Is violence ever justified? The debate about the use of violence has been on going for the last decade. Violence, the act of causing physical harm to another person willingly, has often been categorized as being an uncivilized, unjustified act. It is mostly known, and commonsensical knowledge that attacking or inflicting harm upon another person is “wrong”. Most of us frown upon people who resort to such violent acts, and they are punishable by law. However, as we progress into the 21st century, the line of when the use of violence can ever be “right” or justified is getting increasingly blurred. The need for war, punishment, and even domestic violence can be said to deter further violence or stop present violence from exacerbating. …show more content…
When such actions are clouded with alcohol, or not done in a rational state of mind, this violence cannot be justified. Such disciplinary actions can also inflict adverse effects on children instead. For example, children may start to be afraid of their parents, or be even more rebellious. It is also in the belief of some parents that it is wrong to lay a finger on their children, regardless of whether disciplining them in this way can correct their actions. Another instance when violence can be justified is when one is protecting himself from another person’s attacks. It is only human nature to protect oneself, in the only way one knows how to. For example, if one was held at gun-point and given the chance, one would definitely rib his attacker and proceed to inflict harm on him in any way, to make an escape. In times of desperation, violence is seen as the only way out and thus can be justified. A gray area in using violence as an act of self-defence has recently been challenged in the Trayvon Martin incident that happened in Florida, USA. George Zimmerman, a 28 year old Hispanic, fatally shot 17- year -old African American Martin, as an act of self-defence, although the teenager did not carry any lethal weapons on him. The fact that Zimmerman could have made an error in his judgment, yet proceeded to assault and shoot the teenager has brought up questions and protests as to whether violence is justified when merely assuming another to be a threat to one’s
“The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world” (Arendt pg 80). Violence is contagious, like a disease, which will destroy nations and our morals as human beings. Each individual has his or her own definition of violence and when it is acceptable or ethical to use it. Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Arendt are among the many that wrote about the different facets of violence, in what cases it is ethical, the role we as individuals play in this violent society and the political aspects behind our violence.
Violence is one of the most exaggerated forms of physical aggression and it can exist for a series of reasons. It involves a person or a group of persons acting against another person or groups of persons with the purpose to achieve one or several diverse goals. In many cases violence results from individuals perceiving the acts of other people as hostile and thus wanting to act against these people before it is too late. Depending on the situation, more or less individuals might get involved in an act of violence, especially when they consider that it would be essential for them to do so.
One night in a Florida gated community a young man named Trayvon Martin, was walking down the streets of a mostly white community, stopped by George Zimmerman who was a neighborhood watch resident.Mr. Martin was stopped for being “suspicious” and “up to no good” according to Mr.Zimmerman. Trayvon was fatally shot by Mr. Zimmerman out of “self defense”. Really “Self defense” he was carrying a bag of skittles and a Arizona Tea. This young man was nothing but harmless but was victimed for being African-American.George Zimmerman would rather later stand trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin was found not guilty,until April 2012 he was found guilty of second degree murder.Although there are positives and negatives of this argument, the Black Lives
The shooting of Trayvon Martin is one of the most controversial incidents of the decade. Trayvon Martin was a young African American teen fallen victim to the evil of racial discrimination. One evening while walking home Trayvon was shot by a hispanic man named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was on neighborhood patrol on a rainy day in Florida, and he noticed a black male walking through the neighborhood. He immediately jumped to conclusions and called the police who told him to leave the man walking alone because there was no need to follow him anyway, but Zimmerman did not listen. He confronted the young black male and after a little altercation Zimmerman shot the boy in an act of “self defense”. Zimmerman killed someone because of a profile created based on the color of someone's skin. Now besides the fact that a young boy was killed due to racial profiling, what’s even worse is the
This paper will be covering the controversial case of the shooting of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman. This was a polarizing trial for it pitted gun rights activists against gun-control activists and people who were generally against the new gun rhetoric that is in Florida. George Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch for the gated community and would always do his job diligently. However, one night he witnessed someone in a grey hoodie walking on the sidewalk wearing a hoodie. Zimmerman thought this person was suspicious and continued to follow him. After Zimmerman called in that he was following this individual, he was told not to leave his vehicle. Instead, he followed the person into who knows where and the rest of the story is up for debate. The defense team stated that Trayvon had jumped out of the bushes and begun to attack Zimmerman violently to the point where he felt that his life was in danger. The prosecution believed that Zimmerman had initiated a fight with Trayvon and he was at the mercy of Zimmerman at gunpoint for a significant amount of time.
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, resulting in a national uproar on racial profiling and civil rights. Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder. He was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge. After a few weeks of testimony, the jury excluded the prosecution’s contention that Mr. Zimmerman had intentionally pursued Mr. Martin because he assumed the teenager was a felonious person and instigated the fight that led to his death. In reality, Zimmerman targeted Trayvon Martin simply because of his appearance. “The bullet that passed between them silenced a child but ignited a nation,” (Blow 1). Some people declare this just another way of silencing or putting down the others that aren’t meeting their standards or
Trayvon Martin was a victim of wilding. George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a 17 years old African American boy. Zimmerman is a neighborhood watch volunteer who spotted Martin and follow the allegedly suspicious person. Martin was unarmed during the altercation between the two of them. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and shot Martin. Martin was portrayed as a threat to society. Martin was walking back to his father home in the rain from the convenience store. He was carrying a bag of skittles and a drink. Martin was an innocent boy who was killed by Zimmerman. Zimmerman is an ultimate wilder. “He personified those twenty-first century gun toting Americans, viewing themselves as vigilantes protecting the public and themselves” (p.
On February 26, 2012 a 17 year old black teen was wondering around a neighborhood in Sanford, Florida wearing a hood over his head was gunned down and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. The evening of February 26, Martin was heading back to his father’s townhouse from a convenient store when Martin decided to cut through a neighborhood that had been riddled with multiple robberies that year. Zimmerman saw Martin with his hood over his head and Zimmerman decided to contact the Sanford Police Department on account of suspicious behavior. However, before the police were able to arrive on scene an altercation occurred between Zimmerman and Martin which resulted in Martin being shot in the chest where he died on the scene.
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Marin in Sampson, Florida on March 25th, 2012.In the police report, Zimmerman claimed to have followed Martin out of the convenience store because he looked suspicious and that is when the altercation between the two began. Some words were shared between the two that led Zimmerman to step out of his car despite the police’s order to remain inside the vehicle. Zimmerman also told police that Trayvon knocked him down when he punched him in the nose and repeatedly slammed his head on the ground and that he had only reached for his gun because he feared for his life. The incident ended when 13 year old Austin Brown saw Zimmerman lying in the grass moaning and crying for help. Police soon arrived after a 911 call about hearing gunshots in the distance from another neighbor (Gutman, 2012). Fine details from that eventful night that would later be used in the investigation and trial are still left unanswered.
Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old boy that lived in Florida. He lived with his mother and often visited his father. While he had undergone some troubles, he overall was not a terrible kid. Although he was notably young and minded his own business, others did not. On February 26, 2012, the young boy’s life was taken away from him. The man who killed him was George Michael Zimmerman. He served as a neighborhood watch captain around the area where his old man lived. CNN stated that all he had was skittles and tea in his hand. Now tell me does that seem threatening to you? According to Zimmerman, he was claiming “self-defense” and that Trayvon was “a suspicious person.” Florida law states that one is granted the “stand your ground” law and that is what Zimmerman claimed to do in an act of defense. Zimmerman was arrested, but he was not charged or convicted of Martin’s murder even though people know that Zimmerman killed him for absolutely no actual cause.
Our group chose to do the highly debatable case regarding George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Based on the various parts from group members, it would seem we have both sides of the case so there will be discussion from either point of view. Our paper is not going to sway the reader in either direction, but simply state the facts for each side and give an overview of the case from our perspective.
On February 26 2012 Trayvon Martin was shot dead by George Zimmerman, who pleaded not guilty for using self-defense. One important issue to the self-defense plea is that Mr. Zimmerman was familiar with the “stand your ground law” that allows a person to use deadly force in order to prevent heavy injuries, In which Zimmerman states that Trayvon was bashing his head on the concrete. With regards to this the jurors agreed that it was a self-defense situation because they were told that Trayvon was on top and Zimmerman was on the bottom. I personally don’t agree with the verdict because I’m sure that Mr. Zimmerman could’ve handled Trayvon in another form of manner instead of taking his life.
Seventeen year old Trayvon Martin was shot after leaving a 7-Eleven by the neighborhood watch captain a close connection of Sanford Florida police. This person of authority abused their power and shot an unarmed teenager. Unfortunately for Martin’s family this man took their child's life. Because of his race and the way he had dressed, Zimmerman
First, the story of Trayvon Martin, who was murdered in Florida. He was murdered by a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was allegedly on duty when he called 911 to report a suspicious person. The 911 operator told Zimmerman “ Don't get out of his vehicle,” according to CNN which is major news channel major crime cases. According to an article by the Atlantic Daily which is another major news magazine, it shows that Florida's self-defense statute was manipulated resulting in Zimmerman's acquittal. This website suggested that, he disregarded instructions and followed Trayvon, who then started to run. An altercation ensued which resulted in Trayvon losing his life. This case highlighted police
4. Aggression justifies two kinds of violent response: a war of self-defense by the victim and a war of law enforcement by the victim and any other member of international society.