An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
There's no doubt that this kid was pushed to the edge and snapped, but letting him off scot free for what does amount to assault only teaches him that violence is an appropriate solution. It might be an effective solution sometimes, if the other side backs down first or if you manage to keep hurting them more than they hurt you (Israel/Palestine, anyone?) but what kind of world do you want to live in? The kind of world where might makes right or the kind of world where laws and social contracts make life bearable? When the system breaks down, it's time to make an effort to change the system, not run around it stabbing people with pencils.
Take them to their logical conclusions and take a look at which system works best: Ghandi's passive resistance getting Britain out of India, or the Palestinians suicide bombing Israelis?
And before you play the "you don't know what it's like" card, my whole family was subject to bullying in a small town where we were outsiders, and I'm proud of how we dealt with it: by rising above it.
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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
- Anatole France
Last edited by lurkette; 03-06-2005 at 10:39 AM..
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