Violent Solution

Whenever a state senses any violence against it, it says to the people, “violence never solves anything.” Despite violence is the primary method the state uses to deal with its problem with others, that remains the line against violence against it. The French President Jacques Chirac made just this statement Monday. In the same statement, he acknowledge and promise to deal with racial discrimination. This is certainly a new thing for the French government. And it is the denial and neglect of racial discrimination that led to the riots of the past weeks. Without the riot, it is hard to see when this acknowledgement will ever be made. It is therefore safe to say that this first step in overcoming a great injustice is the direct result of the “violence” of the riot. So, in this case at least, violence may not have solved anything, it certainly move the state toward solving it a little. It may sound like advocating violence when I say there may be positive consequences from riots. Desperate situation, however, sometimes requires desperate measures. And if burning a few cars can lead toward a more equal society, I say go ahead.