It's a matter of the enemy you face. I am more of an अस्त्रग्रह kind of guy, if you take my meaning. The measure of civilization is your will to withhold violence against those who you could subjugate. Satyagraha works effectively against opponents who are therefore civilized.
It's an adaptive tool. So if you were the Maori vs. British settlers, this approach works to survive. If you were the Moriori vs. the Maori, you die. Maybe you get eaten, though whether that happens or not seems irrelevant to you once you die (cf. Diogenes).