When people advocate non-violence as a tactic -
its a strategy, not a tactic.
>Finally, it also creeps me out when people indicate that it's so
>wonderful that we have public support for a movement -- and point to
>the cops' brutality against the peaceful as a reason why we have it.
That would only "creep you out" if you have it in your head that violence and ignoring the mood of the public is the correct strategy and tend to get emotional when the real world indicates otherwise. Especially when your comrades draw lessons from that experience that you don't want them to.
>"See, let's just pretend we're "non-violent" and "peaceful", we'll
>provoke the cops, they'll beat us, and then we'll win more public
>support."
So now strategic non-violence is a pretence? People engaged in non-violent civil disobedience are only pretending to be peaceful and are provoking the cops?
What nonsense. You totally miss the point. It isn't necessary for the cops to be provoked into violence, in fact it is much better if they are not. If they merely remain passive and keep the peace.
You seem particularly galled by the idea of gaining public support:
>Basically, I guess, fuck that noise.
Practically rabid in fact. However gaining public support is almost invariably the difference between your direct action or civil disobedience ending in success, or being a dismal failure.
I recall a classic case here many years ago. Big union picket, very carefully organised along strategic non-violence lines. Whole of the local community actively or passively supported the workers pickets. The cops were ostentatiously neutral. The company was raging mad that the cops refused to break up the picket. Eventually they had to give in and negotiate with the strikers who they had intended to just sack and replace with scabs.
That would have made you mad as hell, right?
But the point is, its the public support that is important. Get that and you can neutralise the advantage to bosses have in terms of ability to use violence.
No need to provoke the cops to beat people up. Several big non-violent direct actions I can think of that won their objectives without any of that.
I'm sure this is sending you into mouth-foaming frenzy right?
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas