Repression can feel terrifying and insurmountable. And that is precisely its goal: to scare people into inaction. But one of the secrets to successful social movement is that there is a way to make repression backfire. Indeed, from the Civil Rights Movement to Occupy Wall Street, effective movements have harnessed repression to bring attention to the injustice of a system. In these cases and others through history, it was the repression and not the activism directly that led to transformative change. We can do the same for animal rights if we keep these four things in mind as we confront the repression in our movement.
WAYNE HSIUNG: They brutalized a disabled grandma. Jeryl has five grandchildren and suffers from multiple disabilities, including the deteriorating disc, requiring a wheelchair for mobility. She was one of 1000+ activists who came to Ridglan on March 15th to give aid to dogs suffering from criminal abuse.
But when she approached the facility she was met with ruthless police violence. One officer shoved her to the ground. Another pepper sprayed her directly in the eye. A third kicked her vulnerable back viciously. She was blinded, vomiting, and forcefully taken to a police van. As activists in the van tried to console her, she began to cry — but not for her own pain. “I just wanted to save one dog”…
Repression like this can feel terrifying and insurmountable. And that is precisely its goal: to scare people into inaction. But one of the secrets to successful social movement is that there is a way to make repression backfire. Indeed, from the Civil Rights Movement to Occupy Wall Street, effective movements have harnessed repression to bring attention to the injustice of a system…
In these cases and others through history, it was the repression and not the activism directly that led to transformative change. We can do the same for animal rights if we keep these four things in mind as we confront the repression in our movement.
– Every voice matters. Movements that depend on a few key leaders inevitably fail repression’s test. It’s too easy to neutralize a few people and leave a movement voiceless…
– Name the villain. If everyone is a villain, no one is. This is one of the lessons of Hannah Arendt’s study of atrocities in history. When repression is made abstract and bureaucratic, it’s impossible to generate directed outrage against concrete change…
– Take the moral high ground. The danger of naming villains is that it can cause a movement to devolve into hatred or even violence. This undermines public sympathy and can legitimize repression…
– Courage of purpose. Repression is disorienting. Tear gas and pepper spray literally prevent us from navigating the world. This makes it particularly important to focus on our purpose when facing repression. Without this courage of purpose, we can lose sight of why we resist — and thus give in to fear…
Courage of purpose is one of the reasons why Jeryl’s story is so inspiring… Even as Jeryl was threatened with permanent disability, she kept her focus on the dogs. This is incredible courage and focus. And this is how we will win… Repression is indeed very frightening. But we will make it backfire. Jeryl’s story shows us how. She is not a celebrity but she speaks out… And she does so with kindness — and thus maintains the moral high ground. But most important, Jeryl has courage of purpose. SOURCE
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