On the Mindless Menace of Violence (1968)

This speech was given the day after the Martin Luther ing! "r#
assassination# $elivered at the %ity %lu& of %leveland! %leveland! Ohio!
'pril (! 1968#
The victi)s of the violence are &lac* and white! rich and poor! young
and old! fa)ous and un*nown# They are! )ost i)portant of all! hu)an
&eings who) other hu)an &eings loved and needed# +o one , no )atter
where he lives or what he does , can &e certain who will su-er fro)
so)e senseless act of &loodshed# 'nd yet it goes on and on and on in
this country of ours#
.hat has violence ever acco)plished/ .hat has it ever created/ +o
)artyr0s cause has ever &een stilled &y an assassin0s &ullet# +o wrongs
have ever &een righted &y riots and civil disorders# ' sniper is only a
coward! not a hero1 and an uncontrolled! uncontrolla&le )o& is only the
voice of )adness! not the voice of reason# .henever any ')erican0s life
is ta*en &y another ')erican unnecessarily , whether it is done in the
na)e of the law or in the de2ance of the law! &y one )an or a gang! in
cold &lood or in passion! in an attac* of violence or in response to
violence , whenever we tear at the fa&ric of the life which another )an
has painfully and clu)sily woven for hi)self and his children! the whole
nation is degraded#
3et we see)ingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our
co))on hu)anity and our clai)s to civili4ation ali*e# .e cal)ly accept
newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far,o- lands# .e glorify *illing
on )ovie and television screens and call it entertain)ent# .e )a*e it
easy for )en of all shades of sanity to ac5uire whatever weapons and
a))unition they desire#
Too often we honor swagger and &luster and wielders of force1 too
often we e6cuse those who are willing to &uild their own lives on the
shattered drea)s of others# 7o)e ')ericans who preach non,violence
a&road fail to practice it here at ho)e# 7o)e who accuse others of
inciting riots have &y their own conduct invited the)# 7o)e loo* for
scapegoats! others loo* for conspiracies! &ut this )uch is clear8 violence
&reeds violence! repression &rings retaliation! and only a cleansing of our
whole society can re)ove this sic*ness fro) our soul#
9or there is another *ind of violence! slower &ut :ust as deadly
destructive as the shot or the &o)& in the night# This is the violence of
institutions1 indi-erence and inaction and slow decay# This is the
violence that a;icts the poor! that poisons relations &etween )en
&ecause their s*in has di-erent colors# This is the slow destruction of a
child &y hunger! and schools without &oo*s and ho)es without heat in
the winter# This is the &rea*ing of a )an0s spirit &y denying hi) the
chance to stand as a father and as a )an a)ong other )en# 'nd this
too a;icts us all#
.hen you teach a )an to hate and fear his &rother! when you teach
that he is a lesser )an &ecause of his color or his &eliefs or the policies
he pursues! when you teach that those who di-er fro) you threaten
your freedo) or your :o& or your fa)ily! then you also learn to confront
others not as fellow citi4ens &ut as ene)ies! to &e )et not with
cooperation &ut with con5uest1 to &e su&:ugated and )astered# .e
learn! at the last! to loo* at our &rothers as aliens! )en with who) we
share a city! &ut not a co))unity1 )en &ound to us in co))on
dwelling! &ut not in co))on e-ort# .e learn to share only a co))on
fear! only a co))on desire to retreat fro) each other! only a co))on
i)pulse to )eet disagree)ent with force#
3et we *now what we )ust do# <t is to achieve true :ustice a)ong our
fellow citi4ens# The 5uestion is not what progra)s we should see* to
enact# The 5uestion is whether we can 2nd in our own )idst and in our
own hearts that leadership of hu)ane purpose that will recogni4e the
terri&le truths of our e6istence# .e )ust ad)it the vanity of our false
distinctions a)ong )en and learn to 2nd our own advance)ent in the
search for the advance)ent of others# .e )ust ad)it in ourselves that
our own children0s future cannot &e &uilt on the )isfortunes of others#
.e )ust recogni4e that this short life can neither &e enno&led or
enriched &y hatred or revenge#
Our lives on this planet are too short and the wor* to &e done too
great to let this spirit =ourish any longer in our land# Of course we
cannot van5uish it with a progra)! nor with a resolution# >ut we can
perhaps re)e)&er! if only for a ti)e! that those who live with us are our
&rothers! that they share with us the sa)e short )o)ent of life1 that
they see*! as do we! nothing &ut the chance to live out their lives in
purpose and in happiness! winning what satisfaction and ful2ll)ent they
can# 7urely! this &ond of co))on faith! this &ond of co))on goal! can
&egin to teach us so)ething# 7urely! we can learn! at least! to loo* at
those around us as fellow )en! and surely we can &egin to wor* a little
harder to &ind up the wounds a)ong us and to &eco)e in our own
hearts &rothers and country)en once again#
?o&ert 9rancis ennedy
7enator of the +ew 3or* 7tate1 @7'#