When we left class a few days ago, I was left conflicted. Violence and non-violence were fighting against each other in my head over and over again with various rules and dominations. Moreover, as I was walking to my car the other morning, I happened to be listening to one of Lupe Fiasco’s older songs entitled, “Words I Never Said.” Throughout the song, Lupe continues to begrudge himself because he will continue to regret his actions and his words against racism and inequality, particularly the words he’ll never say, because of his nonviolent attitude and his assumed inaction. In the song, he continuously brings up instances of violence taken against innocents, while nothing seems to happen in response. He sings about cover-ups and international conspiracies. He raps about the inanity and inequalities of public education: “your child’s future was the first to go with budget cuts/ If you think that hurts, then wait, here comes the uppercut/ The school was garbage in the first place/ That’s on the up and up.” Throughout the song, Lupe continuously brings up subject after subject, exposing hypocrisy and inequality, while consequently realizing that violence is his only way to logically act and rebel. Likewise in Walker’s appeal, we continuously see validations for violence, yet not enough violence actually takes place. For the betterment of both Walker’s and Fiasco’s people, they beg each of their oppressed worlds to open their eyes and act against purposeful violence with deliberate violence in turn. More importantly, we see another similarity. In both Walker’s appeal and Fiasco’s song, they seem to be fighting against themselves and their own realities; for instance, Lupe fights against his nonviolent attitude with “viable” reasons for violence, while also suggesting that he will regret everything if he does not take deliberate action towards change. On the other hand, Walker fights against the contemporary beliefs that surround him, screaming in faces of inaction and complacency. Ultimately, I kept coming back to Walker’s Appeal. Particularly, if violence is being done against yourself and the people alongside you, the only logical action to spur change is to commit violence against those that would wish harm against your body and mind. Accordingly, in today’s world and in Walker’s, violent actions are everywhere. Though they may take the form of inequality, theft, foreign hardship, public funding, prejudice, and others, violence and destruction are still being done, and in response, one of the only logical and real things to do is commit violence in turn. As one of Lupe’s last lines illustrates, “I’m a part of the problem, my problem is I’m peaceful,” inaction is problematized, and peacefulness is in itself inactivity towards those that are harming you, creating a future where regret is everywhere because nothing changed.
Here’s the link for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0
Brad, I really enjoyed this discussion of the justification for violence. Indeed, the fact that inequality exists (or has ever existed) not only justifies violence, but necessitates it. When we discuss the justification for these actions, I think it’s very important to remember the full extent of abuse and reframe the definition of its embodiment in our discussions. Peace in itself can be violent when it condones or fails to prevent further violence. Turner is reported to have used this argument to “prevent further bloodshed”, an argument with which we are all familiar as denizens of the US. I think the regret you mention feeling at inaction is linked to this: the ability to allow violence and injustice to continue essentially condones your safety above that of others. This decision is not always a selfish one, as those who experience oppression often have difficulty standing up for themselves or their causes in the moment due to fear of abuse, but I think this choice is one that can only be encouraged, not forced.
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