Molly
Findley Points Out Joffe-Walts Misconceptions
To
the Editors:
I
must admit that I was a bit taken aback by Benjamin Joffe-Walts
Feb. 22 letter. I didnt realize that being born white meant
that I was automatically part of the systematic violence that has
been sweeping the globe. I must not have realized that because there
are others with my skin color who have committed violent acts against
people that I too have the capability of such things, despite my
pacifist upbringing. I guess this also means that all people of
Spanish heritage must combat the conqueror within lest it get out.
Forgive me if I thought that much of the violence in todays
society was learned, and not innate. Are we so naïve as to
think that every action a person does is based solely on his or
her inner constitution? Mr. Joffe-Walt thinks that he must challenge
that piece of the oppressor planted deep within me. Well,
more power to him. If he thinks that there is some innate part of
him that is capable of violence (and wants to commit it), even if
he personally doesnt want to commit that type of act, then
he should definitely do something about it. I suggest professional
help, because it might be indicative of a multiple-personality disorder
or schizophrenia. I personally think that we should examine the
possibility that maybe there are some external factors that lead
to violence against people like women, blacks, and homosexuals (to
name a very few). I know that I dont live in a vacuum, and
am therefore affected by what goes on around me my family,
my friends, the media, etc.; I think that this is probably the case
for most people.
One thing that we might want to consider is family situation. There
are tons upon tons of articles published in highly reputable academic
journals that note the significance familial upbringing has in defining
a persons character, as well as their potential for violence
against others. Simply put, those raised in a violent family situation
are much more likely to commit violent acts against others than
those raised in a non-violent situation.
Another thing we might want to consider is the media. The increasing
amount of violence in the media is correlated with an increasing
amount of interpersonal violence. Now, we must remember that correlation
does not equal causation, but rest assured that there is a direct
link between the two. Viewing violence, reading about violence,
listening to music that glorifies violence all desensitizes us to
it. Im not condoning the depiction of violence, but we must
remember that what is portrayed in the media is a reflection of
what is going on in the society from which it comes. Here we have
a double-edged sword, however, because the increase of violence
from one output (the media or real life) will increase the amount
of violence from the other, and vice versa. (As a side note, there
is evidence that programs initiated in urban schools to reduce the
amount of aggression actually work, and we all know that amount
of aggression is directly related to number of violent acts
see Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(1).)
But enough about direct causes of violence. We could go on and on
about this until our heads explode, and that is not something that
I am currently interested in. What distresses me is Mr. Joffe-Walts
assumption that everything must be done on a personal level.
While I agree that change on the individual scale will potentially
stop violence coming from that person, you cannot effectively eliminate
violence unless you come at with a more broad-based approach. Lets
look at an analogy: if you have strep throat, and kill one of the
bacteria that is causing it, that one bacterium wont hurt you any
more, but youre still going to get sick because of the two
million or so other bacteria that are still in your body. You have
to take antibiotics to kill all of the bacteria in order to rid
yourself of the infection. The same goes for violence. Effectively
halting the violent acts from one person is great, but it doesnt
solve the problem at large.
And it would be great if everyone could take personal responsibility
for the violence they have caused, but we all know that this will
never happen. Many people feel justified in what they are doing,
for a variety of reasons that I dont presume to understand.
You cant expect every person to take responsibility for their
actions, and especially for actions that those like them have committed
(but that they have not), because they wont.
One other thing: I hardly think that the easy route
is public discussion, as Mr. Joffe-Walt seems to think. Public discussion
of things such as rape and inter-racial violence can be anything
BUT easy, as anyone who was on campus last year and witnessed the
public discussions that arose because of various situations (i.e.,
the assault of Jeff Harvey), will tell you. Or ask a rape victim
to come in front of a group and talk about her experience. Then
youll see that public discussion can be beneficial, but is
far from easy.
Mr. Joffe-Walt should consider himself lucky to only be implicated
these systems of violence. Many people have to deal with actual
violence every day.
Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate
from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized
by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones.
Charlotte Brontë
Molly Findley
College senior
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