The Role Of Civil Disobedience To Fight Social Injustice Essay Example for Free

The Role Of Civil Disobedience To Fight Social Injustice Essay All contents of the law are not always favorable to everyone. In one way or another, at least one law is disagreeable to one person. Civil disobedience was first conceptualized by Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher, development critic, tax resister, transcendentalist, naturalist and an American author. He was once arrested for not paying poll tax. It was his choice not to conform to the law by paying poll tax because he was not in favor of where the money will go. Thoreau believed that the money tax he will pay for will be for the funding of the Mexican War, which he was not in favor of at all (DuBrin, 2008). Civil disobedience refers to an active refusal to adapt the commands and demands of a government or a power currently occupying the land or to put it shortly, refusal to abide by the law. It is simply not conforming to whatever the government is feeding its people. One main identifying factor of civil disobedience, though, is that resistance, in this context, is not violent. Scholars call civil disobedience a different shape of respectful disagreement. Civil obedience is being practiced widely in different parts of the world. The Indians, for example, practiced civil disobedience for their struggle for freedom. According to Dr. Jyotsna Kamat, a respected teacher, researcher and broadcaster in India, today, civil disobedience in India was as simple as non-cooperation. An All-White Commission as a political platform in India was detested by Indians. Civil disobedience was done by boycotting the laws of all the political and social platforms in India. First, they were repressive. Second, these were in favor of the British Parliament only. Even the members of Simon Commission in India had members from the British Parliament alone. Mahatma Gandhi, a political and spiritual leader in India, led civil disobedience in India and made it a point to avoid violence at all costs. Indias purpose was to paralyze the Indian government. All supports were withdrawn, and India became highly revolutionary. Gandhi, among many other leaders in India like Amar Patel, led civil disobedience in India because the laws of the government were considered repressive (Kamat, 2005).