Simple: It demands the least of us in terms of both compassion and creativity. Rather than sacrifice our time, resources, rights or comfort in an effort to resolve a conflict, violence allows us to foist the total cost of a conflict onto our enemies. Think of it as the fast food of conflict resolution. The path of least resistance. A cacophony of sugar, salt and fat that gives us a momentary shot of euphoria and sanctimony but whose long-term effects are subtle, cumulative and self-destructive.
Of course, even though our enemies bear the brunt of our violence, the residual costs of violence remain, not the least of which is the brutality it elicits in those who deploy it. But such costs are easily mitigated or deferred through technology, which allows us to remain several steps removed from the consequences of our actions, and myth-making, which helps us convince ourselves and others that although the violence of our enemies is brutal, barbaric and unprovoked, ours is surgical, minimal, and, above all, necessary for the greater good.
One might argue that violence also demands a certain level of creativity. After all, an MQ-1 Predator Drone is a far cry from a spear or a club. It is a highly sophisticated piece of technology that required several years, hundreds of millions of dollars and dozens of people to develop. However, the mental framework in which the drone is deployed hasnât changed since the first murderâa desire to strike a blow from which there can be no reprisal. As Walter Wink says, âViolent revolution fails because it is not revolutionary enough. It changes the rulers but not the rules.â
You could also argue that violence is often motivated by compassion, that we are reluctant to resort to such means, but sometimes the victimization of a particular individual or people group demands it. Seeing as violence is being brought against them, we are led to believe the only way to counter it is with overwhelming force. Once again though, this merely reflects the creativity-killing aspect of violence. To quote Wink again, âSince our hate is usually a direct response to an evil done to us, our hate almost invariably causes us to respond in the terms laid down by the enemy.â
Simple: It demands the least of us in terms of both compassion and creativity. Rather than sacrifice our time, resources, rights or comfort in an effort to resolve a conflict, violence allows us to foist the total cost of a conflict onto our enemies. Think of it as the fast food of conflict resolution. The path of least resistance. A cacophony of sugar, salt and fat that gives us a momentary shot of euphoria and sanctimony but whose long-term effects are subtle, cumulative and self-destructive.
Of course, even though our enemies bear the brunt of our violence, the residual costs of violence remain, not the least of which is the brutality it elicits in those who deploy it. But such costs are easily mitigated or deferred through technology, which allows us to remain several steps removed from the consequences of our actions, and myth-making, which helps us convince ourselves and others that although the violence of our enemies is brutal, barbaric and unprovoked, ours is surgical, minimal, and, above all, necessary for the greater good.
One might argue that violence also demands a certain level of creativity. After all, an MQ-1 Predator Drone is a far cry from a spear or a club. It is a highly sophisticated piece of technology that required several years, hundreds of millions of dollars and dozens of people to develop. However, the mental framework in which the drone is deployed hasn’t changed since the first murder–a desire to strike a blow from which there can be no reprisal. As Walter Wink says, “Violent revolution fails because it is not revolutionary enough. It changes the rulers but not the rules.”
You could also argue that violence is often motivated by compassion, that we are reluctant to resort to such means, but sometimes the victimization of a particular individual or people group demands it. Seeing as violence is being brought against them, we are led to believe the only way to counter it is with overwhelming force. Once again though, this merely reflects the creativity-killing aspect of violence. To quote Wink again, “Since our hate is usually a direct response to an evil done to us, our hate almost invariably causes us to respond in the terms laid down by the enemy.”
“It was hard growing in the South as a biracial kid without a father. But I had some great male role models. My neighbor was an old school Italian guy named Bernard Monti. He let me be part of his family. I could walk right into his house after school without even knocking. One day when I was in 6th grade, I came into his house crying because an 8th grader across the street had called my mom a nigger lover. Mr. Monti told me that I was teaching the kid to disrespect me. He told me to go back across the street and do what I had to do. So I did. And I got my ass beat. But the kid never picked on me again.”
comme ça?
