Dear The Man: Don’t come between a Mayor and her Poor.

Can it ever be okay to punch a man—The Man—in the face? Video:

Just a few days ago, I re-posted an article by yours truly about the Buddhist concept of Four Karmas, which outlines a context within which violence can be appropriate.

And now, this (which, aside from being confusing, and awesome, does seem to put the lie to the notion that more women in positions of political power might equal less violence, world-wide):

Via the Daily What:

Fighting For The Poor of the Day: The mayor of Davao City, Philippines, has taken a five-day leave of absence after punching sheriff Abe Andres in the face for refusing to postpone the court-ordered demolition of a shanty town where some 217 families reside.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, whose city is still reeling from a deadly flashflood, had requested a two-hour delay to allow her to finish relief work for the needy families, but the demolition went ahead as scheduled. Upon confronting Andres, Duterte-Carpio lost her cool, striking the sheriff several times in sight of TV cameras.

Some in the Philippine Senate, including Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, believe Duterte-Carpio should be sanctioned for her actions, defending the sheriff as having no choice but to carry out the court order or risk being held in contempt. Others have expressed support for the mayor, saying her efforts to safeguard the poor were commendable. For her part, Duterte-Carpio called the incident “unfortunate” and “not my best moment.”

So the question remains: in defense, can violence ever be not only excusable but commendable? We all seem to rise up in our movie theater seats when nerdy Harry Potter starts looking fierce and fighting back. But aren’t we just watching a kid resort to aggression? Or is there some sort of something noble about seeing “good” get tough?