07-20-2012, 06:33 AM
I am completely against all forms of violence. I think it signifies weakness and fear in a human - it is the product of anger, which is caused by fear and an inability to process that fear into something rational and logical. However, we are human, and nobody is perfect. Everybody lashes out sometimes or tries to use violence to reach an end. I'm not a saint, I've done my share. And even now, if I saw somebody hurting someone else, or if someone attacked me, I cannot say what would happen. Maybe I would have enough self-control, or maybe I would become scared and nervous and aggressive. The last time someone attacked me, I did not respond like that, I was completely calm and rational, and after a bit of yanking and screeching they backed off. But I can't say if it'll always be like that. I know I get aggressive at the idea of someone hurting a loved one, let alone the reality of it. But you can't extend that excuse to malicious violence - like domestic, or murder, or torture. That is violence born from a desire to cause pain. It is not as morally ambiguous.
I would say there are very few situations where violence is not wrong. And violence is rarely right in my opinion - unless an alternative is honestly unavailable, for instance, if somebody is threatening a life (regardless of whose it is) and the only way to prevent it is by hurting them. But sometimes it is in the grey area... I feel empathy with people who use violence in riots when they live in countries who have oppressed and abused them, and with vigilantes hunting rapists and child-molestors, and with soldiers fighting for a real cause. Do I think it is right? No. But I get it. Maybe I would do the same if I had been raped, or my child abused, or my country corrupted.
I would like a world with no violence, but then I would also like a world with no poverty, no money, no government, no police, no war, no countries, no religion, no waste and no pollution. You accept things and deal with it.
However, it's a different matter with children and animals. I think violence against children is always wrong, even smacking. It's just a really crap form of discipline. It's not abuse or anything, I'm not one of those types, but I think it's really childish of the parent. If your child is old enough to understand why they are being smacked, then they are old enough to be talked to and to go through negative reinforcement processes which are shown to be faaaaar more effective. When I see a parent spank a kid I just find myself eye-rolling. I was spanked and I can tell you this for nothing, it did shit all for me. I was terrified of losing my gameboy, I couldn't have given a fuck for being spanked. My brothers were never spanked, and they were much better behaved. Mainly because my parents realized that lots of shouting and physical "discipline" were less effective then talking. Ah well. I'm the tester child!
And with animals... To be honest, as a vegetarian, I will say I think all forms of violence against animals is wrong unless it is neccessary (for instance, people who need to eat meat to live, or need fur because they live in a freezing cold country) - but it's a lesser evil. I won't preach unless people want to be preached to. And I do things that annoy animal activists so I know what its like (I love me some taxidermy, wooyeh roadkill : D)
I would say there are very few situations where violence is not wrong. And violence is rarely right in my opinion - unless an alternative is honestly unavailable, for instance, if somebody is threatening a life (regardless of whose it is) and the only way to prevent it is by hurting them. But sometimes it is in the grey area... I feel empathy with people who use violence in riots when they live in countries who have oppressed and abused them, and with vigilantes hunting rapists and child-molestors, and with soldiers fighting for a real cause. Do I think it is right? No. But I get it. Maybe I would do the same if I had been raped, or my child abused, or my country corrupted.
I would like a world with no violence, but then I would also like a world with no poverty, no money, no government, no police, no war, no countries, no religion, no waste and no pollution. You accept things and deal with it.
However, it's a different matter with children and animals. I think violence against children is always wrong, even smacking. It's just a really crap form of discipline. It's not abuse or anything, I'm not one of those types, but I think it's really childish of the parent. If your child is old enough to understand why they are being smacked, then they are old enough to be talked to and to go through negative reinforcement processes which are shown to be faaaaar more effective. When I see a parent spank a kid I just find myself eye-rolling. I was spanked and I can tell you this for nothing, it did shit all for me. I was terrified of losing my gameboy, I couldn't have given a fuck for being spanked. My brothers were never spanked, and they were much better behaved. Mainly because my parents realized that lots of shouting and physical "discipline" were less effective then talking. Ah well. I'm the tester child!
And with animals... To be honest, as a vegetarian, I will say I think all forms of violence against animals is wrong unless it is neccessary (for instance, people who need to eat meat to live, or need fur because they live in a freezing cold country) - but it's a lesser evil. I won't preach unless people want to be preached to. And I do things that annoy animal activists so I know what its like (I love me some taxidermy, wooyeh roadkill : D)