What is the opposite of violence?
Weeks before taking action the Granny Peace Brigade met to discuss how to mark the first day of the 6th year of the occupation of Iraq. Someone mentioned the possibility of knitting stump socks for the returning amputee vets. We knew a women who did exactly that at the weekly Grandmothers Against the War vigil in Rockefeller Center. Do I remember correctly that as soon as the suggestion was spoken aloud it swept around our meeting room like a wave? What made this action capture our imaginations and then touch the hearts of so many strangers young and old?
Did the stereotype of sweet little old ladies amuse or was there more; perhaps the “feminist ethics of care” as James David wrote on the Groundswell Blog.
Grannies vs. generals; slow, manual creation vs. fast, technological destruction — this is not just non-violence, but perhaps an opposite of violence.
For some of us knitting stump socks created a visceral feeling of connection with the injured. What got me started was the horror of the injuries that might require stump socks and rage at my government for dragging so many people into misery and death. The idea of being constructive wasn’t foremost in my consciousness at the time but it was lurking down in the shadows and I thank James David for shining a light.
On a practical note, knitting being very, very, very repetitive illustrated our doggedness, our determination to continue to work for peace. We will not go away.
- Eva-Lee Baird
Eva-Lee:
I’m glad my comments resonated with you. It makes the work I do for Groundswell that much more worth the while. The Granny Peace Brigade does great work, and I’ve been a fan for some time. Keep at it, the world needs you now more than ever!
[...] Granny Peace Brigade published Reflections on the Knit-In yesterday evening. In the article, they quote John Emerson’s apt description of their protest [...]
my sister always love knitting, she loves to knit customized patterns.;..