Floyd Sanchez

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The concept of nonviolence is a false ideal. It presupposes the existence of compassion and a sense of justice on the part of one’s adversary. When this adversary has everything to lose and nothing to gain by exercising justice and compassion, his reaction can only be negative.

The symbol of the male here in North America has always been the gun, the knife, the club. Violence is extolled at every exchange: the TV, the motion pictures, the best-seller lists. The newspapers that sell best are those that carry the boldest, bloodiest headlines and most sports coverage. To die for king and country is to die a hero.

The Kings, Wilkinses, and Youngs exhort us in King’s words to “put away your knives, put away your arms and clothe yourselves in the breastplate of righteousness” and “turn the other cheek to prove our capacity to endure, to love.” Well, that is good for them perhaps but I most certainly need both sides of my head.

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