by Norman Halls, contributor
Washington: June 14, 2014 – Violence to harm someone is unacceptable in our society in this day and age.
“Political violence is a broad term used to describe violence perpetrated by either persons or governments to achieve political goals. Many groups and individuals believe that their political systems will never respond to their demands. As a result, they believe that violence is not only justified but also necessary in order to achieve their political objectives. Non-action on the part of the government can also be characterized as a form of political violence”. from Wikipedia “Understanding the promises and challenges of historical research on political violence and the process of history-writing has not always been a strength of theoretical literature on political violence. While the literature on civil wars has stronger traditions on studying historical events, terrorism studies, on the other hand, is famous for its excessive focus on current events. This means in effect that the views on the historical terrorist campaigns tend to be based on hopelessly outdated information”. Niall O Dochartaigh National University of Ireland, Galway.
“The extreme obsession with policing words and thoughts, the condescending and increasingly malicious double-standard of identity politics combined with the lack of genuine concern for those who had lost their communities and livelihoods in the push towards globalization were enough for me to steer clear” from Political Violence and Coming-of-Age for an American Student, by Jay Carnahan. “An outbreak of violence at a rally for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in San Jose, California on Thursday, June 3, 2016 touched off arguments about utility, legality, and moral rightness of political violence. My colleague Conor Friedersdorf argues that anti-Trump protesters should be “arrested, prosecuted, jailed, and broadly condemned” for their attacks, and his prescription to uphold our “civic responsibility to reject political violence” is for protesters to be peaceful, patient, and rise above the fray. That might work in theory, but what happens when the fray consumes the system?” by Stephen Lam / Reuters.
‘Violence is the result of a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors, especially those that increase exposure to vulnerability, shame, and humiliation. Preventing violence must involve the opposite: making sure people feel safe, cared about, and connected, while ensuring they have a healthy and realistic sense of self-esteem and self-worth” states Lisa Firestone, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist. She goes on to say “Someone’s behavior must be checked regarding their relationship and interactions with today’s happenings. It’s time we all take a moment and think about what I’m going to do. There are times when we all feel we need to be more assertive. Be cautious of anyone in a domestic, friendship or a person that has a change in their thinking and behavior. Changes in anyone’s thinking and emotions can be a liability. Try talking to them in a normal speaking and see if he/she will tell what’s bothering them. Changing someone’s thoughts can be all they need.” “Many of them stay silent about it, even when they recognize that there is a problem, because they know that something doesn’t feel right, but they aren’t always sure what to do about it” commented Dr. Christine Sata.
“As political passions and political polarization continue to rise, intimidation and physical violence seem to be becoming more common as a part of our political life,” writes social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. He referred primarily to the conflict on college campuses, but also referenced the growing strife between ideological tribes in the world outside among “extremists on the right, as well as the left.” The political polarization to which Haidt refers plays a growing role in American life and politics, and lies at the heart of the nastiness. Lifestyle increasingly correlates to political views, meaning where we live and how we live are, for many Americans, closely connected to our policy preferences. This disagreement that we all have in politics will always be there. We have to learn to live with it. There are certain things we can’t control. “The threat of violence, and the occasional outbreak of real violence – which gives the threat credibility – are essential elements in peaceful social change not only international, but also in national communities” Said H. L. Nieburg in The Threat of Violence and Social Change.
The violence we have seen at Sandy Hook, Orlando Nightclub, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and in the UK and Europe and at many other instances – MUST STOP! The threats of violence has imposed instability in life. We must not recognize it as a right of self-defense, individually or in mass. “Violence has always been a part of the human condition because of our sin nature. But modern families are exposed to even more violence than previous generations because of the media. Any night of the week, the average viewer can see levels of violence approaching and even exceeding any program, games or news”. Comments Kerby Anderson from Violence in Society.
If the increasing dominance of violence is making it more difficult, we should be concerned. I’ve been writing for a while now that our political leaders have an agenda, and that one party is not hearing us. Instead of sticks and stones, write to the Chairman of the Committee that opposes what you want and give him/her your opinion.
“When will we ever learn?”
