Violence and Revenge
Violence and revenge only hurt people. Human beings are known for their innate desire for revenge, which makes vengeance part of our survival mechanics. However, those with mental illness pose more danger of harming others since they are driven by their subconscious mind to revenge against physical and verbal abuse and could use weird forms in the process. Revenge is often cruel, lustful and insatiable to the extent that a provoked mentally ill person would do anything to ensure they make others pay for physical or verbal abuse. Such acts of violence and revenge pose major problems in the society to the extent that those injured are never in the position to opt for a balanced solution to a wrong that has been perpetrated against them. The way to reduce suffering from revenge and violence is to identify any signs of mental instability among workers, relatives, and friends and seeking earlier interventions. The fear caused by revenge denies other people the opportunity to associate freely in the society since they are scared of encroaching into the territories of those with mental issues. Violence pout of revenge has harmful effects on others. Mental illness can have substantial impacts on a person’s well-being and emotions that cause them to act violent but of revenge. The paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the events that lead to violence and revenge as a result of some form of mental illness while relying on real life events and stories. Violence out of revenge has harmful effects on others. Mental illness can have substantial impacts on a person's well-being and emotions that cause them to act violently out of revenge.
Revenge is a form of retaliation where an individual or group of people seek some form of hostile confrontations motivated by the desire to pay back for injuries or suffering caused to them. The obsession in seeking revenge is what triggers violence since perpetrators believe that some form of suffering to their victims would be the best way to fulfill their revenge mission. Violence in the form of revenge is, therefore, triggered by various reasons among them compensating for an earlier verbal or physical injury, desire for status and fight for power and other personal reasons. Disgruntlement as a result of the loss of a job also leads to individuals opting to make fellow employees and bosses pay for the sufferings that come up in the course of their interactions. As a result, it is necessary that the motive of the revenge be identified as the society aims to eliminate incidences where people are victims of violence.
Human beings tend to be motivated by revenge since vengeance is part of the innate characteristics of complex social species like mankind. The passion of using violence for revenge could be strong and overwhelming among individuals who are driven by anger with others believing that it would make them change their shame into pride. The destructive nature of violence in the form of revenge makes the act wrong since it interferes with normal functioning of fellow humans. This implies that it is rational for people to opt for alternative means of resolving their conflicts rather than engaging in destructive battles. “A society built upon a foundation of vengeance is doomed to destroy itself,” is a quote by Richelle Goodrich that contends on the primitiveness of engaging in violent acts as a way of compensating for the original harm.
Violence in the workplace is particularly damaging since it lowers productivity and leads to high employee turnover for fear of being harmed. Violence hurts everyone in the society since the victims are unable to help their children and families who depend on them. Violence causes serious pain and injuries including broken bones, burns, cuts and bruises that interfere with normal functioning of human beings. For children whose parents and guardians have been hurt by violent revenge, they suffer nightmares and other fears that make it difficult for them to cope with life.
The shooting incident at Accent Signage in Minneapolis
Motives of revenge differ, considering the incident that took place at Accent Signage after an employee was fired. The 2012 Accent Signage shooting in Minneapolis presents the devastating effects of workplace revenge and violence and the way innocent people are affected by such intentions. On September 27, 2012, an employee upon being fired managed to walk into the firm’s premises armed with a Glock pistol. The results of the shootings were ‘loss of five lives by the end of the day and critical injuries sustained by additional four people’. Two of those injured could not survive hence died a few days later while undergoing treatment. The incident took place because an employee, Mr. Engeldinger, upon being informed that he was losing his job drew his gun shooting several people including the company’s founder and several top managers who tried to get the gun from him. The disgruntled employee went ahead to shoot innocent victims who had no bearing on his sacking thereby killing and injuring a number of employees and a driver who was on duty. Investigations revealed that Engeldinger was a loner who never engaged in conversation with fellow employees hence an indication that he was estranged and had the potential of causing severe harm when provoked.
The family said that the shooter had struggled with paranoia and delusions and had gone to the extent of withdrawing from them. This implies that Engeldinger was in need of psychological counseling and that his condition needed to have been identified and interventions done before his mental instability escalated. Such shootings made things worse for those who survived the incident and the families of those who were killed hence indicating that revenge and violence are wrong and need to be prevented by all means. The lesson drawn from the Accent Signage shooting is that not only does revenge put the lives of those involved in danger but also endangers who may not have a clue of whatever is happening. It is disheartening that several employees, managers and outsiders such as a driver delivering products had to be shot in spite of the fact that they were not involved in any way in the events that led to the sacking of the perpetrator. The implications of such action are that it is imperative to take measures that would prevent cases of disgruntlement at work places and ensure that employees are unarmed when within their work premises.
Short stories on incidences when characters used violence for revenge
‘A Rose for Emily’ is a story that shows the effects of violence and revenge in the society. The story paints the image of Emily, who has a poor relationship with everyone including the authorities and her close relatives. From Emily’s behavior that reflects some form of mental problems, a looming sign of revenge presents itself with the former purchasing arsenics from a local shop with many believing that she was going to kill herself. However, the life of an innocent man was at stake instead.. Her house is shuttered, dusty and dark and has bizarre behavior that is potential indicators of the need to keep away from her. Emily goes about things her own way by refusing to pay taxes and buying poison without explaining her motives. Her strange actions lead to her killing Homer, a man whom she refuses to allow the chance to abandon her. Emily lives with the corpse for some time in spite of the smell that came out of the house thereby acting contrary to how a normal human being would behave. The killing of Homer could be seen as contributed by the fact that Emily wanted to control him to the extent that she became a necrophilia as depicted in the story.
Montresor, in the story ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ is a murderous and vengeful person. The story tells of the actions by Montresor where he ‘lures a friend, Fortunato, to an underground tunnel, gets him drunk then chains and wall him up while leaving him to die slowly’. Montresor was angry by the insults and injuries he had sustained from Fortunato and was also jealous that the latter had managed to achieve much in life. Montresor therefore ‘chains and entombs his victim’ while mocking him as he cried for help. Such actions could only be done by a person with mental difficulties since burying someone alive is not something a normal human being could do. Montresor notes that “A Wrong is unredressed when the retribution overtakes its redresser.” Montresor’s goes ahead and indicates that “A wrong is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.” Montresor’s revenge could be attributed to the fact that he claimed Fortunato had contributed to his unhappiness and loss of dignity and respect within the society. Fortunato’s ascension to upper-class society had not gone well with Montresor. Hence, the actions of the latter could be as a result of a personal grudge. The overall effect of violence and revenge is that they contribute to moral ills in the society and hence should be discouraged by all means.
Conclusion
Therefore, Violence out of revenge has harmful effects on others. Mental illness can have substantial impacts on a person's well-being and emotions that cause them to act violently out of revenge. Revenge and violence reflect retaliation where people feel the need to seek some forms of hostile confrontations as a way of paying pack for some verbal or physical injuries afflicted upon them. To some larger extent, human beings are driven by the desire to revenge driven by anger and the urge to make others suffer. The passion of using violence for revenge could be strong and overwhelming among individuals who are driven by anger with others believing that it would make them transfer shame into pride. Acts of revenge and violence as depicted by the shooting incident in Minneapolis and the short stories by Faulkner and Edgar prove the extent to which individuals can go about executing revenge upon their friends, spouses, and fellow employees. Revenge in most cases is the form of justice that individuals decide to enact in the absence of the norms of formal law. The way to reduce sufferings as a result of revenge is to ensure that justice system is evolved in ways that assure victims of violence that their cases could be determined accordingly in ways that contain the human desire for revenge.
Works Cited
Bloom, Sandra. "Reflections on the Desire for Revenge." Journal of Emotional Abuse (2001): 61-94. Document.
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Logan: Perfection Learning Corporation, 1990. Print Book.
Kennedy-Kollar, Deniese. "Hegemonic Masculinity and Mass Murderers in the United States." The Southwest Journal of Criminal Justice (2014): 64-70. Document.
McKinney, Matt. "Accent Signage Systems Shooting: First Time fought for their Lives." Star Tribune 2 October 2012: 1. Document.
Poe, Edgar. The Cask of Amontillado. Loket: J & J Sobota Press, 2005. Print Book.
Ungar, Sheldon. "Moral panic versus the risk society: the implications of the changing sites of social anxiety." British Journal of Sociology (2001): 271–291. Document.
