Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 08:25:02 -0800 (PST)
From: jym-AT-igc.org (Jym Dyer)
Subject: Violence! Excitement!


=v= My years as a self-described nonviolent Earth First!
activist have taught me something:  If there's any contention
of any sort whatsoever, somebody will find a way to  depict
it as "violence."  Arguing the point is futile, for the word
itself is so broad that anyone with a mind to will turn the
argument into semantic nit-picking.

=v= I've found it useful to point out that "excitement" means
exactly the same thing as "violence."  This puts the nit-picker
on the defensive, since every semantic argument about mean old
nasty "violence" is immediately applicable to life-affirming
"excitement."

=v= At this point, the useless argument either comes to an
abrupt hlt or transforms into a useful exchange of ideas.
    <_Jym_>