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Power Attracts Violence

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  • William Ker Muir JR

    (Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley)

Abstract

Policemen frequently are called to restore order to situations in which one of the parties is fighting "for his honor" in front of a crowd. In such circumstances policemen are not likely to be able to "stop the beef" nonviolently. While the crowd looks on, a citizen may only be able to save face by attacking the officers themselves. A citizen's honor—his reputation for implacability and vengeance—is vital to him particularly in rough neighborhoods because his safety may depend upon it after the policeman departs from the scene. A policeman who attempts to restore order at the expense of a citizen's honor leaves the citizen no recourse but to attack. The only nonviolent solution to this situation is for policemen to take pains to redefine the crowd's definition of honorable conduct, and that is an unusually difficult undertaking, de manding eloquence of a high order.

Suggested Citation

  • William Ker Muir JR, 1980. "Power Attracts Violence," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 452(1), pages 48-52, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:452:y:1980:i:1:p:48-52
    DOI: 10.1177/000271628045200105
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