Gandhi's Grandson Brings Message Of Non-Violence To UNC Campus

WRAL.com ^ | October 4, 2001 | Julia Lewis

[Constitution Day]

There was a message of peace on the UNC campus Wednesday night.

Hundreds of people packed the south lawn to hear Dr. Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, speak about peaceful alternatives to war.

Gandhi told the crowd that before we can understand our enemies we need to respect our differences.

[Constitution Day]

Sir Winston Churchill on Mohandas K. Gandhi:

"It is... nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East,
striding half-naked up the steps of the Vice-Regal Palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience,
to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King..."

Yet another voice in the chorus that would have us turn tail and allow our enemies to do as they please.
At the bare minimum, we can say this about his grandson: he appears to be fully dressed.

[camle]

Why don't he take hiss little peace tour to Kabul? I'm sure they'd extend the warm welcome that he so richly deserves.

[mdittmar]

We have to go deeper into this and find out why are these terrorists against us

Sorry Gandhi,I just need to see them DEAD!!

[Deb]

I'm sure none of the campus morons saw the irony in the fact that both this guy's mother and grandfather were assassinated...unless this is that phony Gandhi who illegally contributed to the Clinton campaign and gave him that dopey award, in which case why is he not in jail?

[Constitution Day]

This is just one in a string of "peace" events in Chapel Hill, North Carolina's Berkeley.

Not everyone there is like that: UNC College Republicans are holding a patriotism rally tomorrow at noon.

Pro American Rally At UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina

[daniel1q]

The problem with Gandhian philosophy is that it works only in particular situations. It worked for Indian nationalists who sought freedom from British rule -- simply disobey all the unjust rules until the entire society essentially grinds to a halt. It's also worth noting, however, that since Gandhi implored his people to never put up a fight against the British, the British walked out of India with virtually all of the wealth that had brought them there in the first place. London museums are overflowing with Indian treasures. Nonviolence may have won them freedom, but violence would have won them freedom and riches.
It worked, to some small extend, by Martin Luther King, Jr. Peaceful lobbying of the government did have some impact on the further government push toward equal civil rights, although one could argue that the more radical and violent black groups played some role in that.
However, nonviolence is simply not a solution at this time. We cannot sit by while these Arabs dismantle us piece by piece, all the while saying "Oh dear, peace will win out." Certainly, peace will win out after we are all dead and the world is run by one sect of fundamentalist Islam.
Essentially, the idea of Gandhian philosophy has been extended to be an absolute truth instead of a situational truth. That's a dangerous folly, and one that I hope that our officials do not follow. We must strike, and strike hard.

[Constitution Day]

I agree completely. Are you Indian, by the way? I noticed your screen name.

Welcome to FR.

[lavaroise]

Why do those racist peace nicks keep denying that a message of peace sent to white caucasian brits will work but one against muslims won't. Gandhi's ways were ok with civilized British, but his utopia of peace with muslims and Pakistan killed him and his killing is country economicaly today.

Now that Pakistan has nukes, What Would Gandhi Do?

FOUR or FIVE words: LUNATIC UTOPIC SELF-AGRANDISING RACIST MORONS.

[Constitution Day]

You make some excellent points. Non-violence is simply suicide when faced with a foe that will stop at nothing.

[Constitution Day]

Irony usually escapes liberals of this stripe.

They bitch about the "oppression" of the "rich patriarchal white male overclass" while driving BMWs and living off Daddy's trust fund.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Why was there no mandatory

BARF ALERT

with this posting when talking about UNC????? Please let's get with the etiquette on this board...

[Billthedrill]

People seem to forget that although Gandhi preached non-violence, the actual stream of events leading to Great Britain's withdrawal was anything but non-violent - to the tune of some 2 million Indian dead. Antiwar idealists seem intent on shoving this inconvenient little fact out of sight when claiming non-violence as a panacea.

One of the solutions we are trying in Iraq is "non-violent" - an embargo that the antiwar types are now claiming has killed as many as a million people (out of a total population of 22 million - yeah, right). I'm thinking non-violence ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[Psycho_Bunny]

"what can we do to change the circumstances"

Devistate and utterly destroy your enemy. Kill those that need to be killed. That's the only course of action which has ever truely worked.

[TOMH1]

If I recall, didn't the senior Mr. Gandhi try to do a deal with the Japanese before/during WWII under the guise of "The enemy (Japan) of my enemy (England) is my friend (Japan)." The Japanese at that time were certainly a non-violent and pacifist nation.

[Constitution Day]

SO Sorry! I forgot the BARF ALERT.

Will a barf bag suffice, since I didn't warn you?

[dirtboy]

Hundreds of people packed the south lawn to hear Dr. Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, speak about peaceful alternatives to war.

Non-violence only works when appealing for change to moral societies. I'm sure dictators such as Saddam Hussein love non-violent protestors - it saves a bundle on police overtime to arrest and shoot them all.

[dirtboy]

"We have to go deeper into this and find out why are these terrorists against us, why do they hate us so much and what can we do to change the circumstances,"

Yeah, that was so effective in Tianamen Square...

[Constitution Day]

I believe you are correct.

Yes, the Imperial Japanese Army was the paragon of peacefulness and virtue at that time. /sarcasm

[Schnucki]

Hang on, didn't Gandhi give his approval to men "using violence in a moral cause" during the rioting in Calcutta??

Didn't Gandhi bless the Nawab of Maler Kotla when he gave orders to shoot ten Muslims for every Hindu killed in his state?

Didn't the armies of India (that Gandhi had created) march immediately into battle, after independence in 1947, incorporating the state of Hyderabad by force and making war in Kashmir on secessionist Pakistan?

Didn't they give him a vast military funeral when he died?

Somebody correct me if this is wrong! ;)