Hook - Setting the Stage

Situation #1:

You and a friend have been waiting in line for five hours to get concert tickets. A group of six or seven loud people crashes the line a few spots ahead of you claiming a friend was holding a space.

Do you believe it is possible to resolve this situation both fairly and peacefully?

a. If no, why?

b. If yes, how?

Situation #2:

A policeman in his patrol car happens upon a midnight street mugging. An old man is lying injured on the ground. The officer jumps out of the car and sees the muggers, apparently unarmed, coming towards him.

In this situation, is there a satisfactory way this police offer can enforce the law nonviolently?

a. If no, why?

b. If yes, how?

Situation #3:

Country X, where you live, has been run by the same military dictator for 40 years. The army is paid by him. Your country is poor. You are a member of a rebel student group that operates secretly in the capital.

Is there a realistic way to bring about nonviolent change in this country?

a. If no, why?

b. If yes, how?