re MDMD: America

Scott Badger lupine at ncia.net
Wed Mar 6 19:13:38 CST 2002


Doug:
> Within the terms of discourse regarding non-violence, Dixon's act
> ("mythic"
> or not) is non-violent.  He doesn't physically harm anybody; he puts his
> body on the line to prevent the slave-driver from using his whip to harm
> the slaves, and to let the slaves escape thus giving them at
> least the hope
> of a better life. "Non-violent" doesn't mean passive or non-reactive, it's
> action that stops short of  injuring or killing.

'Dixon, moving directly, seizes the Whip,- the owner comes after it,- Dixon
places his Fist in the way of the oncoming Face,- the Driver cries out and
stumbles away. Dixon follows, raising the Whip. "Turn around. I'll guess
*you've* never felt this."
"You broke my Tooth!"
"In a short while thah's not going to matter much, because in addition, I'm
going to kill *you*...?[...]"'(698)

Not exactly Ghandi...

Note that four times in this passage the word "you" (referring to the
slave-driver) is in italics - mirroring the slave-driver's outbursts, when
he accosts the slaves. Dixon's actions, imho, are motivated, not so much by
a concern for the slaves' welfare, but by his own moral outrage and desire
for violent, and personal, retribution. The same desire that he felt in
Lancaster. Only the advice of one of the slaves stops Dixon from further
assault and perhaps even murder.

> it
> nonetheless points to a time in American history not many decades later
> when men and women will take such a stand to stop the slave trade and end
> the violence against slaves,

The non-violence of John Brown?

Scott Badger




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