I dunno the answer to that, Nicole. If the lizard brain is a given in the human condition, as it appears, and it emerges in full flaming brute force when called upon by threat, fear, guilt, near-miss challenges to survival, pain and other low-grade-stimuli, then it seems clear that at some level the maintenance of force in human affairs is going to be a constant until we learn to defuse that sucker with harmonic sound vibes. Now there's a weapon of mass distraction for ya!! Flood the battlefield with the sonic precursors of truth and beauty and they'll just lie down and smile. Sonic soma -- the path to benevolence for all humanity! Some day, maybe. I don't think I'd vote for it though.

There are other ways to administer control other than violence, of course, and of those the best is obviously free consent and persuasion through dialogue. When that fails, though, you are still faced with the problem of having to do what you can, no?

I think it could be argued that the force we exercised against the Luftwaffe and the troops of the Third Reich actually did a lot to improve things in Europe over the long term. Extreme measures, yes; but order -- of a sort -- was restored.

Demonizing groups and categories is a tad insane, usually; it requires the intentional suspension of discrimination. It is typically the resort of those who feel threatened, not by immediate facts but by the long-past traumas that the present reminds them of. There have been numerous instances of Iraqi soldiers showing up to surrender and having civilized friendly dialogues with individual US soldiers -- but that sort of thing occurs only between individuals. IMHO there is no remedy in the world against sweeping deminization that can hold a candle to simple person-to-person communication.

These are just reflections; I don't have the answer.

A