Page 5 - Whole Magazine June 2020

The Face of Civil Disobedience

the intervening years. Cut to the present,
and we have Extinction Rebellion (XR), a
two-year-old UK-born movement that
uses non-violent civil disobedience “in an
attempt to halt mass extinction and
minimize the risk of social collapse.”
Dear EarthTalk: What are some ways Activists working on behalf of XR’s cause
environmentalists use civil disobedience to have been in the news lately for various
accomplish their goals? “monkeywrenching” antics, such as
— Robert P., Portland, OR supergluing themselves to infrastructure
like roads, trains and buildings and
attempting to shut down oil rigs and
The concept of civil disobedience (defined airports. Last Spring the group brought
by Merriam-Webster as the “refusal to obey traffic in parts of London to a halt for
laws as a way of forcing the government to hours by parking a hot pink sailboat in
do or change something”) dates back to the the middle of a busy intersection, while
dawn of civil society. Mahatma Gandhi and activists threw black paint at the London
Martin Luther King Jr. are primary examples headquarters of Shell Oil and blockaded
of non-violent resistors using civil entry to the company’s corporate
disobedience as a tool to achieve their goals. headquarters. Seven-hundred XR activists
Of course, environmental proponents have were hauled off to jail as a result of the
been practicing civil disobedience in various protest, which won’t likely be forgotten
forms for decades if not longer. After all, by any London commuters trying to get
proto-environment Henry David Thoreau home that day at least. More recently,
wrote his seminal essay on the topic in 1846 activists from the group have been
after spending the night in jail for refusing generating controversy by threatening
to pay his back taxes. He feared the money cyberattacks if the UK government bails
would go toward funding the Mexican- out its ailing airline industry.
American War, which he opposed, by a U.S.
government that also happened to permit
slavery, which he also opposed. While XR may be attracting the
headlines lately, they are following a civil
disobedience trail blazed by many others
“If a thousand men were not to pay their over the last half century. Activists from
tax bills this year, that would not be a groups such as 350.org, Sea Shepherd, the
violent and bloody measure, as it would be Hambach Forest Occupation, EarthFirst!,
to pay them, and enable the State to commit Greenpeace, and thousands of others
violence and shed innocent blood,” wrote engage in acts of civil disobedience every
Thoreau. “This is, in fact, the definition of a day all over the world in their pursuit of Learn about the new voting experience rolling out in LA County for March
peaceable revolution, if any such is protecting wildlife, the environment and/ 2020. League of Women Voters of Los Angeles | 3303 Wilshire Boulevard , Suite
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While not an environmental essay per se,
Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience makes the case CONTACTS: Extinction Rebellion, Looking for a SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY?
for nonviolent resistance as “a counter rebellion.earth; 350.org, 350.org; Julia
friction to stop the machine.” While Butterfly Hill, juliabutterflyhill.com; Sea
democracy might be the best form of Shepherd, seashepherdglobal.org; CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING FULLERTON
government we can hope for, the dominance Hambach Forest Occupation, 373 E. Imperial Highway, Fullerton, CA 92835
of the majority inevitably leads to the hambachforest.org; EarthFirst!,
trampling on the hopes, dreams and rights of earthfirst.org; Greenpeace.
the minority. In Thoreau’s mind, individuals greenpeace.org.
shouldn’t let governments doing the will of JUNE 2020
an amoral or immoral majority overrule EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer
their own consciences and thus enlist them as & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit
collaborators in injustice.
EarthTalk. See more at https:// VIEW SERVICES on the INTERNET
Even though its focus is more general, emagazine.com. To donate, visit https://
Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience has certainly earthtalk.org. Send questions to: www.CSLFullerton.org
fueled many an environmental campaign in question@earthtalk.org.
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June 2020 5