‘If words can cause stress,’ she writes, ‘and if prolonged stress can cause physical harm, then it seems that speech – at least certain types of speech – can be a form of violence.’ Yet the logic of this reasoning would see all potential sources of stress as tantamount to violence, which could apply to just about anything. If I become anxious due to financial problems brought about by taxes on my income, and fall ill as a result, has the Government committed an act of violence against my person by means of taxation? Surely even the staunchest libertarian would regard this as wishful thinking.
