Modern Nonviolence Essay

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Nonviolent action is the practice of achieving goals through civil disobedience in hopes of achieving a goal or drawing attention to a an injustice. Nonviolent resistance has been practiced for thousands of years. However, the modern form of non-violent resistance was popularised and proven to be effective by Mahatma Gandhi in efforts to liberate India from the British. Gandhi used the media to take advantage of his cause. Gandhi realized that simple nonviolent resistance enrages the authoritative figures of a country. Gandhi used the media and this behavior to expose the hatred of Indians. Since Gandhi, many groups of people have been influenced by his modern take on passive resistance. Occupy Wall Street is a protest movement that began September 17, 2011 in New York City. The protests are against social and economic inequality, corruption, greed of America and the influence of corporations on government policies. The group relates to those that have been abused by injustice and greed. Despite the use of nonviolent protesting, there are many factors that Gandhi's protests had that Occupy Wall Street is lacking. Gandhi served as the spiritual and political leader of the main population of India. Since Gandhi was seen as the figure head, people looked up to him for inspiration and guidance. Occupy Wall Street's organization is extremely disorganized with no real leaders. Without a proper figure head, it is difficult for specific requests and goals of the movement. It is also extremely difficult to adjust and keep the movement alive. However, there are many similarities betwseen Gandhi's Indian movement and Occupy Wall Street. We live in a day where the use of media and connection with the population is more accessible than ever. The media is run by individuals as much as it is by larger corporations. With video cameras readily available in this age, the protestors

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