On Violence

Excerpt from pages 79 to 80 of the book Deep Green Resistance, Chapter 3, Liberals and Radicals:

“Violence” is a broad category and we need to be clear what we’re talking about so that we can talk about it as a movement.  I would urge the following distinctions: the violence of hierarchy vs. the violence of self-defense, violence against people vs. violence against property, and the violence as self-actualization vs. the violence for political resistance.  It is difficult to find someone who is against all of these.  When clarified in context, the abstract concept of “violence” breaks down into distinct and concrete actions that need to be judged on their own merits.  It may be that in the end some people will still reject all categories of violence; that is a prerogative we all have as moral agents.  But solidarity is still possible, and is indeed a necessity given the seriousness of the situation and the lateness of the hour.  Wherever you personally fall on the issue of violence, it is vital to understand and accept its potential usefulness in achieving our collective radical ad feminist goals.

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