Yah, well, that didn't work for the same reason boycotts don't work, and ironically, why Communism itself did not work: Humans don't think like that. He's describing the beehive, where drones who die in the doing, nevertheless throw themselves against the attacker in waves - like mindless insects. Sure, it works in that the hive is saved, but tough luck for the poor drones!
The only reason Ghandi got “passive resistance” to work, where enough people actually participated that it had its intended effect, is because all they had to do was… nothing. Inertia is easy. Action is hard. Sure, if ten thousand people charged a machine gun nest the weapon could not kill them all before it was overrun - but somebody is going to be in the front row that is mowed down. Do you want to volunteer? Didn't think so.
[This is why riots and restive mobs can be routed by police or troops firing weapons over their heads - of all that mob those single shots are not likely to hit you - but nobody wants to roll those dice.]
I was intrigued when I heard about how plans tio mass-airdrop the cheap, singleshot “Liberator” pistol into Occupied Europe - use it to get a better gun off the guy you shoot! - were quietly cancelled. Obviously no government is going to actively provide the means for armed mass resistance against central authority! It was all we could do - and that only temporarily! - to keep our government from prohibiting arms to its subjects citizens.
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Date: 5/31/13 01:45 am (UTC)Yah, well, that didn't work for the same reason boycotts don't work, and ironically, why Communism itself did not work: Humans don't think like that. He's describing the beehive, where drones who die in the doing, nevertheless throw themselves against the attacker in waves - like mindless insects. Sure, it works in that the hive is saved, but tough luck for the poor drones!
The only reason Ghandi got “passive resistance” to work, where enough people actually participated that it had its intended effect, is because all they had to do was… nothing. Inertia is easy. Action is hard. Sure, if ten thousand people charged a machine gun nest the weapon could not kill them all before it was overrun - but somebody is going to be in the front row that is mowed down. Do you want to volunteer? Didn't think so.
[This is why riots and restive mobs can be routed by police or troops firing weapons over their heads - of all that mob those single shots are not likely to hit you - but nobody wants to roll those dice.]
I was intrigued when I heard about how plans tio mass-airdrop the cheap, singleshot “Liberator” pistol into Occupied Europe - use it to get a better gun off the guy you shoot! - were quietly cancelled. Obviously no government is going to actively provide the means for armed mass resistance against central authority! It was all we could do - and that only temporarily! - to keep our government from prohibiting arms to its
subjectscitizens.