On a related note: those who live by the sword die by the sword seems to be a central libertarian insight — one well supported by the many shifts coercive power has taken over time.
]]>I don’t think that Alston was criticizing the actions of the boycotters in the Montgomery Bus Boycott; he’s criticizing the city government (and freelance white supremacists like the WCC). He makes clear in the final paragraph the article that his point in bringing it up was that the coercive strategies that the state used against civil equality during the bus boycott are the same strategies the state is now using supposedly on behalf of civil equality.
]]>This article makes some interesting points. I certainly agree that the state making economic independence more difficult made it harder for blacks in the South during the era mentioned.
That said, this is flawed:
“Learning from History. . . or Maybe Not
The Montgomery Bus Boycotts represent what I think is an educational example of exactly the wrong way to approach the issue. The fact that Montgomery also represents what most would call the start of the Civil Rights Movement, and with it a further enhanced role of government in actions such as this one by President Barack, makes it particularly germane to this discussion.
To review, the bus companies in Montgomery, Alabama made it a habit, as did most business at the time, of treating black customers differently than white customers. In fact, this mistreatment was codified in the laws of the time. This treatment involved requiring black bus riders to begin loading from the back of the bus, and eventually to stand if a white rider wanted to sit down. In a now-famous gesture of defiance, (which, by the way, was not spontaneous) Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat and was arrested. Her act of defiance led to all the blacks in Montgomery boycotting the bus company for the next 14 months.
Almost immediately after black bus patrons began to walk, the black community devised a network of carpools. The city pressured local insurance companies to stop insuring cars used in the carpools. Additionally, black taxi drivers began to charge ten cents per ride, a fare equal to the cost to ride the bus, in support of the boycott. When word of this reached city officials, the order went out to fine any cab driver who charged a rider less than 45 cents.
Statist Lesson #1: Punish people for making their own choices and spending their own resources in the way they wish.
Shortly after the black patrons began to walk, the bus company realized that it was losing money much faster than it could afford to. Ready to cave-in, the bus company received pressure from racists (and financiers) outside Montgomery to “keep those Negroes in their place.” In an attempt to punish the boycotters the local White Citizen’s Council took part in violence directed against boycott organizers.
Statist Lesson #2: If people won’t do your bidding voluntarily, use violence.”
The implicit argument seems to be that the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a bad idea, because it provoked a backlash involving a statist mentality.
My response:
The boycott itself was an entirely peaceful affair — and also wildly successful, no? Whatever one thinks of the civil rights statism that eventually emerged, it’s indisputable that a boycott is a tactic consistent with classical liberal principle.
The boycotters can’t be blamed for the reprisal actions of White vigilante groups. That’s arguably not the author’s point, but you always risk opposition when taking a necessary principled stand-action — barring other reasonable choices; a refusal to boycott is pragmatic folly.
The eventual Supreme Court ruling that struck down mandatory separation of races is arguably a net decrease in statism. It was the restraint of more localized agents of state from the initiation of force.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2007-06-23-bottledwater_N.htm
]]>Do avail yourself of a chance to meet Charles! Wish all three of us could chat in good ole SF ( :
]]>Thanks for the note about the Bay Area Anarchist Bookfair. In point of fact, I’ll be there, as well some other ALLies from around the West — we will have a vendor space with many of the different booklets, buttons, pamphlets, journals, and other things that ALL locals have been producing. I’ve posted the notice here.
If you’ll be there, be sure to drop on by our vendor table. I’ll be staffing it in the morning (i.e., up to about 12 noon) on both Saturday and Sunday.
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