The line between a normal, functioning society and catastrophic destruction can be crossed with a single mayhem. Thus, for those who study violence closely, The brazen murder of a CEO in Midtown Manhattan, and more importantly, The brazenness of the cheering reaction to his execution It is a blinking and loud warning sign for society. The injuries were beyond bloodshed and the conditions worsened.
in the past few days Journalists and other observers has been working to uncover the motives of the accused murderers. This is a worthwhile exercise when trying to understand a single shocking event. But when trying to understand how cruelty spreads throughout society, Studying an individual’s ideology can only get you so far. When the violence intensifies It tends to attract and intimidate people of all ideologies. Therefore, if in the initial stages of increased violence Law enforcement can clearly see that a more serious threat comes from right-wing extremist groups. This is the case in the United States. In the past few years due to the prevalence of violence the politics of those Whoever turns to use it will become more messy. This is partly because periods of increased violence often coincide with general social and political reordering. This was a time when party or group identities were in flux, as they are in America right now. As I wrote for this magazine Outbursts of violence do not necessarily involve a clear or consistent ideology. And it often borrows from many other phenomena, a phenomenon that law enforcement agencies refer to as “Salad Bar Extremism”
We already understand many of the conditions that make societies vulnerable to violence. And we know that those conditions exist today. Just as it happened in the Gilded Age: visible wealth inequality. Declining trust in democratic institutions Increased feelings of victimization The intense discord among parties based on identity. rapid demographic change Thriving conspiracy theories Harsh and dehumanizing rhetoric towards the “other” radically divides voters. and the belief among those who flirt with violence that they can get away with it. These conditions are counterproductive to being active. civilizationIn general, people’s worldviews become more neutral. more empirical and have less fear or emotion
One way to understand where a society is headed—towards or away from chaos—is to study the broad spectrum of emotions and attitudes toward violence. Medieval Europe, for example, was famously brutal. As the German sociologist Norbert Elias wrote in his 1939 book: civilization processImpulse control is virtually non-existent and violence is everywhere. But when communities began to reward individuals for proper manners Adherence necessary for entry into the most desirable strata of society. This new motivation for self-restraint leads to a much greater sense of peace.
The push towards cooperative nonviolence comes naturally, with people’s “increasingly animalistic activities,” as Elias puts it. has taken a backseat to the premium they place on the social life of their communities. This shift in priorities necessitates and ensures continued self-regulation among individuals throughout society. “It’s simple enough: plan and action. The emotional and rational impulses of the individual. Constantly intermingling in friendly or unfriendly ways,” Elias writes, “this basic tissue is the result of single plans and actions. The multitude of human beings can bring about changes and forms that no single individual could have planned or created.” and “It is a sequence of combinations of human impulses and endeavors. this social order It determines the course of historical change.” Often, when people choose violence, Maybe it’s because they believe this is the only way. It is a last resort in times of despair. And they believe they can get away with it.
Throughout the centuries mankind have more civilized Most have drifted away from violent conflict resolution. And to be clear, I mean “civilized” in the spirit of Elias’s definition. It is a process in which violence is transformed into the state, and “destruction” suggests conditions in which it reverts to the individual. Today, most Americans enjoy an exceptionally peaceful state of everyday life. But it is clear that the violence has never abated. And progress is uneven. Elias’ interest in violence arose from his experiences escaping Nazi Germany. And it is a fantasy to believe that a progressive democracy like ours It is naturally protected from extremism. Democracy can survive on its own. But it is also extremely fragile. complex society and especially democratic countries that have gone backwards It is often the most violent society in the world. (As writer Rachel Kleinfeld points out in her book cruel commandMexico had more violent deaths from 2007 to 2014 than the combined civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan during that same period).
The recent bloodshed This is nothing new for America. Even though they’re close But this is still an obviously unstable time. In addition to the layers of social conditions that make us especially prone to political violence, The Machiavellianism of contemporary politics has fueled both the nihilism of those who believe violence is the only answer and the erasure of its recent history of violence. This is how society has gotten to the point where people celebrate it. The open death of a stranger who was murdered on the street. And this is how the Jan. 6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol built. Protected by lawmakers as political prisoners It matters when people overlook and justify violence. In any form Either by altering history to say something violent isn’t so bad. or by justifying the murder because of moral failings in the victim’s career. When increased tolerance for bloodshed spreads to complete indifference for—and even clamor for—the death of one’s political enemies, civil society is in deep trouble.
My colleague Graeme Wood which spends much of its time studying people and societies that resort to violence. It has made a case for greater levels of dissatisfaction about political violence in America. Considering the plight of many other countries in Latin America, Wood wrote earlier this year: “Violence has reached such a level that even a successful assassination is hardly newsworthy.” The point is, you can’t fully understand the extent to which a society is victimized by violence by counting individual attacks or Poe. Bizarre social media posts You have to evaluate the entire culture and its direction over time. Society’s tendency to violence may continue to increase. Even though life is still normal for most people. The drumbeat of attacks by groups or individuals with different motivations. This can be considered a different type of problem. But try looking broadly. And you will find that they all point to the same diagnosis: our social bonds are breaking down.
Another word for this is unwinding. destruction– The more society continues on this path, The fewer behavioral options people identify as possible responses to frustration, the fewer behavioral options people identify as possible responses to frustration. When every conflict becomes zero sum and no one is willing to compromise. Violence will attract more people. and when violence is widespread States may increase their own use of violence. Including serious attacks on civil liberties.
The barriers that separate a functioning society from chaos are always more fragile than we like to admit. It only took a little time for the peace to break, for the crowd to gather, for the man to kill his brother. In a society as dedicated to freedom as we are, The power of the people is not only the first principle. But it is also a promise to each other. And most importantly, it is a protection against centralized power and state violence used against the people.
In the weeks since the election there has been sharp division. Ahead of his return to power, the president promised to unleash a wave of state violence and seek revenge on his enemies. Americans have a choice to build the kind of society we are building, together. After all, Civilization is a question of how people choose to bond with each other. and what behaviors we deem acceptable among ourselves.
You can’t fix a violent society just by eliminating the factors that cause it to deteriorate. In other broken societies, violence acts as a catalyst. This makes all the conditions that lead to violence worse in the first place. The process of civilizational destruction can begin with a deep distrust of government institutions and leaders. But that distrust is even worse in societies where people are violent towards each other. There is no shortcut to a strong democracy. But one way to prevent the worst is to force change only through a process that does not lead to bloodshed. and reject anyone It doesn’t matter if that person is sitting in the White House or standing on the street. Those who will choose or justify violence against people.
