The Everlasting Question
The Issue at Hand
I would like to start by saying, I am not calling for violence or condoning violent actions. This is simply a thought exercise that I think will have interesting results. At the end of the day self-defense and acting in the defense of others is the only acceptable form of violence, in my book. The question becomes, why do we see violent acts happening more often?
A senseless act of violence, people get hurt, and our news reporters and politicians gloss over the tremendous impact that these events have on our communities. Only taking the time to offer well wishes as a PR opportunity. Retroactively, words are cheap. How do we aim to get to the bottom of these issues? If we are too busy talking about what the other side of the aisle is doing or not doing, we won’t be able to solve the issues at hand.
“A riot is the language of the unheard” Martin Luther King jr. Powerful words that lend an interesting concept to a polarizing issue. It almost suggests that violence is not only justifiable but unavoidable if conditions don’t change for the better. If we accept that idea as truth the question becomes how bad does it have to get, or how long must we endure before it’s justifiable to stand up for ourselves?
The Puppy and the Boy
To put this in an analogy let’s imagine a hypothetical. A young boy has a puppy backed into a corner. Initially he is gentle with the puppy, touching his ears and petting him. Before long, the boy starts getting more antagonistic, poking at the puppy, pinching his skin, and pulling on his tail. The boy continues to get more violent as time goes on. So, we ask ourselves the same question as earlier, but this time with context. How bad does it have to get? How much does the puppy need to endure before it becomes justifiable for the puppy to bite?
I think it’s safe to say most people would say the puppy shouldn’t put up with much of that kind of treatment. So why do we put up with this in so many other aspects of our lives? When we see it happening on the news it seems most side with the oppressor, and it boggles my mind. Again, the puppy wouldn’t be crazy for biting the boy. Why wouldn’t we give each other the same benefit?
A Double Standard
Whether it is standing up for a people that have faced more than 75 years of oppression, taking the life of the CEO of a health insurance company, or trying to intervene during an event of police brutality, it seems that the knee jerk reaction is to side with the oppressor. Why? Especially considering that the people in these hypothetical scenarios are being told to change their actions or face, you guessed it, violence. So, what is abhorrent for one is ok for the other?
It almost seems to have come to a point of classist motivation. The powers to be would like to maintain their status quo at our expense. Indoctrination at its finest, we are taught to turn on each other if the status quo is challenged, and we do. How can we aim to improve the world that we live in if this remains true?
Peace First
It seems to be the everlasting question. How bad does it have to get? The closer we get to answering that question the closer that we will be to affecting real change in our communities. Until then I believe we will see things escalate. Hopefully it doesn’t take more than what has already occurred. Peace is an option when both parties are willing.
