When are we justified in Disobeying the State?
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When racism seems to be integrated into society, many undesirable effects such as self-hatred and injustices can be manifested in the affected population. Most of the racism victims will eventually disobey the ruling system since they believe that no race is better. When people violate such a scenario, they might be morally correct since they fight for their rights (Kuru 2019). Civil disobedience has been occurring for centuries, and many rules have been amended to suit the discriminated victims’ desires. Great people such as Ghandhi, Luther King, and Henry David, advocated for civil disobedience to break the bondage of slavery from racism (Foster & Nwiyor 2017). The philosophers brought a big change to the society since civil disobedience seemed to be the last and only significant tool to make the government accountable for any racial occurrences. According to Luther King, he advised his followers by telling them that it was morally right to break all unjust laws and fulfill their souls.
Moreover, selfish dictators and elites always make the law, which undermines the minority races’ interests in a population. All parts of humanity have their versions of what is morally right and wrong. It is not surprising that beliefs of what is moral and not changes over time, rendering regular civil disobedience (Foster & Nwiyor 2017). For instance, when an individual openly criticizes the government, they might receive mixed public reactions. Some elites might encourage them for their courage, while the government will censor them for incitement.
Civil disobedience is overly aimed at changing a rule that discriminates against some races from others. In the 1930s, cases of racial discrimination were many that Gandhi opted for non-violence civil disobedience. Ghandhi led a march towards the sea to illustrate how the British government had fallen short of protecting the citizen’s rights (Foster & Nwiyor 2017). On the same day, a black American refused to offer a seat to a white man in a segregated bus traveling to Montgomery in 1956 (Kuru 2019). Such spectacular civil disobedience saw too many laws passed, enabling segregation of mixed races in schools, hospitals, and the streets. It was ten clear that persistent of disobeying bad laws could bring a permanent democratic change in society. We might admire people who stand out by using all available methods to restore sanity in the democratic arena. Still, the hidden struggle is that the disobedience must be a recognized moral act against the state laws (Foster & Nwiyor 2017). Some negative impacts, such as unwanted passions of violence, can be observed during civil disobedience. Still, they should be avoided at all costs to bring out peaceful civil demonstrations. Besides, the evil in the society, which is intended to be fought, must be grave enough to justify civil disobedience. The evil opposed by civil disobedience must have a likelihood to linger for decades in the society, to match the enthusiasm of disobedience (Kuru 2019). Besides, the community in which racial injustices occur should prove that evil might not be combated using available legal systems.
Finally, individuals who opt for civil disobedience should have exceptional conscientiousness, effective communication, publicity, and of course, be a non-violent individual. However, some societies in society do not need civil disobedience, although some racial discrimination elements might be identified (Foster & Nwiyor 2017). For instance, when a black man fails to pay for shopping in a white-owned mall, he should be jailed for stealing. There is no need for boycotting or demonstration since all community members can agree that it is morally crooked to steal from any member of society.
REFERENCES
Foster, L. J., & Nwiyor, A. B. (2017). A Philosophical Justification of Civil Disobedience in a Democratic State. Journal of Humanities and Social Policies, 3(2), 39-43.
Kuru, A. B. (2019). What Justifies Civil Disobedience? (Doctoral dissertation, Institute of Social Sciences).