[Peace-discuss] Re: [Wefta] Coercive harmony at WEFT

[Paul M. King]

Carl,

Why are you provoking people? This vote was very difficult for
me and this morning I question whether I did the right thing
last night. The charges, I think, were legitimate: disrespect,
dismissive of authority and excessively uncooperative. It is
indeed an admirable quality be able to dissent and engage in
conflict on behalf of justice, but there's also wisdom in
knowing when to concede and when to compromise, particularly
when we are all essentially working for the same goals. Being
right does not give one justification for pursuing a goal by
any means necessary. Everyone thought they were right last
night. George Bush thinks he is right too.

I fear that the divisiveness and deep-seated hostility that
has been generated by this issue will outweigh any good that
may come from it.

Where do we draw the line, as activists and dissenters? "The
Middle Way" has always been a favorite Buddhist mantra of
mine. Why eschew the good we can achieve by compromising an
absolute goal (achievable without falling victim to coercive
harmony) in favor of creating vicious hostility in its
achievement?

Respectfully,
..:: Paul King



---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 10:47:25 -0500
>From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>  
>Subject: Re: [Wefta] Coercive harmony at WEFT  
>To: wefta at lists.chambana.net
>
>The use of the term "ringers" for long-time supporters of WEFT
>who carefully fulfilled the criteria for Associate status
>indicates the dangerously ingrown culture at the station. A
>organization that's supposed to be open and community-based is
>closing around "the de facto elders of WEFT" (a funny phrase
>to me, who's been involved with WEFT since joining the BOD
>more than 15 years ago).
>
>The charges were remarkably vague and unspecified.  They
>reduced to the point that Randall "questioned authority" -- of
>the little group who are trying to purge him.  The scandal is
>that so many went along.  --CGE
>
>
>---- Original message ----
>>Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 10:16:46 -0500
>>From: Scott Fernsler <s.fernsler at insightbb.com>  
>>Subject: Re: [Wefta] Coercive harmony at WEFT  
>>To: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>>Cc: wefta at lists.chambana.net
>>
>>
>>You may remember an election a little while back?  The
>current prez won 
>>by a handful of votes and believed that he was given a
>mandate.  Randall 
>>remains on the board because of three votes.  The number of
>ringers he 
>>corralled from AWARE is a number between 3 and 8. 
>>
>>Perhaps you were blacking out during the meeting last night,
>because 
>>there was not merely a sole charge.  You are using some of
>the same 
>>tactics of the Bush administration, one of which is an
>attempt to change 
>>the story after the fact.  Do you have any articles talking
>about hypocrisy?
>>
>>I believe we heard from one person who changed his mind
>because of 
>>others' opinions.  It was not because there was merely a
>bunch of them, 
>>but because it was a bunch of the people he respected.  It
>was also 
>>people who make up the de facto elders of WEFT. 
>>
>>Please look more carefully at the facts. 
>>
>>__Scott Fernsler
>>
>>C. G. Estabrook wrote:
>>
>>>[I thought the most interesting aspect of last night's meeting
>>>was provided by those who, noticing for the first time that
>>>someone being ridden out of town on a rail -- and observing
>>>substantial citizens preparing the tar and feathers -- decide
>>>to join the activity, because there's so much citizen
>>>involvement.  In this case, a small group who seem to think
>>>WEFT is theirs have mounted a campaign against Randall Cotton
>>>on the sole charge that he tried to get things done at the
>>>station -- and too many WEFTies were willing to go along with
>>>them.  This is a bad sign for the health of WEFT and an
>>>example of what anthropologist Laura Nader has called
>>>"coercive harmony."  She describes it as "basically a movement
>>>against the contentious in anything, and it has very strange
>>>bedfellows, from people with various psychiatric therapy
>>>movements, Christian fundamentalists, corporations sick of
>>>paying lawyers, activists who believe we should love each
>>>other ... coercive harmony [is] an ideology that says if you
>>>disagree, you should really keep your mouth shut." Apparently
>>>Randall didn't do that.  Here's a longer account of what
>>>WEFT's playing into.  --CGE]
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>
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