Greg Moses, Marist College

"On the Question of Riot and Excess: King and the Legacy of Pacifism in Old Europe"

When called upon to condemn rioters, Martin Luther King, Jr., argued that fair evaluation of riots required consideration of the violence that pervaded environments prior to such outbreaks.  While agreeing that violence was a regrettable form of protest, King preferred to keep his moral sights set on the target of what passes for business as usual in the global economy.  If we compare this outlook to one expressed by Peter Plockhoy in his London and Amsterdam pamphlets of 1659 and 1662, we see a remarkable coincidence of criticism.  For Plockhoy, "riot and excess" were terms most fit to be levelled at the practice of business as usual.  Plockhoy, like King, attempted a revision of economic arrangements as a necessary condition of justice.  But King and Plockhoy pursued different strategies.  While King set out to reform an entire nation's policies, Plockhoy withdrew his scope to the establishment of a model community.  These methods deserve comparative critique as we continue to pursue global justice today.