Conflict is both an indicator and a facilitator of changing minds
History is clear on this point: injustice can be defeated only by reformers who confront evil and accept persecution from angry defenders of the status quo. People who exploit others are enraged when their cruel tyranny is threatened. When William Wilberforce used pictures to win the debate over slavery, he was attacked in the newspapers, physically assaulted, and even threatened with death. But he showed the pictures anyway.
Conflict is not only an indicator that the status quo is threatened; it is also a facilitator of change. It focuses public attention in ways nothing else will. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” This tension created a public forum in which racists were forced to defend segregation. They could not do it, so the reformers won.
Tags: abortion pictures, Martin Luther King Jr, modulated conflict, William Wilberforce
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 17th, 2013 at 10:04 am and is filed under Campus Debate (GAP), Pro Life Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.