"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.
Interpretation
The quote contrasts how society perceives violence based on who commits it, condemning the weak and glorifying the strong.
Sydney J. Harris highlights a profound hypocrisy in societal views on violence: actions labeled as 'terrorism' by the weak are condemned, while those labeled as 'war' by the powerful are often celebrated and justified. This distinction raises questions about moral judgment and the political dynamics that shape our understanding of violence.
In practice
During a debate on military intervention, one could use this quote to highlight the double standards in how we view different acts of violence.
A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person.
We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.
The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes them a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.
Man's unique agony as a species consists in his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.
At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teachβit is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.
You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a realist he is preparing to do something that he is secretly ashamed of doing.
The middle class is doing fine in fiction. But it's not what gets me going. I love the working class, and everyone from it I've met, and think they're incredibly witty, inventive - there's a lot of poetry there.
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
At least I know I'm bewildered about the really fundamental and important facts of the universe.
At the present moment, the security of coherent philosophy, which existed from Parmenides to Hegel, is lost.
It would be absurd if we did not understand both angels and devils, since we invented them.
There is no easy way to create a world where men and women can live together... But if such a world is created in our lifetime, it will be done by rejecting the racism, materialism, and violence that has characterized Western civilization and especially by working toward a world of brotherhood, cooperation, and peace.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.