Is Violence the Only Way to Freedom - Essay Example

Is Violence the Only Way to Freedom? Fanon suggests that violence is the only way out of colonization, which is based on constant opposition between colonized people and colonizers. While colonizers use the force to make colonies submissive, colonies have a right to stop this injustice when they are ready, using the same violence and power in response. Fanon’s ideas disregard any ideas about diplomacy in relations between colonies and colonizers by defaults; he states that in this system any cooperation is impossible as colonized people have to accept values of colonizers to deserve their attention.

This chapter triggers a question whether it is possible to omit violence when it comes to decolonization. It is true that power is the main connector between colonists and colonies. This power is of violent, oppressive and humiliating character towards colonized people in order to state the victory and power of colonists. Even now the rests of the system divide each society in minorities and majorities which are often separated from one another. Fanon suggest that this “Manichean world” with clear binary opposition can end only when colonized people collaborate and resist (41).

He states that violent resistance with pain and blood lead people to freedom. In this way, non-violent resistance seems to be ineffective. In fact, if people do have grassroots initiatives, local intellectual leaders, one program and shared vision of the future, they can steadily move to decolonization utilizing non-violent methods of opposition. Violence from colonies will be definitely interpreted as danger and threat for their metropolis. Leaders of colonists often ready to violence and human sacrifice for the sake of common freedom, as it is stated by Fanon.

Violence serves as catalyst of this conflict escalation, it attracts attention and sympathy, but it also creates a certain image of the colony, which plays against its successful chances to save their culture, identity and dignity. Violence is faster and riskier compared to non-violence. In times of Fanon violence seemed to be the only possible effective way to introduce this voluminous change to people, especially colonists. Today human rights matter more than they used to. Today the power of people, colonized or oppressed, is their right to speak about their oppression and trace their histories to the rest of the world.

Here, the “nationalist leaders who are afraid of violence” are not wrong or powerless (66). Their position becomes not childish but confident and understandable for others. They can be accepted by other communities if they appeal to established human rights values, diversity and oppression issues. Violence is not the only way to organize the system of political response and power. Violence can establish discipline and order, but violence leads to hatred and increased tension between people.

Intellectuals manifest the power of compromise, but it cannot unify people. Fanon sees violence as a “cleansing power” which is aimed at establishing social justice and oppose the ruling power (94). However, in these conditions, the price of human life is decreased to its minimum becoming meaningless. There is a border which cannot be crossed when people want to change the world. Death, blood and violence can attract attention and resonate with people. At the same time, they will bring all of them both oppressors and the oppressed to fear of death and war.

In current condition, nothing can vindicate violence which takes away human lives. The desire to be free can be manifested diplomatically, people can seek for support, create unions and organizations which lobby their rights, but they have to reject the idea of vendetta. Fanon’s ideas are clear, but they are too radical as they exclude common human values all people share. They are partially acceptable, but their full realization will lead to great pain, moral degradation and loss for all humanity.

Work Cited Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched Of The Earth. Vol. 390. Grove Press, 1965.