Finding Pride in Violence: Alabama Boat Brawl Shows Black Unification

<p>We have a zero-tolerance fighting rule at my school, and my students feel this is unfair. We usually discuss the issue in class at least twice.</p> <p>The first time is when we discuss reasoning and instinct. Most animals act on instinct, but humans, in theory, should be able to reason. If they are placed in a situation that calls for violence, but they can walk away or talk themselves out of it, they should be proud.</p> <p>The other is from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>To Kill Mockingbird.</em></a>&nbsp;Atticus Finch walks away from Bob Ewell after Bob spits on him. I always have at least one student that inevitably says some version of &ldquo;<em>I would have punched him</em>,&rdquo; or &ldquo;<em>Atticus is a punk.</em>&rdquo;</p> <p>I remind them that Atticus understands the repercussions of his actions. Violence is not always the best answer.</p> <p>But&hellip;</p> <p>Sometimes, maybe it is.</p> <p>It is hard to tell a group of people to sit down and be peaceful when they have been beaten, killed, and told they are less than for centuries. Peaceful protests are a great way to work within many systems, but as&nbsp;<a href="https://collectiveliberation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Lorde_The_Masters_Tools.pdf" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Audre Lorde</a>&nbsp;stated decades ago, &ldquo;<em>The master&rsquo;s tools will never dismantle the master&rsquo;s house.&rdquo;</em></p> <p>We have centuries of history that show change is often just a way to quiet the rowdy while keeping most systems in place. They make a few tweaks, change a few words, or make a few temporary concessions.</p> <p><a href="https://aninjusticemag.com/finding-pride-in-violence-alabama-boat-brawl-shows-black-unification-19a7ecc42c1"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>