Poll: Violence is never the answer

[the-Wind]

I choose a life of non-violence because I believe this is an essential paradigm for an evolving society. (Lead by example, model the behavior...whatever)

I do not, however, forego my inherant right of self-defence in the face of someone else's violence (see: context). Responding to an immediate threat is an appropriate time for violence. If I choose to respond to viloence in kind then I also choose to accept the consequences and if I choose to submit to it: likewise.

When no immediate threat is present we have more time to consider the subtle forms violence takes, and address ourselves to it's root causes. (Greed, poverty ignorance, extremism, fear, politics) We should try to understand what elements of our society thrive on perpetuating it and learn to imagine a world where we have developed beyond it's percieved inevitablity.

Violence may be a part of the human condition but it is not the only part and does not have to be the defining part. We are still defining ourselves and the work is progressing where ever we decide to take it

 

[Denamic]

To say that violence is never the answer is gross idealism bordering on stupidity.
Like if a rabid dog is attacking you.
Diplomacy won't do shit and you can't run away since the dog runs faster.
You've got to defend yourself with something far more concrete than smiles and good intentions.

 

[ModsDeleteThisAccountPlease]

I prefer never to fight. Violence can be painful, but words are crueler.

 

[SpaceSpork]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

 

[delet]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

 

[Kargathia]

I think you're not doing this right. You should first take something very dear to the one you're asking, and carefully destroy it while he/she is forced to watch.

Then ask again, and see what answers you get.

 

[Peter Manning]

I believe it was Isaac Asimov who said "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

 

[SpaceSpork]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

 

[delet]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

No, you buy a walrus and place the remote in front of Sally,[footnote]That is the walrus's name.[/footnote] then blow a horn until, in her panic, Sally hits the "8" button, changing the channel to Channel 8.

Or you punch the guy in the face. Many different ways of going about it.

 

[TheRobotandtheBeast]

Violence is always the answer. its just not always a good answer.

 

[theonlyblaze2]

What are you gonna do when the robots take over? Talk to them? They can tell when you are lying! And that is humanity's only defense. That and bouts of unreasonable violence. And thumbs. But robots have thumbs. So we MUST rely on our violent side to survive the rise of the Brotherhood of Machines.

 

[SpaceSpork]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

No, you buy a walrus and place the remote in front of Sally,[footnote]That is the walrus's name.[/footnote] then blow a horn until, in her panic, Sally hits the "8" button, changing the channel to Channel 8.

Or you punch the guy in the face. Many different ways of going about it.

But you get my point, no?[footnote]The walruses name is actually Harry.[/footnote]

 

[Thaluikhain]

The only absolute is that there are [i/]no[/i] absolutes.

Quoted, as they say, for truth.

Without any context, the question is meaningless.

Generally, I'd say that violence isn't the answer. It can be part of the answer, but violence in of itself only really works if you can use truly excessive amounts of it.

As a short term solution to an isolated problem, it can work, but as a long term solution to the causes of problems, it tends not to, unless you are willing to go to terrible lenghts.

 

[charlest92]

Violence isn't always the CORRECT answer to somthing but it is always a possible answer.

 

[Duffeknol]

There is NO problem on earth (except non-infection diseases) that cannot be solved by violence. Some problems just require more force than others. Think Machiavelli; even when it's super un-ethical, it'll at least get the job done.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Violence is alway an answer, but situationwise, it's not always a nessecary answer. Violence should be avoided if possible, but sometimes, it needs to happen. Unfortunately, violence is often used as an answer when it is least appropriate. It's human nature, we love to be violent, even if we don't admit it. It's not wrong, it's just who we are.
Take the movie Robocop and me for an example: I don't care for it because of plot or good acting, I enjoy it because it's ridiculous amounts of violence. It has a cop in a robot suit ripping the spine with the brain attatched out of a giant robot with a chaingun (not a minigun: A CHAINGUN) in the middle of an inferno with explosions everywhere, accompanied with awesome music (although Guile's theme from Street Fighter fits it better)
It has criminals being thrown through glass windows continually and driving into completely random giant containers of toxic waste, who then get run over and literally explode all over the front of the car.
That would be awful to see in real life, but we, as humans, find it entertaining, and there's nothing wrong with that.
Also, someone mentioned Unthinkable a bit back, that's a good example of this argument. Not a bad movie, either.

 

[xdom125x]

Violence is the question, and the answer is yes.
But in all seriousness, violence is sometimes the answer and should be a last resort in a (supposedly) intelligent society.

 

[delet]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

No, you buy a walrus and place the remote in front of Sally,[footnote]That is the walrus's name.[/footnote] then blow a horn until, in her panic, Sally hits the "8" button, changing the channel to Channel 8.

Or you punch the guy in the face. Many different ways of going about it.

But you get my point, no?[footnote]The walruses name is actually Harry.[/footnote]

I get your point, but it is null.[footnote]No, it's Sally.[/footnote]

 

[SpaceSpork]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

No, you buy a walrus and place the remote in front of Sally,[footnote]That is the walrus's name.[/footnote] then blow a horn until, in her panic, Sally hits the "8" button, changing the channel to Channel 8.

Or you punch the guy in the face. Many different ways of going about it.

But you get my point, no?[footnote]The walruses name is actually Harry.[/footnote]

I get your point, but it is null.[footnote]No, it's Sally.[/footnote]

What I'm trying to talk about is that when you are starting a revolution to overthrow an oppressive government that will not give you any free speech at all, violence is the only logical option left.

 

[delet]

Violence is always an answer. Nothing more, nothing less.

Quote for truth, man/woman/other, but I will submit to you one contradiction. Violence is the answer when you've tried everything else.

You can never try every single possible option as there are an unlimited number of options for every problem. Even maths.

Yeah, but I mean reasonable options. Like, if someone asks you to turn it to Channel 8, you don't buy a walrus and use him as kindle for your fireplace.

No, you buy a walrus and place the remote in front of Sally,[footnote]That is the walrus's name.[/footnote] then blow a horn until, in her panic, Sally hits the "8" button, changing the channel to Channel 8.

Or you punch the guy in the face. Many different ways of going about it.

But you get my point, no?[footnote]The walruses name is actually Harry.[/footnote]

I get your point, but it is null.[footnote]No, it's Sally.[/footnote]

What I'm trying to talk about is that when you are starting a revolution to overthrow an oppressive government that will not give you any free speech at all, violence is the only logical option left.

Or you could have a fantastic chat about LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP with the evil dictator and magically change everything.