Have you ever had a conversation with a dog?
The other day, I had a sarcastic conversation with my corgi along the lines of “aw, you have no idea what I am saying, but since I am saying it in an excited voice you think it’s important!” And my dog, not knowing any better, gave me her full attention. Her head was tilted, her ears perked up; surely there was something important in what I was saying.
Are the police corrupt? Should we trust them? What role should they play in society?
This is a topic that is both deeply historical and immediately relevant. This article is about a specific problem in the national dialogue on police: how does the public’s perception about the police impact the public’s trust in that institution?
That’s right. It’s your fault that giant spider is living in your home. Do you know why? Because that means you have enough other bugs there for that giant spider to live the fat life.
Well, it’s not exactly your fault. But you certainly contributed to creating a friendly environment for that spider. You wanted a roof over your head? Well, so did that spider (and, more importantly, everything it’s been eating).
For the person using force, it is voluntary. It is the ultimate expression of one-sided decision-making, where one’s personal power is unilaterally utilized. But for the person force is used against, choice is denied. Force is coercive, and that coercion is force’s trademark. It is the attempt to impose one person’s decision upon someone else. Force, therefore, contains a sense of irony. It is the use of one’s self-autonomy to deny another of their self-autonomy.