Shoe-Hurling Iraqi Becomes a Folk Hero - NYTimes.com
Sweg said it sooner than me:
It is clear that this is an episode of non-violent civil disobedience even if a certain element would prefer to paint it in a more menacing light. I am unaware of any reported deaths by shoe.
But there does seem to be a certain fundamental lack of understanding of the mechanics of civil disobedience. Such acts are courageous precisely because they anticipate consequences. The person engaging in these tactics has decided that breaking a minor rule of civility and paying the price is worth the higher cause of bringing attention to a particular injustice. A key ingredient in this effort is a willingness to pay the price. This is what makes it an act of courage.
Update: "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
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