The Metta Center – Nonviolence FAQ

“When you are facing brutal dictators, there is no win-win. You simply have to fight and use ‘us versus them’ tactics.’”

Nonviolence (satyagraha) is total noncompliance with injustice; that is, in order to stop an injustice, one must refuse to comply with not only the injustice itself, but also with the methods, rules, and logic that allowed the injustice to occur, namely, the rules of violence, coercion and domination. To adopt violent methods against one’s opponent, even if they are “soft” methods of violence such as name calling, ridicule, or intimidation, is to reinforce the paradigm of domination that allows individuals and groups to exploit one another; the roles may shift and those who were oppressed today may later find themselves in a position to exact unfair advantage, as individuals if not as a group, unless the underlying logic of oppression is itself challenged.

via mettacenter.org