198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

It's becoming increasingly apparent that The People's Voice is rarely heard by our governmental representatives. We are well aware that 'loud voices' such as riots and violence are a poor substitute for positive change and long term effects. Identifying problems and brainstorming solutions on ATS is a step in the right direction, but it's still only a whisper in the ear of those who govern.

Practitioners of nonviolent struggle have an entire arsenal of "nonviolent weapons" at their disposal. Listed below are 198 of them, classified into three broad categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and nonviolent intervention.


The Methods of Nonviolent Protest and Persuasion

Formal Statements
1. Public Speeches
2. Letters of opposition or support
3. Declarations by organizations and institutions
4. Signed public statements
5. Declarations of indictment and intention
6. Group or mass petitions

Communications with a Wider Audience
7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols
8. Banners, posters, and displayed communications
9. Leaflets, pamphlets, and books
10. Newspapers and journals
11. Records, radio, and television
12. Skywriting and earthwriting

Group Representations
13. Deputations
14. Mock awards
15. Group lobbying
16. Picketing
17. Mock elections

Symbolic Public Acts
18. Displays of flags and symbolic colors
19. Wearing of symbols
20. Prayer and worship
21. Delivering symbolic objects
22. Protest disrobings
23. Destruction of own property
24. Symbolic lights
25. Displays of portraits
26. Paint as protest
27. New signs and names
28. Symbolic sounds
29. Symbolic reclamations
30. Rude gestures

Pressures on Individuals
31. "Haunting" officials
32. Taunting officials
33. Fraternization
34. Vigils

Drama and Music
35. Humorous skits and pranks
36. Performances of plays and music
37. Singing

Processions
38. Marches
39. Parades
40. Religious processions
41. Pilgrimages
42. Motorcades

Honoring the Dead
43. Political mourning
44. Mock funerals
45. Demonstrative funerals
46. Homage at burial places

Public Assemblies
47. Assemblies of protest or support
48. Protest meetings
49. Camouflaged meetings of protest
50. Teach-ins

Withdrawal and Renunciation
51. Walk-outs
52. Silence
53. Renouncing honors
54. Turning one’s back
The Methods of Social Noncooperation

Ostracism of Persons
55. Social boycott
56. Selective social boycott
57. Lysistratic nonaction
58. Excommunication
59. Interdict

Noncooperation with Social Events, Customs, and Institutions
60. Suspension of social and sports activities
61. Boycott of social affairs
62. Student strike
63. Social disobedience
64. Withdrawal from social institutions

Withdrawal from the Social System
65. Stay-at-home
66. Total personal noncooperation
67. "Flight" of workers
68. Sanctuary
69. Collective disappearance
70. Protest emigration (hijrat)
The Methods of Economic Noncooperation: Economic Boycotts

Actions by Consumers
71. Consumers’ boycott
72. Nonconsumption of boycotted goods
73. Policy of austerity
74. Rent withholding
75. Refusal to rent
76. National consumers’ boycott
77. International consumers’ boycott

Action by Workers and Producers
78. Workmen’s boycott
79. Producers’ boycott

Action by Middlemen
80. Suppliers’ and handlers’ boycott

Action by Owners and Management
81. Traders’ boycott
82. Refusal to let or sell property
83. Lockout
84. Refusal of industrial assistance
85. Merchants’ "general strike"

Action by Holders of Financial Resources
86. Withdrawal of bank deposits
87. Refusal to pay fees, dues, and assessments
88. Refusal to pay debts or interest
89. Severance of funds and credit
90. Revenue refusal
91. Refusal of a government’s money

Action by Governments
92. Domestic embargo
93. Blacklisting of traders
94. International sellers’ embargo
95. International buyers’ embargo
96. International trade embargo

More

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Conan does not approve at all to this....

Conan: Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women.

You guys manage to summarize the most opposite point-of-views on how to deal with issues.

Handy list anyway hurdygurdy.

A brief run-down of History would explain why this is a list of 198 methods of letting your enemies win.

originally posted by: rockpaperhammock
Conan does not approve at all to this....

Conan: Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women.

MOST EXCELLENT!!!

All 198 may be defeated by ONE and that is Non-participation. 198 reasons given is participation. You have created the Beast, now uncreate it, reconfigure it into what you desire. Namaste.

My personal beliefs, while they are not static by any means, are as follows: all methods of non-violent action to institute change in the government are dependent on one thing, that thing being a willingness to listen on the part of those in power. Without that, none of these things make a difference. Another reason I believe that such actions are not going to incite large-scale change is due to limited participation. There will never be enough people willing to push for change, unless that thing they want changed is personally affecting them. IMO the best method that any government could use to oppress the citizenry would be to not anger them all at once. Whether the government acquiesces to requests for change is also dependent on how far they are willing to go to hold their ground. If they are willing to go as far as deploying armed troops and killing their own citizens, then there is no hope for peaceful change.

Of course these ideas could be carried much further, and there are many points that would negate what I have said. I've mentioned some of them myself in another post some months ago. However, for all the negatives that exist, I have concluded that the populace MUST try to institute change through non-violent means, and must exhaust all non-violent measures to incite change before they attempt to use more persuasive measures, like revolution. Without trying the non-violent things first, most of the blame will lie with the population, whereas if the government does not listen to reason, a revolution is much more their fault than ours. And perhaps we can institute change without any harm coming to anyone, which is no doubt the best and most noble method. But I still do not feel change is imminent unless enough of the population is affected.

A somewhat related question comes to mind, as I am curious...I've seen people signing petitions and whatnot when they don't have a clue as to the cause. Would those organizing such public measures welcome such people to their ranks? Or would you want them to believe in the entire campaign, and know what they're supporting? So do the ends, change, justify the means, which in this case would be not educating the public, but simply getting the public to support something they know nothing about? Because the latter sounds a lot like what has created the problems with our government in the first place.

a reply to: JiggyPotamus

I totally agree with you.

In regard to fully engaged participation in a non-violent intervention of sorts, TheBlackTiger posted a few ideas the other day that I found really interesting:

I imagine a system that would be something like ATS, and Youtube put together. But all, absolutely all (this is a super important part of it) open source. I could even imagine the central servers handling raw data only, and the open source code being compiled and executed on end-users machines to ensure compliance.

Basically, there would be an issue. Let's say the issue is ISIS. A 10 day (for example) poll would begin. During the 10 days, anyone who chose to could submit a "thread" to a forum composed of this subject. These could be text or video. Users would rate these threads with stars, flags, likes, thumbs, whatever you want to call it. After a few days, it should become clear that a few ideas that a lot of people agree with are beginning to emerge, and these would be shown more prominently than whatever random guy's "My idea on Ebola". However, the promotion would be regulated by the software which, again, would be open source so that there's no doubt that a specific agenda is being pushed.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

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a reply to: hurdygurdy

May I suggest adding two additonal entries to that list to reach 200 ?
How about two belgian specialities : belgian creampie and belgian compromise.