By Mary Fahnestock-Thomas, Hamilton
My little computer dictionary defines violence as “behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.” Emotional, spiritual, and intellectual violence can be hard to recognize and/or pin down, but I think every single one of us, all ages, can recognize physical violence.
That means we can all avoid it if we want to.
Our current president seems to revel in violence and mistake it for a sign of power, constantly either inciting it in his supporters or accusing non-supporters of using it against him, and then responding to whatever reports do not serve him as “fake news.”
Is it not clear that he is playing with us? Especially with his supporters? And laughing all the way to the bank about what he’s getting away with? Because much of Congress is playing a similar power game and won’t stand up to him?
Even in the Old West violence did not really represent justice or truth. Nowadays it simply shows a lack of anything better to offer, and a belief that people will fall for it because it’s easy — perhaps especially for those men who think that muscle and/or money makes up for whatever else they may lack.
So let’s none of us fall for it. On Tuesday, November 6th, let’s vote on the basis of what we think and believe, so that we can have truly representative government. (Whether we do now or not may depend on your perspective.)
Might does not make right, nor does money make right, and whether we like it or not, we really are all in this together. Just wait.