Violence: 3 kinds (Part 2)

There are 3 primary kinds of violence.

  1. Initiatory violence
  2. Defensive violence
  3. Incidental violence

Violence is physical and has real world consequences. Words are not violence.

Violence may be digital, such as in digital theft or vandalism, e.g. defacing a website or a DDoS attack. (N.B. While some may claim that the digital is not physical, it still relies on basic physics, and is in reality very much physical.)

In video games or digital/virtual spaces where violence, e.g. player versus player (PvP) or player kill (PK), is part of the rules, that violence is merely part of a game and not morally considerable, and thus out of scope for our discussion here.

INITIATORY VIOLENCE

Initiatory violence is always wrong. It is the first use of violence by an agent whether directly or indirectly.

DEFENSIVE VIOLENCE

Defensive violence is always justifiable. It is the use of violence against an aggressor, or against an agent that has initiated violence against you.

INCIDENTAL VIOLENCE

Incidental violence does not generally carry any moral or ethical consideration. For example, we may consider biting as violence, but biting and chewing carrots is not a moral consideration.

Violence (Part 1)

Violence gets a bad rap. It’s a tool. Nothing more.

When an abattoir slaughters animals for food, that’s violence.

If you like to eat, you endorse violence. This goes for vegans as well. Who are you to take the life of a carrot? While that may sound quite insane, consider “Disgustipated” by Tool.

And the angel of the lord came unto me, snatching me up from my place of slumber, and took me on high, and higher still until we moved to the spaces betwixt the air itself. And he brought me into a vast farmland of our own Midwest. And as we descended, cries of impending doom rose from the soil. One thousand, nay, a million voices full of fear. And terror possessed me then. And I begged, “Angel of the Lord, what are these tortured screams?”

And the angel said unto me, “These are the cries of the carrots. The cries of the carrots. You see, Reverend Maynard, tomorrow is harvest day and to them it is the holocaust.” And I sprang from my slumber drenched in sweat like the tears of one million terrified brothers and roared, “Hear me now, I have seen the light! They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers!” Can I get an amen? Can I get a hallelujah? Thank you, Jesus!

We use violence all the time. Even on carrots.

Get over it. Violence is a tool that we use and abuse. It’s the abuse that we need to punish. Rightful use of violence is fine.

More to come on the topic of violence…

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started