thread: 2005-05-16 : Violence
On 2005-05-18, pete_darby wrote:
Chris, we've still got a disconnect, as far as I can see. You're defining violence as some kind of "warrior spirit", aggressive assertiveness, and saying that anyone who is saying they're against violence is not affecting the world or asserting themselves in it.
I, for example, am saying that violence, as in hurting people, is usually a crappy option, but sometimes the only acceptable one.
I've been caught between two sorts of bullshit all my life: I've got one set that hijacks the "warrior spirit", and turns it into bullying, loutish behaviour that treats any sort of sensitivity or compassion as weakness. On the other side, I've got the victim worshipping culture that teaches that any sort of strength must be repressed for fear of becoming like the first.
And both of these options are essentially about repression, of either compassion or strength. Rather than talk about a warrior spirit, I'd talk about a whole man, a whole woman, who is not afraid of their feelings or potential.
