[Peace-discuss] Tires Plus: Expect meanness, respond with kindness or disengagement

[Margaret E. Kosal]

All -

Both idealistically & in response to 'drive-by-screamers' I share the 
opinion of those who express returning animosity with kindness.

Pragmatically, in the real world corporate sharks and their dispirited 
minions interpret kindness as weakness.

Margaret


At 23:35 2/17/2003 -0600, Morton K.Brussel wrote:
>I get the impression that we are becoming overly timid. I'm referring to 
>the question of whether it should be promulgated  that Tires Plus is 
>antagonistic, or worse, to the anti-war movement. I believe that there are 
>instances where you have to know your antagonists as distinct from those 
>who are uncommitted to the war issue, or committed by mistake—i.e., by 
>ignorance. Should Israeli goods be boycotted? Many believe this to be an 
>effective way to affect Israel's governmental policies. Should we have 
>boycotted the apartheid South Africa's goods? Should we be afraid of 
>criticizing, harshly, George W. Bush,  Cheney, Rumsfeld et al, lest we 
>offend people who believe that they are honorable men? Should we be afraid 
>to condemn corporations that that support the weapons industry, or who 
>give funds to politicians to do that and support war? Should we be nice to 
>avowed racists, e.g., businesses that discriminate against ethnic groups?
>
>There are many people whose minds about war in Iraq you will not be able 
>to change. Many of these believe that those against war are traitors to 
>their country, contemptible peace-nics.  You can ascribe their war-like 
>tendencies to various causes, trust in their leaders, for example, but 
>they exist.  I don't think that special consideration needs to be extended 
>to these types; rather non-violent militancy against them is in order. You 
>can try to convince them otherwise, but you should be firm that you will 
>oppose them for their inimical actions. Gandhi had no scruples about 
>severely condemning the British in India before independence. Nor did 
>Martin Luther King worry about offending the southern mentality of segregation.
>
>I look at the managers/owners of Tires Plus in this light. I do not think 
>we need be timid about saying that they have been more than unfriendly to 
>our efforts. It is entirely conceivable that we could gain respect by not 
>being so timid. It is also conceivable that Tires Plus might become less 
>aggressive to us if they knew that there would be economic costs involved.
>
>I haven't decided whether a letter to the N-G is appropriate for what has 
>transpired between us and Tires Plus, but I am tempted to let the public 
>know what has happened.
>
>As for the comment that signs such as "Bomb Texas" are used by our 
>opponents [The N-G] against us, perhaps. That may be a tactical error, but 
>a good political point was being made, if perhaps too 
>belligerently.  Let's not discourage the diversity of our sentiments and 
>metaphors.
>
>Mort Brussel