I know very few who are willing to die for their convictions. I wouldn't be hit on the head with a billy club or have mace squirted in my face. When I was younger and a radical at American University maybe: as a matter of fact, I was at the march on the Pentagon just last year, right in the front taking pictures, just being there to find out what was happening, and I was knocked down and stepped on. I don't want to do that again. It didn't accomplish anything. They lied about everything that happened. Everything in the newspapers were just lies.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Few are willing to die for convictions. Activism often involves physical risk with little tangible result due to media distortion.
- In plain terms
- I don't want to get hurt for my beliefs because it doesn't seem to accomplish anything.
- What can you take from it?
- Physical protest may carry high risks with uncertain outcomes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is physical risk worth taking for a cause?
- How do you measure the impact of protest?
Another view
Disengaging from direct action might limit the effectiveness of social change efforts.
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