A friend to whom I have confessed violent revenge fantasies writes,

i have to ask you– wait a minute? you can’t understand the desire

to torture? what about all those things you’ve wanted to do to ______

My response to her:

i think that the desire to wound for revenge is very different from torture, which is done to show power and break the spirit of the tortured.

it seems to me a very clear distinction.

i can understand violence.

i can’t understand torture.

i’m not being ingenuous here.

i was just saying to gary last night that i never understood how children could torment each other the way they do [i was no angel as a child btw, but i am sure i was not cruel]. but i utterly comprehend the desire of the tortured to kick the asses of the torturers and make them cry out in pain.