American and British
air forces bombed Iraq territory recently. The President of the United
States, George W. Bush, proclaimed that this action was to restrain
Iraq』s military from disturbing valuable world peace. Despite small
opposition and objection among third-world countries, most nations chose
to tacitly agree with this life-killing action. And this agreement
reflects the violence of authority.
So far, the United States is still the most powerful country in the
world. Its priority and authority forces many countries to give up
their original view. Ironically, the United States, which emphasizes
freedom and peace the most, chooses to use the most violent way to
restrict others』 freedom. Countries which oppose the United States on
different issues are punished by economic sanction, political exclusion,
or military attack. The United States actually takes advantage of its
authority to exclude whoever dares to differ from it.
Even in matters not as grand as national security we also witness the
operation of authority to exclude. In the short story The Lottery,
people in town use the lottery to decide who is to be sacrificed for a
good harvest. Despite some doubts among villagers, everyone chooses to
follow the routine once a year. Although the lottery seems to be quite
fair with everyone getting equal chance, still, the violence of
authority is already built into such a game of pure chance. Under the
surface of fairness, the authority of the village as a whole has
precluded any possibility of objection. Without actually killing
people, the authority has reinforced the righteous status of killing.
Only the departure of the young man signals any sign of resistance.
Under the sugarcoating of law and freedom, people and countries often
resort to force in order to protect their own benefits and exclude
opposition. The cost is precious human life.