thread: 2005-05-16 : Violence
On 2005-05-17, Valamir wrote:
"Chris—I agree, except I think that you are mistaking aggression for courage."
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I don't think he is. For courage to be meaningful it has to be active. Passive Courage is IMO an oxymoron and a myth. It is itself a cop out, a form of fear justified under a veneer of passive resistance.
True courage requires action. Courage without action is empty and pointless. Aggression is not a four letter word that we should be afraid of. Aggression is just effective action. Action without aggression is limp and pointless. It is also a cop out, a form of pretending to do something to make oneself feel better without actually having to commit. I can't think of any effective peaceful protestor who was not aggressive. Certainly Ghandi and MLKjr were both very aggressive in pursuit of their goals.
