Political Violence

“The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world” (Arendt pg 80). Violence is contagious, like a disease, which will destroy nations and our morals as human beings. Each individual has his or her own definition of violence and when it is acceptable or ethical to use it. Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Arendt are among the many that wrote about the different facets of violence, in what cases it is ethical, the role we as individuals play in this violent society and the political aspects behind our violence.

For as long as humanity has existed, men have committed violence against one another. Assuredly, Nancy G. Guerra’s and Lyndee Knox’s entry on violence in the Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice affirms that, “As historical and cross-cultural records demonstrate, our evolutionary history is laced with examples of violence. Indeed, paleontological data reveal a rather continuous stream of human violence dating back thousands of years.” It is clear that violence is a part of human nature that has always existed and will likely never be eradicated. One of the aspects that all forms of violence seem to share is that, societally (in terms, at the very least, of Western societies), they are looked down upon. Consequentially, those who commit violent

Subcultures of violence are mostly described by its norms, identifiable values or shared views for their communication which orders the use of violence in various circumstances. Subcultures are not entirely different from a larger culture to which they’re surrounded. On the other hand, the subcultural supporters contribute many social beliefs of the dominant culture and observe a separate set of principles and ideals that are not overlooked by the larger class of society. Observing to the beliefs of a subculture of violence or the use of violence in a particular situation isn’t just to tolerate it, but to expect it. This expectation promotes an ideal behavior, meaning that opposing agreements can occur if violence isn’t used in a situation for which subcultural rules request it.

David Nirenberg talks about two types of violence, “cataclysmic violence” and “systematic violence”. The first part of the book discusses “cataclysmic” violence, while the second part of the book focuses on “systematic violence.”

In this TEDTalk, Steven Pinker introduced an interesting trend in societal violence. The talk began by presenting fax that showed a dramatic decrease in the amount of violent crime beginning as far back as the earliest human hunter-gatherers. In many places during that time period, the chances of dying at the hands of another human were as high is sixty percent. Although the media and people tend to believe we are living in a time of extreme violence, we are actually living during one of the most peaceful times in human history. Even though the 20th Century witnessed tragedies such as the Holocaust, Rwanda, Stalin’s mass executions, and two World Wars, the chances of a human by violent means was less than three percent.

In 2016, “there were an estimated 17,250 murders in the U.S…”(www.fbi.gov) This alarmingly large number is a product of violence. Throughout history, violence was used to dispute arguments over land and religions. Our careless use of violence through history is damaging to all people. The use of violence is demonstrated in the book, The Outsiders.

The history of humanity is written in blood. Even as violence as a whole is decreasing, acts of extreme violence continue to be perpetrated. To be clear, this essay is not about individuals violent and cold at their core. Such people are readily understood within the image of a lone, antisocial killer set apart from humanity by their very lacking of it. This essay is about violence conducted on a scale that can only be enabled by the participation of people who, under normal circumstances, would not act violent. The puzzle of how and why genocides, apartheid, state brutality, torture, and mob killings are perpetrated by ordinary people points to psychosocial mechanisms as their cause. Ordinarily non-violent people commit extreme violence

In the next lecture, Allan Wade immerses into how people react and resist violence, why it is significant to understand it and what difference it can make. In addition, Mr. Wade asserts that the details are essential in all contexts in order to get a tangible image of how human beings respond to violence. Several of the examples he presents later comes from his own experiences as a therapist.

Social Commentary regarding the use of violence to achieve goals is very relevant in today’s time. With the exception that it isn’t

Social Commentary regarding the use of violence to achieve goals is very relevant in today’s time. With the exception that it isn’t

Shockingly, more than 700 million people across the world are illiterate, perceiving literacy as a luxury. Canada’s rate is one of the highest in the world; it is the 97-99%, which is exemplary thanks to the provided education. The two countries, on the other hand, do not have high literacy rates. India currently stands with the largest illiterate population with only 72.23% because thousands are young and poor parents who must raise their families by working for or nurturing them. Likewise, Nicaraguan people also focus on labor and earning money rather than receiving an education.

Though the Taliban and Russians are responsible for a large portion of the violence, the major causes of the violence is what starts everything. In this case a political change can spark a major fire that had been smoldering for many and many of years. “The street toward war started in 1973 when Mohammed

With time violence may become such a commonplace that even seemingly sane people will see no problem murdering a store clerk, opening fire on someone that cut them off on the highway, or killing a disobedient child. "A society that chooses violent death as a solution to a social problem gives official sanction to a climate of violence." (Prejean, 57)

The history of human nature has been bloody, painful, and even destructive. Nonetheless, before understanding their environments humans used to kill each other based on their own mindset on the ideal of violence, and what it actually meant. Pinker describes narratives of violent acts from the past, that today are foreign to us. He gives us a tour of the historical human violence and how the violence in human nature has changed throughout time. The main idea from Pinker’s book,“The Better Angels of Our Nature ', is “for all the dangers we face today, the dangers of yesterday were even worse.” He provides its readers with explicit violent stories beginning from 8000 BCE to now, and describes how violence has evolved from a blood lost to more of a peaceful existence.

Violence is something that will always be there, whether it be right up in your face, on a battlefield, or creeping in the darkness, sowing the seeds of despair and resentment in humanity’s hearts, forever changing the landscape of your life to come. Violence has vigorously torn apart relationships that have lasted centuries, all because of a single gunshot, which has led to massive bloodshed, and the loss of many loved ones. Violence is a part of a cycle that is necessary in life, but would rather be avoided, which is why I am here, to help diminish that cycle of hatred, through the power of prevention through education, and self control.