Triggered

Drawn on September 19, 2024 | Published from Miami |

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Triggered

"If a man sets out to study all the laws, he will have no time left to transgress them." [1]

Goethe (1749-1832), maxim no.168, Maxims & Reflections, 1833.

Goethe’s fatalistic cynicism may target the excessive overpopulation of laws, but in practice, justice remains invisible in daily life — only revealing itself when broken. Each transgression not only violates the rules but forces their presence into view.

"We only know the law when people break it." [2]

Boris Vian (1920-1959), Cantilènes en gelée, 1949.

Vian’s aphorism underscores how this invisible scaffolding — dismissed by Goethe as a burden — shows its value when disrupted. Like the flash of a rifle fired in the dark, law becomes most noticeable when infracted upon.

A similar principle unfolds in modern US politics. The overuse of ‘witch-hunt’ rhetoric subdues its impact, as cries of injustice lose their punch when recklessly tossed around [more here]. While in special cases, 'weaponizing the justice system' may be cause for legitimate concern, amid all the huff and puff, the loudest cries for 'wolf' often come not from judges under fire, but from litigants erratically waving their accusations around like a loaded gun in the courtroom with their jittery fingers on the trigger.

When shots are fired too often, the sound loses its shock value — and all that remains are the noise complaints.

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[1] The Maxims And Reflections, by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe. (Translated 1906.) Bailey Saunders (no date) The Project Gutenberg eBook . Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33670/33670-h/33670-h.htm (Accessed: October 2024).

[2] Original French; "On ne connaît la loi que lorsque les gens l'enfreignent."

Vian, B. (1997) Cantilènes en gelée ; Barnum’s Digest ; Vingt poèmes inédits. Paris: Le Livre de Poche.