Was Gandhi as non-violent as the peaceniks would have us believe?

[Darksheare]

Gahndi also let his wife die from appendicitus (or pneumonia?) because the treatment was 'foreign medicine'. Yet when he contracted the same problem, he underwent treatment. How hypocritical is that?

[Sonny M]

The left has hijacked Gandhi. He was far more pragmatic and a realist then the left wants to admit, and they also prefer to cover up anything that he said or did that might be a turnoff to non left wingers. In a moment of rage he once uttered to the british "I hope Hitler comes to your beautifull little island and kills each and every one of you, as you have slaughtered us". He apoligised for it. He was very clear that non-violence only worked if the enemy is of a moral nature and not "totalitarian and genocidal". He did, and quite clearly point out later on in life that if India had tried to use non violence against the Nazis they would have been slaughtered. He never said anything to the jews about the holocaust because he didn't know about it, untill after that fact. He also did not agree with Bose's strategy of collaberating with the enemy's of England, since he knew (and wisely) that non violence would never work against them, and India would have been invaded, and the rivers would have turned red with there blood. He also did not believe in socialism in the government sponsered sense, since his belief was compassion should be voluntary not mandated. Many people, me included think that he should have used violence to free india. By using non-violence, England left and took many of India's treasures and art, and money with them, sort of like robbing the house blind then going home.

[pariah]

Didn't Gandhi refuse medical intervention for at least two of his dying wives, but when he himself was sick, relented and accepted medical intervention for himself?

Nonsense. Gandhi was married to the same women his entire life, she outliving him. Hindus are monogamous, no trace of polygamy in their culture. And Gandhi, although a strict vegetarian, did not reject medical science and care, when appropriate. He was a highly educated man, having obtained a law degree in England.

[twigs]

Gandhi's methods assumed that the enemy, in this case the British, would be responsive to shame and the weight of world opinion. He was right--the ideal of honor, whether or not they consistently practiced it, was very important to the British. When Gandhi realized the sheer evil of a person like Hitler, he came to realize that his methods would not work in that type of situation.

[BaBaStooey]

My favorite scene in the film UHF (Weird Al's movie) is the spoof of Ghandi. I think it was "Ghandi 2" and it shows Ghandi going apenuts with a tommy gun like he's in one of the Godfather movies. Fun stuff.

[TBP]

My Indian associates tell me that it was Dr. Chandra Bose who was more instrumental in India's independance than Gandhi, but Gandhi gets the credit.

On January 23, 1997, India held a ceremony in New Delhi to honor Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose organized a group of Indian prisoners of war to fight for the Japanese during World War II. They even fought with the Japanese in an invasion of Assam. Mr. Bose met with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and went to Japan on a Nazi submarine.

[TBP]

The Indian government spends large sums of money in this country on lobbying (i.e. disinformation) on behalf of India. One of the firms it uses is Verner Lipfert, the firm that is led by fomer Dimmycrap Sen. George Mitchell.

Mitchell was on CNN last year talking about the Palestinian situation and he said, "The essence of democracy is the right to self-determination" yet when it comes to the numerous freedom movements seeking their freedom from India, Senator Mitchell takes exactly the opposite position.

This kind of hypocrisy makes him the perfect person to represnet a country like India.

[akash]

Gandhi's ideas of non violence "turning the other cheek" were drawn from the New Testament. Believe me VS Naipaul says so.

[kesse36]

Gandhi also said that
"resistance by violence is morally better than cowardice, submission and importance when faced with violent attack,suppressions, and political evil.(Sharp, 1979. in Gandhi as a Political Strategist).