Violence Really Is the Answer: Difference between revisions

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''Violence isn't the answer. ''Yes'' is the answer (to the question "Is violence the answer?").''

A character who firmly believes in [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] ends up being presented with a situation extreme enough that despite much compunctions and reservations, they are compelled to resort to ~~violence-- and~~ it works. It makes everything all right. It was the right thing to do all along.

A character who firmly believes in [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] ends up being presented with a situation extreme enough that despite much compunctions and reservations, they are compelled to resort to violence—and it works. It makes everything all right. It was the right thing to do all along.

The character is usually, but not always, a [[Technical Pacifist]] or something to that extent. If they were an [[Actual Pacifist]] they would never resort to violence under any circumstances at all; if they were a [[Nineties Anti-Hero]] they would have no problem with it to begin with. In some versions they will be (self-)tortured after making this choice, but in others, it is surprisingly easy, and it really seems like the message is that pacifism is laughable, or at best impractical.

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== Comics ==

* The [[Old Man Logan]] arc of ''[[Wolverine]]'' turns out this way. 50 years after becoming an [[Actual Pacifist]], a cross-country errand to earn enough money to save his family leads Logan into a confrontation where violence is unavoidable, as he's locked in a room with someone trying to kill him. <ref> Unfortunately, after he defeats his foe and returns home, it turns out he should have resorted to violence much earlier.</ref>

* The [[Old Man Logan]] arc of ''[[Wolverine]]'' turns out this way. 50 years after becoming an [[Actual Pacifist]], a cross-country errand to earn enough money to save his family leads Logan into a confrontation where violence is unavoidable, as he's locked in a room with someone trying to kill him.<ref>Unfortunately, after he defeats his foe and returns home, it turns out he should have resorted to violence much earlier.</ref>

* A [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Comic Book story featuring the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion had them interact with two pacifist brothers who'd isolated themselves in their house for years because of the world's warlike ways. Enemy spies break into the house for some reason (possibly to use it as a hideout, or to steal the brothers' stashed money to fund their spy ring) and it's only by the Guardian's use of applied force that the spies are defeated. The brothers grasp the intended Aesop, that if you don't confront evil, it will eventually come in after you.

* The original run of ''Hawk And Dove'' had this as a message. Of course, if you're going to be a superhero, it's implied that you have to fight people, ''Dove''.

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* An example of surprising ease is the movie ''[[Destry Rides Again]]'' where title character has renounced violence and is a real [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]] but finds violence ultimately necessary.

* In ''[[High Noon]]'', the main character's wife is a Quaker, and against violence. She leaves her husband when he wants to fight with his enemies instead of escaping, but finally returns to him, and shoots one of the bad guys.

* Similarly to Vimes, [[Batman]] is a type who has no problem with brutal fights but a [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|code against killing]]. Often, villains (especially the Joker) will test this commitment, and the movie ''[[Batman Begins]]'' presents an example where he has no choice, as his mentor turned enemy explicitly states that he feels no gratitude that Bruce previously saved his life and vows to kill Bruce if he doesn't join his cause. Ultimately, the movie flirts with [[The Dog Shot First]], since Batman doesn't kill the villain but rather [[Save the Villain|declines to save him]], which is still at odds with Batman's code of ethics, at least the one established in the comics. OF course, he was just starting out. He seems to have solidified his moral code by the time of ''[[The Dark Knight]]''~~--when~~ {{spoiler|the [[Chekhov's Gun|spring-loaded razors on his gauntlets]] cut the Joker and causes him to fall off the building, he still catches him}}. It could also be argued that {{spoiler|since he survived the fall, he might not have expected Dent to die when he prevented him from killing Gordon's son}}.

* Similarly to Vimes, [[Batman]] is a type who has no problem with brutal fights but a [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|code against killing]]. Often, villains (especially the Joker) will test this commitment, and the movie ''[[Batman Begins]]'' presents an example where he has no choice, as his mentor turned enemy explicitly states that he feels no gratitude that Bruce previously saved his life and vows to kill Bruce if he doesn't join his cause. Ultimately, the movie flirts with [[The Dog Shot First]], since Batman doesn't kill the villain but rather [[Save the Villain|declines to save him]], which is still at odds with Batman's code of ethics, at least the one established in the comics. OF course, he was just starting out. He seems to have solidified his moral code by the time of ''[[The Dark Knight]]''—when {{spoiler|the [[Chekhov's Gun|spring-loaded razors on his gauntlets]] cut the Joker and causes him to fall off the building, he still catches him}}. It could also be argued that {{spoiler|since he survived the fall, he might not have expected Dent to die when he prevented him from killing Gordon's son}}.

** {{spoiler|Batman can be excused for Dent's death, considering he was exhausted and shot, he only tackled Dent off the ledge to save a small child, and there really wasn't any way for him to know that there would be a fall that would kill Dent. Dent's death was an accident that Bruce can't really be held accountable for.}}

** [[Batman (film)|Burton's Batman]], on the other hand, never had this problem, and just killed without much thought.

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** Exalted also tends to assert that violence can 'solve' problems, but will often create bigger problems in the process.

* Surprisingly enough, Warhammer 40000 could be argued to have an example of this in some of the stories around the Tyranids (and Tau). Usually, violence is utterly futile against the Tyranid (Space Bugs/Mammals/Reptiles/Something numerous enough to take down the armies and navies of entire systems just by clogging vehicles with their corpses) which forces anyone hoping to stand against them to produce alternate methods.

** Of course, these 'alternate methods' usually consist of either poisoning them or diverting their attention. Still, ~~[[Violence Really Is the Answer|~~Science Really is the Answer!]]

** Of course, these 'alternate methods' usually consist of either poisoning them or diverting their attention. Still, Science Really is the Answer!

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== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' zig-zagged this in the last few episodes: [[Martial Pacifist|Aang]] speaks with his past lives and each one tells him, indirectly, that killing Ozai is ~~justified--even~~ a fellow monk pacifist tells him that as Avatar, the well-being of the people supersedes his own spiritual needs. Then Aang goes into the Avatar State, beats the ever living snot out of Ozai, and [[Technical Pacifist|refuses to complete the finishing move.]] THEN {{spoiler|Aang uses [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|energy bending]] to save the day without killing}}.

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' zig-zagged this in the last few episodes: [[Martial Pacifist|Aang]] speaks with his past lives and each one tells him, indirectly, that killing Ozai is justified—even a fellow monk pacifist tells him that as Avatar, the well-being of the people supersedes his own spiritual needs. Then Aang goes into the Avatar State, beats the ever living snot out of Ozai, and [[Technical Pacifist|refuses to complete the finishing move.]] THEN {{spoiler|Aang uses [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|energy bending]] to save the day without killing}}.

* ''[[Adventure Time]]'' takes this trope and runs with it. A lot of times, Finn and Jake just solve something by beating or threatening to beat the crap out of it. It's even the aesop for the episode, "His Hero", when Finn is unable to learn the opposite of this.

* ''[[Animaniacs]]'' did this in the episode ''Bully for Skippy''. Slappy Squirrel's nephew is being horribly bullied at school, and his counselor keeps suggesting all the "solutions" [[Real Life]] counselors give: ignore the bully, try to befriend them, inform the bully that they've hurt your feelings, etc. Skippy just gets beat up worse and worse until he teams up with Aunt Slappy and breaks out the Cartoon Violence and dynamite...which oddly reforms the bully into a good citizen.