Vilfredo Pareto on Violence
Sorry for the hiatus, I've been busy with other projects and the holidays. Here's a gem from Pareto:
"To ask whether or not force ought to be used in a society, whether the use of force is or is not beneficial, is to ask a question that has no meaning; for force is used by those who wish to preserve certain uniformities and by those who wish to overstep them; and the violence of the one stands in contrast and in conflict with the violence of the others. In truth, if a partisan of a governing class disavows the use of force, he means that he disavows the use of force by insurgents trying to escape the norms of the given uniformity. On the other hand, if he says he approves of the use of force, what he really means is that he approves of the use of force by the public authority to constrain insurgents to conformity. Conversely, if a partisan of the subject class says he detests the use of force in society, what he really detests is the use of force by constituted authorities in forcing dissidents to conform; and if, instead, he lauds the use of force, he is thinking of the use of force by those who would break away from certain social uniformities." From The Mind and Society.
This strikes me as brilliant, even if it is a bit cynical. After all, we've all observed the following cycle (of course the sequences may vary): the authorities committ some act of brutality; a protest movement emerges; some faction committs an act of violence, thus provoking the authorities; the authorities respond with an act of violence; the victims point to this act and claim it as an example of the regime's brutality; factions on both sides denounce the violence; and the violence continues (well, maybe not forever). It's a wonderful world.
"To ask whether or not force ought to be used in a society, whether the use of force is or is not beneficial, is to ask a question that has no meaning; for force is used by those who wish to preserve certain uniformities and by those who wish to overstep them; and the violence of the one stands in contrast and in conflict with the violence of the others. In truth, if a partisan of a governing class disavows the use of force, he means that he disavows the use of force by insurgents trying to escape the norms of the given uniformity. On the other hand, if he says he approves of the use of force, what he really means is that he approves of the use of force by the public authority to constrain insurgents to conformity. Conversely, if a partisan of the subject class says he detests the use of force in society, what he really detests is the use of force by constituted authorities in forcing dissidents to conform; and if, instead, he lauds the use of force, he is thinking of the use of force by those who would break away from certain social uniformities." From The Mind and Society.
This strikes me as brilliant, even if it is a bit cynical. After all, we've all observed the following cycle (of course the sequences may vary): the authorities committ some act of brutality; a protest movement emerges; some faction committs an act of violence, thus provoking the authorities; the authorities respond with an act of violence; the victims point to this act and claim it as an example of the regime's brutality; factions on both sides denounce the violence; and the violence continues (well, maybe not forever). It's a wonderful world.
posted by James Murphy | 8:50 PM
2 Comments:
Yer a dork Murphy. Get a job.
Gary: I hurt people. I'm a dick.
Grizzled Man: Well, uh being a dick ain't so bad. See, there are three kinds of people: dicks, pussies and assholes. [Gary listens] Pussies think everyone can get along and dicks just want to fuck all the time without thinkin' it through. But then you got your assholes, Chuck. And all the assholes want is to shit all over everything. So pussies may get mad at dicks once in a while because... pussies get fucked by dicks. But dicks also fuck assholes, Chuck! And if they didn't fuck the assholes, you know what you'd get?? You'd get your dick and your pussy all covered in shit!!! [Gary throws up for the first time]
Bartender: All right, that does it! Get out of here, you drunk lowlife! [Gary promptly leaves his stool and heads for the door, stumbling for the first time. The grizzled man looks on] Get outta here, I said! [Gary stumbled onto the pinball machine, then another barstool, then heads out the back door]
[The bar, outside in the back. Gary stumbles out the door]
Gary: Lisa!! Lisa!! Uh, Lisa, are you here?? [stumbles against the trash bin next to the door]
Woman at Window: [from a nearby apartment] Get out of the street, you fucking bum! [Gary stumbles against some trash next to the bin] You gave up on life, didn't ya?!
[Gary motions for a pause, then bends over and throws up again. The vomit slows to a trickle, but he throws up again. It stops and he stands up, but this time a torrent of vomit pours out of his mouth, only to stop again. Gary struggles to look up, stands up again, and vomits uncontrollably, sometimes in spurts, and finally collapses on the pool of vomit that has formed under him]
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