’t necessarily good or bad, it all depends on what the final goal is to determine whether it was worth it. In some cases disobedience is needed in order to make progress.…
According to the United State's Constitution, within the first amendment, it states that as a citizen of the United States, one may peacefully assemble and petition the government. The United States was founded by the idea that as inhabitants of a country, one should be given certain rights that can not be revoked by the leader of the country, nor the government. Due to the King of Great Britain's tyranny over America, the people of America have felt a certain pressure pressing down upon them, restricting their freedoms. The Boston Tea Act, was one of their protests towards the unfair taxes that were inflicted upon them. Civil disobedience is continuous throughout history.…
Civil disobedience is the practice of challenging the government through dissent. The disobedients strive to resolve the the moral, ethical or political issue that is cause for disobedience through acts break the status quo and sometimes the law. Civil disobedience is meant to effect change in the government, it is meant to do what the founding fathers did by creating a new country out of the ashes of their greatest act of civil disobedience, the Revolutionary War. However, civil disobedience in the United States was originally carried out by rich white men, the same people who in modern America benefit from unjust acts exacted by the government on marginalized groups. The government that was created through civil disobedience no longer respects…
In “In Black Lives Matter” Dani McClain writes, “In November 24, 2014, when the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury had decided not to bring charges against the officer who killed an unarmed Michael Brown, Twitter users fired off 3.4 million tweets regarding the police killings of black people and racial-justice organizing, with the vast majority coming from movement supporters and news outlets, according to a recent report by American University’s Center for Media and Social Impact” (McClain 20). This quote just proves that there was a mast majority of supports for the Black lives matter movement and that they were spreading the news about African American inequities in the criminal justice system fast. Not only did people express their anger through social media, but also through physical protest. When Darren Wilson, a police officer who killed Michael Brown, an African American male in Ferguson Missouri, was found not guilty a protest arose.…
Throughout history there have been different causes and unjust laws that have ignited the need for civil disobedience. I am an Afro-Latina living in the United States, and growing up I have been aware of both the struggles that Hispanics and Black-Americans face living in America. I feel most connected to the civil rights of these minority groups because I myself am one of them. That is why I fully believe in the act of civil disobedience for equality, not only for Hispanics and Black-Americans, but for all minorities in America who have been subject to discrimination or an injustice because of their gender, ethnicity or religious affiliation. I’d like to start with the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement.…
Protesting in America has gone way out of hand in todays world. Not only is the action happening way to much, but is happening in ways you may see to be inappropriate. For example today in current events is NFL players kneeling for the national anthem. Protesting is a great way of communicating a problem, but it must be done the right way. Kneeling is just simply disrespectful to our country and to the soldiers who are fighting for us that we may have that freedom.…
An event currently garnering global attention that I find particularly important to me is the protest currently taking place at UC Berkeley. Tensions have risen in Berkeley since the election of president Donald trump and have culminated in explosive and violent protests against freedom of speech. Students and professors alike at UC Berkeley have united in complete irony to protest the very thing which allows them to protest in the first place. In a flagrant abuse of American privilege, these individuals have decided to attack ideas which they disagree with not via rigorous debate but by shutting them down completely.…
I think that these protests are good for democracy because they are bringing awareness to the world and showing that everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe in. A piece of evidence I would use to support this idea is from the pro side about how protests are forcing all of us to face racial injustices. The pro side of the article by Tom Wendell, states that Kaepernick isn’t the only one who has raised his voice; other athletes have also took a stand for racial inequality. This is important because it shows that just like Kaepernick there are other people who don’t agree with the way America has been dealing with problems and therefore, they shouldn’t go along with the beliefs of others. On the other side there is the con article…
The Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) is one of good intentions, but a variety of flaws. The execution of BLM tends to be one that is counter-productive. The creators of the movement state that it is one that “…is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression” (Black Lives Matter, 2016). The Black Lives Matter movement began after the death of Trayvon Martin when George Zimmerman was acquitted, and individuals felt a desire to bright to light the evident issue of anti-Black racism in our country (Black Lives Matter, 2016).…
A.) Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience that civil disobedience is the right protest to get your point across. I made this my specific purpose because I believe that violent protest distracts what is really going on. In other words people are so focus on being violent than actually accomplishing what they believe in. I am a strong believe that violence is not the key to do things when it comes to protest..…