Is it possible to be radical and law abiding? I suspect that is inevitable to fight for change and freedom for all without getting involved in criminal activity. Obedience does not seem to be the virtue of radicals I encounter. Marilyn Buck, Nat Turner, Blanca Canals, Harriet Tubman, Lolita Lebron, Nelson Mandela and Chelsea Manning are a few examples of revered outlaws. Are they revered for their crimes or are were they made criminals for their resistance to a capitalist imperialist system? Does taking a stand for what is right meant risking imprisonment and death? Is the fear of death and imprisonment a sentence in itself? Are we preemptively punished by this system?
Considering that even as adults, people still ask for permission to use the washroom I suspect obedience is taught and conditioned. If that is the case, how does one unlearn obedience? Can one start with petty crimes such as jaywalking or loitering? Does shoplifting and illegal camping inoculate a person from the fear of the law?
The study of both capitalism and systematic oppression can liberate the mind, but does it teach us to defiance? Do we dare to act on out new knowledge or do we just know and discuss the new information? What made Harriet Tubman go back for other slaves, what drove her to escape? Where did Lolita Lebron find the nerve to step into congress and challenge the US government with a revolver? Why did Han Solo stick around to fight the Empire?
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