Justifying Peace

The social justice crowd seem to enjoy expressing themselves on their bumpers slightly more than the rest of us. I’m not sure to which stereotype this plays—poor, bohemian hippie who doesn’t have to worry about resale value (because the car had none originally), or rich, progressive snob who doesn’t have to worry about resale value (either because the BMW dealership takes them off when you trade it in, or because it saves the next owner the trouble of applying the stickers themselves). But I do know that it shows an appalling naivety. Let me explain.
Two bumper stickers I have seen read “No justice, no peace (know justice, know peace)” and “If you want peace, work for justice.” Of course, by justice, they mean social justice—personal justice (getting what we deserve) being something that creates more discontent than peace (because we all think we deserve better than we get). That is, if you want domestic harmony, redistribute resources to groups who have less (and want more).
One does not have to be a very good student of international relations to realize the futility of that tactic.

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