Whenever I hear someone say they are "against violence" I roll my eyes. It's a reflex.
People who say they are against violence are not credible. They are probably saying that to sound "moral" to others who are equally ignorant. And they never seem to be against violence by government-- frequently they are big fans of that violence.
Often, they conflate "violence" (force) and "aggression" (initiated force). Those aren't the same thing. Aggression is something you never have the right to do, and violence is something you can have the right to do when it's purely defensive.
So, when I hear someone say they are against violence, I wonder if they'd really stand by and watch an innocent person-- maybe a family member-- be attacked, or if they are lying and would use violence to defend the innocent like a decent person would do.
I hope it's the second one. And I wish they'd stop bowing toward the vile altar of pacifism.
