False Dichotomies Essay, Research Paper
For years communities have grown and changed based on personal and
intellectual growth of the people in the community. It seems that every community
always has an ideal way of living. When this is disrupted by bad behavior, the
behavior is usually looked down upon and often times is punishable. This just proves
that in most communities, certain behaviors are always desirable, while others are always
undesirable.
In Peacemaking Among Primates, Frans DeWaal discusses the fact that peace is
most always a behavior that is desirable within communities, while aggression is
undesirable. He then goes on to explain that the words peace and aggression can
have many different definitions, The connotations and moral values attached to these
words coax us into false dichotomies, whereas in real life we rarely meet pure forms
(18). Each of these words, while usually either frowned upon or condoned, do not
always mean what people believe them to mean. Every human has the universal
definition of each of these words embedded in their memory, but when they themselves
use either word, depending on the situation, the definition changes. When these words
are used to describe a situation, for example in international politics, what they believe is
usually based upon the universal definition. Either of these words can be used to shape
our idea of different situations, making us believe something that may not be true. This
just proves that certain behaviors are more desirable than others, but it depends on who is
critiquing the behavior.
DeWaal uses examples of international politics to prove that the use of the words
can change people s belief about a situation.
The word peace is the lullaby of politicians all over the world. The War is
Peace rhetoric of Nineteen Eighty-Four is recognizable in terms such as
pacification for wiping out entire villages in Vietnam, peacekeeping forces for
the British army in Northern Ireland, and Peacekeeper for a deadly missile
weapon. (19)
This just proves that the government, and everyone else, uses an ideal definition of
words to get a positive or negative reaction from the community.
I believe that it is true that certain behaviors are always desirable while others are
always undesirable, because it does not always have to do with peace and aggression.
Showing love for someone, going out of your way to help a person in need, doing
something to better yourself or the people around you, are always going to be things that
are admirable and desirable to either yourself or the others you are helping. Murder,
rape, and physical abuse seems to be undesirable to most people and is looked down
upon in most societies.
Situations and actions can be made to seem different from what they really are,
and people will believe what they want to believe. Because of this certain behaviors are
always going to be undesirable and others desirable because of what society has molded
people to believe.