Disobedience Day 2023: Date, History, Acts about Disobedience

Disobedience Day is observed annually on July 3; if you’re not one to follow the rules, you simply cannot ignore it. If we were being fancy and literary, we would probably use the term “carnivalesque,” but it’s about letting free and being a little subversive in your own right. Subversion has been prevalent throughout history; in fact, subversive occurrences of every kind have frequently driven the course of history. Whether through violent revolutions, ‘flower power,’ listening to rebel rock & roll, or simply standing up for the underdog, everyone can find it within themselves to break free, even if only slightly, from the constraints society has imposed. Disobedience Day is about non-violent protests of perceived unjust issues, laws, or causes; therefore, we are in no way encouraging children to disobey their parents or anyone to use this as an excuse to rebel against “the Man.” The true spirit of this day lies in attempting something new or standing up for yourself or another, particularly if you are burdened by rules or structures that have been abused or have made life too mundane.

The background of Disobedience Day

Although Disobedience Day’s exact origins and the date of its first observance are unknown, the existence of other days devoted to civil or social disobedience suggests that its purpose is to promote education about civil disobedience. We have good reason to believe that this day was created to encourage people to live a little by escaping some of the more oppressive norms or structures they may be bound by. It is also a wonderful day to learn more about the fundamental principles of civil disobedience.

We need only peruse the pages of our history textbooks to see how disobedience has served to change the world when done in the proper manner and with a genuine sense of justice. From the Civil Rights Movement in the United States in the 1950s and ’60s to the freedom struggle in India against the British Empire in the 1930s and ’40s to the Suffragette movement in Britain in the 1920s, nonviolent struggles against various forms of oppression are scattered across the globe. Considering the fact that we are taught to obey our parents first, then our instructors, bosses, and other social authority figures and/or institutions, obedience to others has been ingrained in every human being from birth. And while no man is an island, neither is anyone a mere robot; it is also ingrained in our souls to pursue our own freedom and significance. So why not use Disobedience Day to your advantage by personalising it in any manner that is uniquely ‘you’? The key is to be respectful and cognizant of the fact that everyone has the right to make this day their own; therefore, no encroachment on this fundamental right!

5 ACTS OF DISOBEDIENCE THAT SHAPED HISTORY

Egyptians and Sudanese began what is regarded as one of the earliest instances of successful civil disobedience against British occupation.

The anti-apartheid movement initiated by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu in South Africa resulted in protesters at a march being sprayed with purple pigment from water cannons.

The bus segregation laws are changed due to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her position to a white man.

In India’s independence-winning struggle against British rule, Mahatma Gandhi employed a strategy of passive political resistance.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania achieved independence from the Soviet Union by singing melodies about their non-Russian heritage, much to the Russian Empire’s chagrin.

DISOBEDIENCE DAY DATES