An interesting opinion piece.

I have this theory, growing up in Brooklyn, about street violence.

Let's say 5 people jump one guy and beat him badly - for something relatively insignificant, as most street violence usually is.

The guy who got his ass handed to him will inevitably return for revenge with 10 people. The original 5 take a good whuppin'. Then the original 5 go get 25 people to whack the original guy's group of 10... and so on, and so on.

Either that, or they start showing up with bats, pipes, guns... or both.

Apparently, researchers figured out that we're hard-wired for escalation in retaliation.

This does NOT make it a good thing. All it does mean is that we, as individuals, families, groups, nations, must do our part in exercising restraint in retaliation.

Somehow, somewhere, I hope Israeli PM Olmert is catching this story. I'd say I hope Bush sees it, but we know he doesn't read the papers - certainly not the New York Times, in any case.

-R.