Is Violence the Answer?

It is easy to say that "violence is not the answer" but realistically, this is not always the case. I think a lot of the time, war or fighting has only made the underlying issues worse. Sometimes, the reason for going to war or for fighting over a specific issue is a power struggle. No one wants to be wrong in an argument, and arguments are capable of getting to a level where neither side will back out. Then violence comes into the picture and everything is thrown off from there. Either violence can end a seemingly endless argument or it can make things more complicated. I think the point of the quote "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worse, breed that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms" -- Starship Troopers, p. 27" is to expose the reality of violence. Sometimes it is necessary. Like Allison said, violence is sometimes used in response of an attack; a kind of self defense. In this case, I believe violence is justified because otherwise you will end up the victim of the attacker. Violence can also be used to prove a point and prevent others from breaking the rules. Consider the death penalty. I am against the death penalty myself, but one could make the point that the death penalty is used as a deterrent. With the use of this type of violence, it shows others who might commit a crime the consequence of their actions. On the flip side, the idea of violence serving as a deterrent reminded me of Antigone. When Creon banishes Antigone it is to serve as a deterrent for the rest of the community. He initially uses this to justify his violence, but in the end he realizes it only made things worse (Haeman kills himself).