"We have been trained by a culture of violence and we are all agents of passive violence." (Bryant Mcgill)
A Culture of Violence
It is interesting that congressmen, senators, police officers, and other public officials are all echoing the same sentiments of, "I just don't know why these types of events keep happening?"
Events like 9/11, school shootings, the attack on the USS Liberty, and other violent happenings are just examples of the world wide culture of violence that is being promoted by most of the governments of the world.
Violence is often proposed as a substitute for diplomacy and compromise. Violence as a means of coercion is being used everyday world wide. By definition this is terrorism; using violence or violent acts to coerce populations into accepting the demands of radical actors or extremist governments.
When I see the main purveyors of violence saying that they don't know why violent acts keep happening, I am deeply troubled by their ignorance and lack of empathy. Violence is only 'natural' in a world that promotes it, not only as part of our culture but as an irreplaceable part, becoming what I call the 'Human Solution.'
In other words, the more we all condone violence and allow this culture to persist, the less human we all become. Until the day arrives when war is becomes normal and anything that was once human will be stripped away completely. Promoting and allowing violence in any form, is slowly tearing away what makes us all human: empathy.
Violence is cleverly normalized to adults and children. No it's not just video games, music, or violent sports like hockey or football that all subtly suggest to kids that violence is permissible in particular situations. It is in fact, a violent culture that suggest it is 'moral' and 'legal' to execute mentally disturbed people, poor people, and anyone looking 'threatening' because a inexperienced cop, thought that their well-being was in danger.
It is a violent culture that glorifies and romanticizes the 'gangster' life style, that is so popular today in America among young people. Hip-Hop music was originally an observation and criticism of the power structure that marginalized African-Americans to the fringes of US society. However, today most 'gangster' rap is not about what is wrong with having to live in ghettos, instead, it has become a tool used to imbue young mind's with violent perspectives, materialism, living lives of excess, and treating others with disrespect. Yet, this is just one aspect of our violent world culture.
However it is not just music, or video games, or sports that are the cause. These activities obviously normalize violence to young and influential minds. The acceptance of this normalization of violence by adults sets the key example for children who always look to their parents for approval. This is the main reason young children grow up with the perspective that violence is not only permissible, but is also an 'appropriate' response.
It is our world wide culture that condones violence in all it's various forms, subtle and overt. Violence such as; US forces illegally bombing civilians in other countries without authorization or a UN Mandate, cops gunning down pregnant women, and choking people to death. Saudi Arabian funded mercenaries such as Da'esh (ISIS) that were created to 'counter' Iranian-Shiite 'influence,' are chopping off heads and cannibalizing human hearts. In America young people are stabbing each other to death in the streets. All we need to do is, observe the world around us and we will see a world consumed by violence.
When the 'leader of the free world' snorts and puffs up, threatening to use his 'big stick' and exterminate an entire country with fire and fury, you can be sure that the US Government and it's 'democracy' are violent by design, as are most of the institutions that spring from it. This also includes the idea of Nationalism. I doubt we can 'undo' nationalism as we know it. However, we can and should, revise our violent interpretations of this idea for the greater good of all people.