Quote Originally Posted by tropicalbreeze View Post
i never classified anyone as a "violent person." but at the same time you can't really say "you are not violent at all," otherwise there will be no question of using violence.
If he's not "not violent at all" then what would that make him? At least a little bit violent. And he is a person, no? So it seems you are calling him at least "a person who is at least a little bit violent".

A person who's "not violent at all" can still commit violence, because there is a difference between a violent act and a violent person. A violent act is just an act with force behind it that can do bodily harm. A violent person is someone who commits such acts with excess, and for whom violence is a fundamental part of their existence. It's a description of their psyche and personality more than it is of their history. When used to describe a person, any other adjective has the same difference in meaning and scope compared to when it is used to describe an act. A person doesn't become "a little bit peaceful" for not swatting a fly after a life of murdering people for fun. And a person doesn't become "a little bit violent" for defending someone with violence after a life of volunteering at the animal shelter and knitting clothes for poor kids.