When Words Become Violence

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope

originally posted by: makalit

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope

originally posted by: makalit

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope

originally posted by: DanteGaland
Words can start wars...

War = violence.

Therefore, WORDS can cause violence.

Words can be USED as weapons. Blackmail. Sanctions. Ect.

Words cause nothing. People act according to their own choices.

That's not accurate. A bug coming into your vision causes you to notice it. Someone smiling towards you likely causes you to feel it. Everything causes everything else.

You describe an accurate piece of language, but the description of reality is inaccurate. We notice. Therefore we cause ourselves to notice, or not in other cases.

You mean that we can choose to either 1) focus on the bug or 2)start ignoring it

Meaning that we can miss it.

It takes a lot of Zen practice to really miss it.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So verbal bullying by superiors or co-workers has never existed in the workplace? The trauma felt by the harassment hasn't amounted to physiological illness to the workplace victim?
Millions of injured would disagree with you.

Now if you are speaking only of words in the public arena by priests or politicians or skinhead Nazis you may have a point.

We know you are very intelligent and I have the highest regard for your writings but don't sell me that verbal bullying in the workplace is non-existent.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Don't forget about the kids in the elementary and middle schools.
it's the kid's choice to be bullied and being hurt by it.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So verbal bullying by superiors or co-workers has never existed in the workplace? The trauma felt by the harassment hasn't amounted to physiological illness to the workplace victim?
Millions of injured would disagree with you.

Now if you are speaking only of words in the public arena by priests or politicians or skinhead Nazis you may have a point.

We know you are very intelligent and I have the highest regard for your writings but don't sell me that verbal bullying in the workplace is non-existent.

Verbal bullying is everywhere. But again, the words cause zero harm. Give it a try on me if you wish and I’ll detail the damage you’ve caused.

a reply to: makalit

With all due respect this has been going on for decades; before you were born.

Back to the theme of the discussion, if your mother were constantly belittling you rather than lifting you higher do you think words have no effect?

a reply to: ClovenSky

Good post, but are all children "hellspawn"? You undid your good work.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Verbal bullying is everywhere. But again, the words cause zero harm. Give it a try on me if you wish and I’ll detail the damage you’ve caused.

Try it on your children.

a reply to: Deaf Alien

So people choose to someone mentally seek out a bully to be the "victim of the week"

You're suggesting bullies don't exist.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: Deaf Alien

So people choose to someone mentally seek out a bully to be the "victim of the week"

You're suggesting bullies don't exist.

That is what the OP is suggesting.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Verbal bullying is everywhere. But again, the words cause zero harm

Agreed. But saying the sky is blue doesn't necessarily mean a meteor or thunderstorm will not hit your awareness shortly.

I don't think I have ever asked you about your position, but I find it abhorrent that Australia & Germany amongst other make it an offense to question even the numbers of Holocaust victims and how the numbers seemed to change historically.

Thoughts?

a reply to: Deaf Alien

So these were not your word's? Choice?

it's the kid's choice to be bullied and being hurt by it.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Verbal bullying is everywhere. But again, the words cause zero harm

Agreed. But saying the sky is blue doesn't necessarily mean a meteor or thunderstorm will not hit your awareness shortly.

I don't think I have ever asked you about your position, but I find it abhorrent that Australia & Germany amongst other make it an offense to question even the numbers of Holocaust victims and how the numbers seemed to change historically.

Thoughts?

I believe in absolute free speech, including hate speech, defamation, and holocaust revisionism. It is abhorrent in any case to restrict any expression in my view.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Thank you, we are of like mind.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

I wrote about my views on free speech in the following OPs, but have yet to get around to finish them. To tell you the truth, I think it’s a losing battle.

Free speech? Absolutely.
In Defence of Hate Speech

Words are abstractions. They cannot be violent. Only the person can.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Thanks I haven't read "Free Speech? Absolutely." yet.
When the Battle appears lost, then through perseverance the War will be won.

Do not change, continue fighting through words the honourable fight.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Either way, when the suffering cause by words is compared to any example of violence, hardship and suffering throughout human history, the complainant comes off as a whinging milquetoast who has it a thousand times better than anyone who has hitherto suffered—more than enough reason to keep our malady hidden. 

WOE to the Sociopath. His end cometh quickly, and his disguise, removed. Emotional violence is twice that of any physical damage one could endure in several lifetimes.

Met one too many of those in mine.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: DBCowboy

Words inspire actions.

I think that's what people are afraid of.

Words inspire. Words encourage. Words spur actions.


"Stand up against tyranny!" Just 4 words. Just 4 words that can cause a tyrant fear and harm.

If words of love can sooth, could words of hate, enrage?


It seems as if we are held captive by words. We are conditioned to get "triggered" by words.

As a nation, we are calmed by words. Even lies told softly are met with open arms and smiles.

Words, utterances and constructed noise have become our masters and we their slaves.

We have it all backwards. Words are not agents and are incapable of performing actions. They cannot do anything, let alone "encourage", "incite", "seduce", or otherwise manipulate human beings.

I strongly disagree.

Ever been exposed to the same hateful or traumatizing phrases and words meant to condition and stress your mind, day in and day out? Ive been there. Let me give you a clue, it is not fun, and no, the stress, suffering, and overall impact of this kind of mental torture can be positively life ruining to the point that you cant even feed yourself.

There are plenty of studied and employed psychological conditioning methods by you know who that use speech and visual languages along with symbolism in general to quite literally destroy people. Good for you for being completely immune to that I suppose, but I think casting total blame on people that have been hurt by words at any given point in their life is not only callous, its frighteningly lacking in human compassion.

What about the n word? If a white guy angrily spouts the word at a black person amid a tyrade of other obscenities you expect all people on the receiving end of the situation to smile and move along?

Or how about schizophrenics and the horrendous # they may hear during episodes, sometimes even coming from people around them via coincidence rather than hallucination?

Trust me when i say that words can be weapons and many people are constantly utilizing speech in said manner; i dare say its almost involuntary on their part.

However, i do agree that people need to be more aware and accountable for their feelings regarding words they perceive, much less accountable for their reactions to the sheer presence of a person who says nothing at all...

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: makalit
With all due respect this has been going on for decades; before you were born.

Back to the theme of the discussion, if your mother were constantly belittling you rather than lifting you higher do you think words have no effect?

My point was just that, that a mothers feelings towards her son surely can hurt the son, same with words

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
Verbal bullying is everywhere. But again, the words cause zero harm. Give it a try on me if you wish and I’ll detail the damage you’ve caused.

Each person is different and like someone said, emotional pain through out time can often be much worse than physical.
The true thing that may be hurting a child is not the words, but the instance of knowing the negativity someone wants towards them

Which as you say, maybe when a gay guy is called a 'queer' it's his choice to think "wahhh" or "uh, i don't care. just gonna keep walking and ignore"
IMO its a higher story being played out in a meaningful way. People's minds are in a traditional way where they have to show their honest feelings of gay's being wrong, meanwhile in more tolerant world the gay person has to defend how they feel to progress their place. It's all quite confusing and is about the same as science trying to understand God, when God even has the ability to control people's feelings. Sometimes you will be chased out of a forum and they hate u, u hate them, merely cuz god wanted u to not be there (for ur own good) so it's all confusing which is why it's a bit pointless to talk with you if these atoms are somehow a reflection of god without seeing more bigger pic

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: Deaf Alien
So people choose to someone mentally seek out a bully to be the "victim of the week"

You're suggesting bullies don't exist.

See there's lectures speaking that if you compliment the bully and don't be offended, the bully disarms themselves, and that really Bully Vs Victim is more about a dominance thing, "You suck!" says the bully, the bully wants you to try to be dominant and say "You are dumb!" yet the bully being bigger then uses that to say oh yeah? and he likes it. But if you deflect and compliment the bully he gets disarmed, so in someway it is as i said a complex piece of art. There's more to it than "ow this hurts" but more like "that was not meaningfully acceptable in my view, and I will target it"
or i can't speak for others maybe they feel "and i will get sad because of what is known as mean from others, and not feeling accepted, and depressed already"

originally posted by: CreationBro

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: DBCowboy

Words inspire actions.

I think that's what people are afraid of.

Words inspire. Words encourage. Words spur actions.


"Stand up against tyranny!" Just 4 words. Just 4 words that can cause a tyrant fear and harm.

If words of love can sooth, could words of hate, enrage?


It seems as if we are held captive by words. We are conditioned to get "triggered" by words.

As a nation, we are calmed by words. Even lies told softly are met with open arms and smiles.

Words, utterances and constructed noise have become our masters and we their slaves.

We have it all backwards. Words are not agents and are incapable of performing actions. They cannot do anything, let alone "encourage", "incite", "seduce", or otherwise manipulate human beings.

I strongly disagree.

Ever been exposed to the same hateful or traumatizing phrases and words meant to condition and stress your mind, day in and day out? Ive been there. Let me give you a clue, it is not fun, and no, the stress, suffering, and overall impact of this kind of mental torture can be positively life ruining to the point that you cant even feed yourself.

There are plenty of studied and employed psychological conditioning methods by you know who that use speech and visual languages along with symbolism in general to quite literally destroy people. Good for you for being completely immune to that I suppose, but I think casting total blame on people that have been hurt by words at any given point in their life is not only callous, its frighteningly lacking in human compassion.

What about the n word? If a white guy angrily spouts the word at a black person amid a tyrade of other obscenities you expect all people on the receiving end of the situation to smile and move along?

Or how about schizophrenics and the horrendous # they may hear during episodes, sometimes even coming from people around them via coincidence rather than hallucination?

Trust me when i say that words can be weapons and many people are constantly utilizing speech in said manner; i dare say its almost involuntary on their part.

However, i do agree that people need to be more aware and accountable for their feelings regarding words they perceive, much less accountable for their reactions to the sheer presence of a person who says nothing at all...

I have been the subject of bullying and verbal abuse, but in psychology there is personality trait called called hardiness", which I believe can be developed through physical and philosophical training, and applied to early childhood education.

Words cannot be weapons for the simple fact that they are words. I would argue it is this metaphysical absurdity, this metaphor, this superstition, that magnifies stress and hinders our coping with it.