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| "Las dos Fridas" (1932) by Frida Kahlo |
What do you make of White's commitment to subduing violent passions?
Do you think that our society is troubled more by violent passions, as they express themselves in fights, arguments, and attacks? Or is our society troubled more by the absence of violent passions, in apathy, indifference, and complacency?
If balance is the goal, in which direction does our society need to be headed today? Are we too hot or too cool?
White’s ability to suppress violence showed his strength of character and high standards of morality. He was a man who no matter what others did, he tried his best to do what he believed was right. I believe that whether someone is more disturbed with violence in crime, or in justice, depends mainly on whether or not they were affected by the circumstances. For example, white civilians during the time of the Osage murders were not directly affected by these crimes, and therefore, they were most likely more concerned with the violent crimes themselves, worrying that they would make an unsafe environment for their families. On the other hand, the Osage families who lost loved ones were disgusted by the horrendous acts, and were more concerned with justice being carried out and ensuring that it did not happen to any other Indians.
ReplyDeleteAs for today, I believe we are more concerned with a lack of violence. Knowing that criminals are not getting punished to the full extent that they deserve makes us want them to suffer more. This shows our weaknesses as humans: we want terrible things to happen to those who commit foul acts, and it scares us to think that we may not be any less evil than those who committed the crimes in the first place.
I believe we should be more concerned with the initial crimes. Yes, what they did was wrong, but punishing them to any extent, including the death penalty, does not “undo” the crime, nor does it bring back those who were unfairly affected. It only makes us feel better because we want to inflict suffering upon those who cause pain; by wishing for this, we become just as malicious as the perpetrators.
I agree with Alisha that White showed strength is suppressing violence. I also agree that as a society we should lean less into violence and seeking justice. That being said, a society should never have apathy in what is happening inside it. To better ourselves, we must always be pushing towards a better future. Many today do not see a point in fighting the injustices around us because they think that it is pointless, but it is that thinking that allows the injustices to continue. If we can all come together and find a middle ground, then we can begin to change the world around us.
ReplyDeleteDestiny Rowell
I agree with you Destiny, there needs to be some sort of middle ground established within the nation. Right now it would seem that a majority of people lean towards violence because it would be easier to act on emotions rather than suppress them, but fighting against those who do not think similar to oneself is only a temporary way to fix an issue rather than resolve it. On the other hand, if everyone were to be passive and never voice opinions nothing would ever evolve or change. Both methods would leave the nation at a standstill, so finding a common middle ground would be beneficial.
Delete-Sabrina Arredondo
I think as a society we should focus on suppressing our violence. Many of our nation's issues arise from violence or cause violence. For example, the epidemic of school shootings in our nation. Nixon's War on Drugs has turned the issue of drug use into the issue of drug violence. I agree with Destiny and Alisha; White suppressing his violent passions shows his true strength in character. I think he is one of the few people in this book that is truly unprejudiced. His commitment to treating all of his prisoners fairly and without violence, even when they kidnapped him, helps us understand his true passion for justice.
ReplyDeleteI found White's words on this to be very compelling. The section of this quote regarding "subduing the violent passions not only in others but also in oneself" calls back to Tom's childhood experiences mentioned earlier in this chapter, where the author suggests that the prisoners Tom saw who "had been driven to a desperate act" were "the most frightening to contemplate, for they demonstrated that badness could take hold of anyone" (149).
ReplyDeleteI believe all people are most afraid of the "violent passions" in others because they understand - whether they would like to admit it or not - that they are just as capable of committing these acts as anyone else. Tom's childhood gave him a unique opportunity to understand this through observing the many reasons and motivations behind the choices that people make on a day to day basis. It is often difficult for us to understand why some people choose to act in certain ways, but I believe that everything leads back to circumstance. The prisoners that Tom was most afraid of were those that were compelled to do the wrong things because they were in desperate situations. When we have never experienced this same type of desperation, it’s easy to say that we would never act that way.
I think our society needs to start focusing on listening to others and hearing what their experiences have been. In reality we can all equally be driven to do bad things if our situation is desperate enough. We should be thankful when our circumstances do not warrant our “violent passions” coming to the surface, and we should be eager to listen and learn from others who are not as lucky as we are. When we think we are better than others we often lose opportunities to learn.