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Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law and Order
by
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn’s cogent defense of civil disobedience, with a new introduction by the author. In this slim volume, Zinn lays out a clear and dynamic case for civil disobedience and protest, and challenges the dominant arguments against forms of protest that challenge the status quo. Zinn explores the politics of direct action, nonviolent civil disobedience, and strikes, and d...more
Paperback, 148 pages
Published
September 1st 2002
by South End Press
(first published 1968)
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Written as a critique of Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas´Concerning Dissent & Civil Disobedience, this really serves as an excellent rebuttal to any critics of extra-legal civil disobedience, dismantling their arguments one by one. Zinn's language is precise, accessible, and utterly logical. One can sense the seething emotion behind his words even though he does well maintaining his argument dispassionate. I suffered a minor cringe within the first few pages upon seeing his "The time for ac...more
So basically, back in the 60's, an associate Justice of the Supreme Court wrote a pamphlet about Civil Disobedience in response to all the upheavals of the time. His name was Abe Fortas. His argument was essentially that disobedience was acceptable only if it didn't go directly against the laws of the country.
Another guy named Howard Zinn read it, got really pissed off, and wrote the book I am now reviewing.
It's pretty much 124 pages of Abe Fortas getting bitch slapped.
Zinn, though especially ra...more
Another guy named Howard Zinn read it, got really pissed off, and wrote the book I am now reviewing.
It's pretty much 124 pages of Abe Fortas getting bitch slapped.
Zinn, though especially ra...more
A surprisingly robust, almost seething though dispassionate/cogent, tear down of quote/unquote liberal opinions regarding actual political change i.e. civil disobedience re: race, Vietnam, etc in the 1960s.
His defense of "violence" as a resistance tactic was AWESOME 2 SEE. Why don't more people talk about this book? He is young and angry and a smartie here, whereas he sometimes came off too Clintonville liberal in his later work.
His defense of "violence" as a resistance tactic was AWESOME 2 SEE. Why don't more people talk about this book? He is young and angry and a smartie here, whereas he sometimes came off too Clintonville liberal in his later work.
Finally, a book where I can feel the passion for a humanist cause through his words. I wish this was required reading in high school. A quick read and a GREAT introduction to Zinn.
Written in 1968 as a rebuttal of Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas's book on civil disobedience, this slim volume still holds important points that every activist should know about defending the practice of civil disobedience--then, after successfully defending it, we can move beyond it...
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Howard Zinn was a historian, playwright, and social activist. He was a shipyard worker and Air Force bombardier before he went to college under the GI Bill and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He taught at Spelman College and Boston University, and was a visiting professor at the University of Paris and the University of Bologna. He received the Thomas Merton Award, the Eugene V. Debs...more
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“Aucun représentant ne peut exactement représenter les besoins d'autrui ; un représentant tend à devenir membre d'une certaine élite et jouit souvent de privilèges qui érodent l'intérêt qu'il doit porter aux revendications de ses mandants. Relayée par les élus du système représentatif, la colère des protestataires perd de sa force ; [...]. Les élus développent une certaine expertise qui tend à sa propre perpétuation. Les représentants passent plus de temps ensemble qu'avec les électeurs qu'ils représentent et forment vite un club fermé respectant ce que Robert Michels appelait "un pacte d'assistance mutuelle" contre le reste de la société.”
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“Aucun changement fonctionnel ou structurel ne peut garantir une société parfaitement démocratique. Nous acceptons mal ce fait parce que nous avons été élevés dans une culture technologique où l'on pense généralement que, si on pouvait seulement trouver le bon instrument, tou irait enfin pour le mieux et qu'il serait alors possible de se relâcher un peu. Mais on ne peut jamais se relâcher. L'expérience des Noirs américains, comme celle des Indiens, des femmes, des Hispaniques et des pauvres, nous apprend cela. Nulle constitution, nulle déclaration des droits, nul système électoral, nulle loi ne peuvent garantir la paix, la justice et l'égalité. Tout cela exige un combat permanent, des débats incessants impliquant l'ensemble des citoyens et un nombre infini d'organisations et de mouvements qui imposent leur pression sur tous les systèmes établis.”
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