NationStates Jolt Archive

Inspired by my other thread. And as before, there will be a poll.

Inspired by my other thread. And as before, there will be a poll.

Corneliu ...?

Since anywhere he goes, there's a lot of action.

Corneliu ...?

Since anywhere he goes, there's a lot of action.

lol

Not bad as poll choices go, btw.
I'm going to go a little more local in time and place, as an offering:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21587718/
Yes, i know it's not the 20th century anymore.

Damn you Ingen! I can't decide between Mahatma Gandhi and Emma Goldman!

EDIT: After much mulling, I did decide, but it was soo painful. Emma Goldman ftw!

Anyway, looking at your poll options, only one conclusion can be made: when it comes to activism, libertarian socialists pwn. 4/9 named choices isn't too bad.

I'm going to tentatively go with Emma Goldman. Even though we're at opposite ends of the political spectrum, she should be admired for her stance against World War I, her repudiation of the Bolsheviks, and her tireless commitment to causes she believed to be just. She had the courage to condemn dictators of all stripes, whatever ideology they followed. She was definitely quite a character.

MLK Jr. For so many reasons.

MLK Jr. For so many reasons.

I'd have thought you'd pick Goldman.

Damn you Ingen! I can't decide between Mahatma Gandhi and Emma Goldman!

EDIT: After much mulling, I did decide, but it was soo painful. Emma Goldman ftw!

Anyway, looking at your poll options, only one conclusion can be made: when it comes to activism, libertarian socialists pwn. 4/9 named choices isn't too bad.

Well, they do tend to make a bigger splash than others. ;)

And die horrible and public deaths. :sniper:

That, too.

*for the record, that's the first and probably will be the only time I'll use the sniper emote*

Much appreciated. :D

Well, they do tend to make a bigger splash than others. ;)

And die horrible and public deaths. :sniper:

*for the record, that's the first and probably will be the only time I'll use the sniper emote*

I'd have thought you'd pick Goldman.

King accomplished more. He was easily one of the most successful radicals of the twentieth century, at least in the US.

King accomplished more. He was easily one of the most successful radicals of the twentieth century, at least in the US.

Fair enough. Interestingly enough, for better or worse, his radicalism is the part of him that's usually the least remembered.

Ghandi.

Anyone who stopped a war with a hunger strike is THE DUKE.
He makes Susan B Anthony look like a n00b.

Ghandi bears a large part of the blame in rejecting the partition of India at first and the deaths of many Muslims and Hindus.

Ghandi bears a large part of the blame in rejecting the partition of India at first and the deaths of many Muslims and Hindus.

you aint hatin' on the Ghandi, are yA?

Pope John Paul II.

That's right, I said it! :mad:

Now I know how a lot of you feel about popes and the catholic church in general. But Popes ARE activists. And John Paul II more so than most. He got a lot of shit done without resorting to violence. Some of it was even for the better. :p

Richard Simmons.

The nameless marcher.

Pope John Paul II.

That's right, I said it! :mad:

Now I know how a lot of you feel about popes and the catholic church in general. But Popes ARE activists. And John Paul II more so than most. He got a lot of shit done without resorting to violence. Some of it was even for the better. :p


But...but...the whole "condoms, scmondoms!", thing...

Course, he did do the whole , "Oh yeah, and the crusades and the Inquisition thing...yah, that was totally our bad."

So that was nice of him, I thought.
I think he should have had to send "sorry we were buttholes, all those centuries ago" cards, to all the muslims in the Middle East.

But...but...the whole "condoms, scmondoms!", thing...

Course, he did do the whole , "Oh yeah, and the crusades and the Inquisition thing...yah, that was totally our bad."

So that was nice of him, I thought.

That was kind of classy, wasn't it?

Che GueVara,Lenin,Trotsky,SubCommandante Marcos

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer), one of the few (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confessing_Church) who kept the faith when most others had abandoned it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Christians). He died at Flossenbürg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flossenb%C3%BCrg_concentration_camp#Death_March), April 9, 1945.

Angela Davis. ;)

really, the definition of "activist" is quite hazy...

Why did Mahatma Gandhi get the most votes while Nelson Mandela got none?

you aint hatin' on the Ghandi, are yA?

No, he's just being accurate.

I won't vote for the Mahatma either, because I believe some causes ARE worth fighting for.

Why did Mahatma Gandhi get the most votes while Nelson Mandela got none?

Gandhi inspired Mandela and MLK. So all their votes go to Gandhi. :p

I won't vote for the Mahatma either, because I believe some causes ARE worth fighting for.

ummm...non-violence is also fighting....just not with your hands.

Does Enoch Powell count? If not, I'm going for Emmeline Pankhurst. Not only does she have a damn silly name, but she actually did something of a significance that transcends contemporary sensibilities.

Ghandi bears a large part of the blame in rejecting the partition of India at first and the deaths of many Muslims and Hindus.

There was nothing he could do. He tried to get Jinnah and the muslim league to give up idea of partition. When that failed, he accepted the inevitability of partition.

I don't understand how the partition and the ensuing riots and loss of life can be blamed on Gandhi. Gandhi was just a pawn in the events leading to partition.

Churchill bears a large part of the blame.

Maha Atma

ummm...non-violence is also fighting....just not with your hands.

Interestingly enough, I don't think the Mahatma would agree with you.

I've studied his life considerably. He was once asked (by a French reporter) whether he was actually engaging in conflict by proxy.

The Mahatma replied that the only conflict in his action was the conflict between those who would act against a peaceful man, and their consciences.

Before I could stop myself, I voted Emma Goldman. Not that I regret it, but it was kind of automatic.

I'd also like to give a nod to Mother Jones, Margaret Sanger and Morris Dees, who broke the back of the clan. And to one of my favorites, Thurgood Marshall.

Interestingly enough, I don't think the Mahatma would agree with you.

I've studied his life considerably. He was once asked (by a French reporter) whether he was actually engaging in conflict by proxy.

The Mahatma replied that the only conflict in his action was the conflict between those who would act against a peaceful man, and their consciences.

He wasn't above using militant metaphors to describe his actions though. I think that Gandhi would describe his actions as "fighting hate with love and compassion". I know for a fact that he described himself as "a soldier of peace."

Interestingly enough, I don't think the Mahatma would agree with you.

I've studied his life considerably. He was once asked (by a French reporter) whether he was actually engaging in conflict by proxy.

The Mahatma replied that the only conflict in his action was the conflict between those who would act against a peaceful man, and their consciences.

Thanks for missing the point completely.

Thanks for missing the point completely.

Then, pray, explain.

Then, pray, explain.

Non-violence is also a way of fighting...just not with your arms. It cannot be explained any clearer than this.

Non-violence is also a way of fighting...just not with your arms. It cannot be explained any clearer than this.

Then, I maintain that I understood you entirely the first time. And that neither I nor the Mahatma would, in fact, have agreed.

Fighting, or more accurately conflict, is ultimately the opposition of two wills. What the Mahatma did was remove one will: his own. He simply acted, when left alone; accepted, when opposed; and counseled others to do the same. The only conflict was that within those who opposed him - he never pitted his will against another's.

I do not agree with his choice. I do respect it.

Fighting, or more accurately conflict, is ultimately the opposition of two wills. What the Mahatma did was remove one will: his own. He simply acted, when left alone; accepted, when opposed; and counseled others to do the same. The only conflict was that within those who opposed him - he never pitted his will against another's.

So, why did the British change their will ?

So, why did the British change their will ?

For precisely the reason Gandhi said they would - they ultimately realised it was the right thing to do. In the conflict between their desires and their consciences, their consciences were victorious.

yeah, it's gotta be gandhi. no one else comes close

Ingen! You filled your poll full of statist socialistic scum! I must protest this!

King accomplished more. He was easily one of the most successful radicals of the twentieth century, at least in the US.And what was his global effect?

David Dellinger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dellinger

Nobody did protesting in such style and took it like a man(that's why I didn't vote for a woman).

Idi Amin,

for protesting the blatant overpopulation of Uganda by killing half a million people.

Ingen! You filled your poll full of statist socialistic scum! I must protest this!

Well, maybe because most activists tend to be that type?

Well, maybe because most activists tend to be that type?

With the exception of Jerry Falwell and Charles Lindbergh, I'd actually like someone to explain to me how anyone else listed in the poll qualifies as being "statist."

Not bad as poll choices go, btw.
I'm going to go a little more local in time and place, as an offering:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21587718/
Yes, i know it's not the 20th century anymore.

And at one point I had to take my foot out of the water because they got the propeller within inches.

Pffft.. she cut off a toe, what more is a foot?

At least the fisherman were using the meat. At first I thought it was one of those fishing deals where the dolphins just get trapped with the tuna and killed. However, dolphins try and save our lives when they can... it is kind of bad to go around killing them.

Idi Amin,

for protesting the blatant overpopulation of Uganda by killing half a million people.

you win...:p

Gandhi inspired Mandela and MLK. So all their votes go to Gandhi. :p
Hmm? I don't recall hearing about Mandela and MLK saying something along the lines of western civilization not really being civilized. Really, you hear so much about how much better the Western World is for individual dignity, gender equality, etc... than most of the rest of the world and people like Gandhi implied that it was LESS civilized? I guess it's just that I find it odd how popular opinion, the same thing in favour of Winston Churchill, is also in favour of Gandhi despite that Churchill himself said something along the lines of "Gandhism needs to be crushed"