Anarchism and the Language of Non-Violent Communication

How Judgmental Language Is Used In Oppression, Hierarchy and To Justify Authority.

Good and Evil depicted in Michelangelo's The Last Judgment

Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D. presents a world view as well as a tactic for communication in Non-Violent communication. This world view is complimentary to anarchism. It allows us to better understand the language of authority. It presents to us a new effective tactic in both getting our message out as well as achieving our goals. This is not an article that can be used to learn Non-Violent Communication, so I urge you to look further into the many resources Rosenberg has available to further understand the concept of Non-Violent Communication.

In a nutshell, Non-Violent Communication is the process of looking at feelings and needs in an attempt to address the needs behind the actions we take that fulfils those needs. By addressing the driving force of our actions we can find ways to communicate more effectively as well as ways to resolve conflicts more efficiently. This communication method can also be used with restorative justice in an effort to reach a better alternative to the crime and punishment cycle of the state.

Rosenberg makes quite a few points in Speaking Peace that anarchists will be comfortable with. He sees and refers to governments and corporations as they are, gangs. He points out a language of authority necessary to sustain a system built on punishment. There are many more, but I will be focusing on the latter for it can help to strengthen anarchist philosophy and the anarchist community in general.

Rosenberg speaks of the language of authority and hierarchy. He points at the need to specify needs and feelings as opposed to making judgmental statements. The language of the state and hierarchy is one that creates a paradigm of judgment, “Good & Evil” “Legal & Illegal”. It is this language we use to justify a system based on punishment or violent aggression against the identified patient. We patholagize others with judgments to claim a moral authority that justifies our aggressions on one another. This language and idea of good guys and bad guys is crucial for us to understand. We are socialized from birth to accept these concepts and to think in terms of these judgment of one another.

This language of judgment is a difficult one to escape. It seems that many anarchists fall into this also. Instead of leaving the language of authority and the state in this judgmental language we have a tendency to turn it against authority. We hear that one who does not follow the dictates of a state is a ‘criminal’ and we see the flaw in this judgment. The problem is that we reverse it and use the judgmental language towards the authority instead of outright rejecting it. They are the bad guys, they are the enemy, they are the criminals, they are evil. I know that I get the most attention from more sensationalized articles I have written that use this tactic.

A more effective way of communicating would be one where we call out specific actions, needs and requests. Perhaps we should examine the division we participate in creating against others with such language.

Many conflicts arise out of an ‘us vs. them’ paradigm. Racism, sexism, left, right etc… the list can go on forever. Ethnocentrism is a central part of the divisions we see. Our society and culture focuses on what is good or acceptable within its limits. Often people fall outside of this. This leads to an oppression of a people like what we see with the Gay community and heterosexism. By addressing needs and avoiding judgments we see much of the dispute can melt away. The argument against the Gay community from their oppressors is one simply formed from their judgment language built out of this hierarchical mindset. People are labeled evil, sinful, unnatural and are marginalized by the mindset of this language of authority and hierarchy.

We must begin to see what language we use that is based on this paradigm of judgment. We must disengage from the mindset that uses this to structure society by a punishment and reward system of hierarchy. This article is being written in hopes that you will begin to analyze and criticize the language paradigm ingrained in our society that we are socialized to accept from a young age.