The myth of liberal pacifism

11. October 2009 by admin.

A lot of talk has been given in the last century about non-violence, the Left being particularly enamored with the concept of a peaceful and gentle existence in which violence is far removed from everyday life.  But one thing the Left forgets is that violence and government are intrinsically intertwined.  As the state and its institutions are the Left’s primary tools for social change, it becomes very important for thinkers to question the pacifistic nature of policies that solely rely on the state for their enactment.

It is not difficult to understand that violence (or the threat thereof) is the tool the state uses to achieve all its goals.  For instance, if a person breaks any law, that person is subjected to fines or jail time.  But what if the person refuses?  Since the government cannot enforce such a policy when a person refuses to comply, their only option is to use violent force to subdue those in rebellion.  And this displays a fundamental point: there simply is no such thing as a non-violent government policy.  If you refuse to pay taxes, the government will come for you with force.  If they weren’t able to forcefully subdue you, our government wouldn’t be able to do anything. Read the rest of this entry »

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