Gene Sharp - How to Start a Revolution Teaser

[hobartmark]

If we had an army of Gene Sharp's there would never be any dictators

[genstian]

Fighting for freedom is overdriven, take Egypt, you replace a dictator, to make a religios extreme society, that ain't freedom.

[0wman]

non violent my ass

[monzterrr]

now evryone will start thinking that this horrible planned revovutions with 100s thousands dead are beautifull and a logical evolution. I wish this guy didn write this books.

[Mastakuia]

@monzterrr clearly you do not know what is to live under massive oppression, no freedoms, lies after lies and what is to see you country and your children future being flushed down the toilet.

[monzterrr]

@Mastakuia Clearly you prefer your country to be raided by Nato and USA soldiers killing people and your country economy, and placing a Puppet-President. That would surely give your children a great future.muahahaha.:-(

I am in Russia. we had different hard times. But the hardest were during and after the revolution.

Wait and you will see how north Africa turns into a Muslim-Shariat-Law territory. Egypt will never be as rich and friendly as it was, so is the rest. Read History it has answers.

[Mastakuia]

@monzterrr Were did I mentioned NATO or US? I am talking about "homemade" revolution, without the interference from outsiders. If the majority of people wants to be Muslim and fallow Sharia Law, let it be. Take the Egyptian example, the people got tired of Mubarak and told him to fuck off. The next years might be hard, but it is better to have 4 bad years and after that, be prosperous, than continue in the same shitty path.

[monzterrr]

@Mastakuia You belive that revolutions are made by the citizens? Dont be so romantic about things like Che Guevara and la Revolucione)). All of them are made by political forces and with the help from outside, either educational support on distabilizing or the financial support, sometimes weapons support. Citizens and their anger are just a force, used for the specific political aims.

4 years is ok BUT why are you sure it will be better?? You can only hope. Hope is the "engine" of revolution((

[Mastakuia]

@monzterrr I did not said that all revolutions were created by the citizens, of course there are.some that were orchestrated be someone behind the curtain(watch confessions of an economic terrorist on youtube), but not all. I am sure that it will be better if the country is already in the rock-bottom. Which one do you prefer, stay in the bottom, or have a new start? keep in mind that the outcome of the new start may be better, or it would hardly be worse.

[VirginiaTagz]

I can't appreciate Gene Sharp getting so much credit for his contributions to nonviolent uprising. Dr. King mastered, taught and practiced non violent revolution before Gene Sharp ever released a book. I respect his legacy but he is only writing as King & Ghandi practiced

[martyminus90]

Just saw the documentary. Does anybody have the soundtrack? Wondering about the classical part before the end of the of the documentary. A Beautifull piece.

[Synnek1]

What a bunch of baloney! LOL! >;-)

[fram4153]

@MsAlaagamal when the majority of the people want the revolution to happen, it happens. When they are satisfied with the results, it stops happening. You can call the result anything you want, but they are ultimately more free than they were before.

[MMABJJ1987]

at 3.12 they show a clip of the film, they walk together holding hands, Gene looking very frail. when watching this i was hit with overpowering emotion, i thought these 2 people are revolutionizing the world with their words. HOW is Genes ideas not more known, it would change everything...HOW is people like Pairs Hilton more known then these 2????? WHY are our governments ignoring this!??

[fram4153]

@MMABJJ1987 Because an oppressive regime relies on the willingness of the people to remain obedient. When you show them there is an alternative, and you give them access to the tools to take control of their circumstances, the regime falls. Later in the film Dr Sharp talks about how financial institutions and booksellers refused to work with him, ultimately denying people access to his work.

[MMABJJ1987]

@fram4153 i understand why the oppressive regimes don't show his work, but i don't understand why the EU,UN,US, any 'peaceful' group don't use his work in every chance they get. this mans work should be used by democratic bodies to help oppressed countries.

[JakeEvilclown]

Obama gets the Nobel Peace Prize and starts more wars, without Congress, and Dr Sharp doesn't have one? Crazy.

[AstroAntaAposAnarch]

@abighairywoman I'll second that.



[ribizlla]

Great attempt to put more light son poeple power - a force more powerful than any violent intervetnion in the wolrd. You may also want to take look at one of movie protagonists, Srdja Popovic TED talks...

[fram4153]

I highly recommend anyone with more than $50 to their name buy Gene's books on Amazon. Even if you're too busy to read them, keep them on a bookshelf nearby. You may need them in a few years.

[hilltribesofburma]

Please learn about Burma. Many activist haven't spent the time to learn about the many revolutions in Burma. Checkout 1:24 That's the Saffron Revolution.

[MendoJerm]

Plant Earth Hero!

[BlahBlahUsername1]

Anyone know where to watch this online for free? Ive check torrents, nada.

[fram4153]

@BlahBlahUsername1 CurrentTV as a cut-for-TV version hosted by Vanguard (the MSNBC documentary series) that runs pretty much every day. I suggest hooking up a DVR and recording it. It's worth the watch.

[TheSkeewiz]

@DarkprinX2500 : don't be so harsh, the American sheep are a little slower. They will come around. It will happen here.

[Sensfan613]

marry me habibti Jamila

[TheTruthArmy]

a true MASTER STRATEGIST

[Dubwise78]

Oligarchies - good. Socialist, nationalist - bad. Globalist dictatorships and juntas good, socialist dictators and juntas bad. Undemocratic states that privatize for the good of cronies and the global elite - good. Undemocratic states that nationalize resources for good of the poor - bad.

[AstroAntaAposAnarch]

@Dubwise78 ?

[tuber2u]

very cool, thank you

[MrMick73]

is he trying to free the Americans from the Fatherland

[cathiesherwood1]

Courage by you Gene, by all those choosing to bring change without violence... you are a hero! Thank you for bringing forth an alternative strategy to bloodshed and hate! :-)

[alittlepandemonium]

anixously awaiting your film, I will also spread this to as many "Occupy" movements as i can in hope of spreading this Information

[wda013]

#OCCUPY* !

[Avdokhin]

playing god

[metaroby]

'go fuk urslf!' kkkk..

.........'..we go by the record nott by the recording"...pm I.Rabbin'

[thecircusorganizer]

Anarquista Revolución para siempre!

[FabiusMaximus1000]

@TheDuneMan92 I'm sure i know what it is because m friend belongs to it. There are also several people you can follow on Twitter that will tell you they the brotherhood is taking away the revolution from the actual people.

[FabiusMaximus1000]

@TheDuneMan92 Ummm, no they are not. I don't need a Wiki page, my best friend is from Libya. Does everyone get all their info online now?!

[TheTopBloke]

A lot of fluff. No substance.

[FabiusMaximus1000]

So, now we are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, and that's better how?

[FabiusMaximus1000]

Isn;t this guya sort of dictator for inserting himself in foreign matters that have nothing to do with him? Any revolution, violent or not, creates a vacuum that can be filled with someone worse than whoever it deposes. Unless he plans on living in the middle east, eh should probably keep out of their affairs, this is exactly why they dislike the US.

[milimitten97]

@FabiusMaximus1000 Right,they dislike the US because of things like Gene Sharp's book teaching them how overthrow a dictatorship and gain democracy,it couldn't be when our planes drop bombs on them,could it? I think you need to think about what you're saying;keep the people ignorant.

[FabiusMaximus1000]

@milimitten97 I don't like to throw insults around but, this has to be the stupidest reply I've ever had. You don't need any help remaining ignorant, carry on.

[AstroAntaAposAnarch]

@FabiusMaximus1000 Spot on there. We already got rid of Saddam. If the Muslims want to spend their newfound freedom killing each other that's their business. War on Terror is the stupidest idea ever.

[vryundy]

furthermore, the solution of democracy is used a pacifier to the people, just as it is used in the west, where the majority still believe one exists. democracy in egypt is like a panel of dictators that you can change every four years, as government parties dont dictate nations or represent their peoples interests. when a population matures so must its means of control.

[vryundy]

is it not a case to think that revolution was allowed to happen? the anticipation of mubarak losing control would have been evident to the US government some time ago and within their and egyptian interests to limit its cost to the country. championing a non violent revolution is like giving the nations economy a smaller clean up bill. violent or not a revolution takes places when it is allowed by those in power, take it by force and a stronger force will be used to deter it.

[luis545x39]

"those who make peacefull revolutions impossible make violent revolution inevitable"  -JFK

[TubeofDestiny]

there's a difference between "potentia" (force, power, might), the capacity for violence, and "potestas", the political ability to enforce rules/law/obeying, dictatorship only survive because they trick people into thinking these two form of power are the same unique power.

Just because you have a firepower doesn't mean you can rule a region : in Iraq the US Army is having difficulties in rebuilding the country, while Saddam could control the same place with a much smaller and weaker army

[TubeofDestiny]

It's interesting to see that the american culture has some difficulties understanding how nonviolent actions can be a way to go from dictatorship to democracy, mostly because their view of History, especially their own, is based on citizens carrying arms and fighting with violence the British Army/Natives to free themselves.

[Lillymill]

Gene Sharp (From Dictatorship to Democracy):

"Usually no foreign saviors are coming, and if a foreign state does intervene, it probably should not be trusted."

[lilchimy]

@ONErudebwoy well, Sharp would argue that "defending yourself" is more efficiently done with non-violence rather than the opposite, and that history proves this to be true. I haven't read his books :) Anyway, I study conflict and I do think there's plenty of evidence to support his case. One funny fact, e.g., people who own guns in America are MORE likely to be killed, thus "defending yourself" with a gun is a bad choice.

[lilchimy]

@ONErudebwoy he'd probably say that a dictator will win a violent struggle, almost by definition. that's why he's a dictator. however, violence against openly non-violent demonstrators will undermine a regime's power structure. remember that Egyptian demonstrators got a lot of new support after Mubarak supporters used violence against them. The Libyan's opposition's use of violence proves to have been a strategically bad choice.

[Menontonini]

@ONErudebwoy Read some of his work and find out - its too complicated a question for Youtube comments.

[thisisbunk]

"This, then, becomes for La Boétie the central problem of political theory: why in the world do people consent to their own enslavement? La Boétie cuts to the heart of what is, or rather should be, the central problem of political philosophy: the mystery of civil obedience. Why do people, in all times and places, obey the commands of the government, which always constitutes a small minority of the society?" mises.org /daily /4139

[JC3874]

I have read some of his work and his theories have helped me understand the mysterious power of nonviolent revolt. Two thumbs up!

[AugustusAurelianus1]

@fabianoasc thanks my friend. Yet I think there are rare situations when peaceful revolutions may emerge=those which did emerge, were part of a waive of non-stop protests, reinforced by extraordinary brutality & external support (moral, economic & military). But you are an optimis & thus expect the very best in every person under any circumstance whereas my pessimism, which counts upon human capitulation to mass terror & human proclivity of committing heinous acts precludes me from believing it

[worldbridgermedia]

Good luck with the film. This is a great idea-- the timing is perfect!

[bmaddmab]

Brilliant! can't wait :)

[elusivekoolaid]

epic. can't wait to see this!