Causes of Violence
Written By: Erin Stenson
DISCLAIMER: This is opinion influenced, but still rooted in fact.
In recent years, violence has increased in the U.S., because of many factors. To start, being under influence is always a possibility. Alcohol is known to be expensive, but the Institute of Alcohol Studies finds that in conjunction with average yearly wage, alcohol was 63% more affordable in 2015 than it was in 1980. People who are under the influence of alcohol can be prone to harsh and violent actions, so this increase in affordability could be increasing violence in those who can now buy more alcohol.
Similarly, weapons have increased in availability as well. Guns are incredibly easy to get in some areas, and, are getting more powerful by the day. Even then, guns aren’t the only weapons you can buy in stores. The pure abundance of weapons makes it easier for someone to buy one with the intention to commit an act of violence or use it criminally in the future.
Social media is also a huge influencer. A common trait among those who commit large acts of violence is a desire for attention or belief that they deserve more and are better than others. This is stated in many reports, including the FBI report: “The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective” written after the Columbine high school shooting. Social media provides a very large platform to gain attention, and one of the best ways to do so is by making the news. Someone might engage in a violent act because they want the press, even if it’s bad.
People often use violence to portray their stance on certain topics, such as just mentioned. If people live under laws or government they don’t agree with, revolt and violence are bound to occur. This happens daily in countries worldwide. This also happens because of oppression.
Gentrification can be a motivation for some people to commit violent acts. To people who lived in that area previously, who were already struggling to live, they now have nothing and have been kicked out of the place they called home. Many in this situation view themselves as out of options and turn to violence as a way to try and get things changed. This happens even more so as of late, as racial issues are more commonly talked about, and many of gentrification projects occur in minority-occupying areas, making the gentrification issue into an issue of minority oppression as well.
Crime and violence are also affected by the rule of the government. If a nation has horrible crimes happening, hate crimes, for example, and the leader of the nation doesn’t show disapproval towards the crimes, then those who committed them are only encouraged to continue that violent behavior.
The way we define violence is also a factor in crime increase. In a situation like gentrification or another type of issue where a protest is involved, the way many people protest is considered a crime. Common protests today, like rallies and holding up signs outside of business and such, are often considered illegal because they happen to fall under that area’s government’s definition of violence. However, the issue with this is that the way “protesting” can be legal is often in a way that is ignored, and when not ignored, benefits the oppressor.
Essentially, what this means is that in situations like a protest, it can be called a “crime” when it’s majorly considered otherwise. Crime statistics could be including things like peaceful protests in their numbers because the definition of “violence” and “crime” in that area includes it, even if you don’t expect it too.
Another factor to consider is the culture of the time we live in. Everyone alive today is direct ascendants of those who lived in the 20th century, the most violent century to date. It was covered by war, which affected every single living person. This affected their values and the way they lived, which they then taught the next generation and passed down until even now. Those aggressions about the war and the effects haven’t died out yet and still live in the impressions of people’s childhoods.
Things like war also induce strong emotions and psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety. There was an influx of mental illness in those who went to war or were affected by war, and this occurs after every major act of violence in the world. It’s commonly known that emotional disorders can sometimes affect one’s rationality and one’s emotions, often making them easily susceptible to anger. This “piling up” ultimately makes people more violent.
In the same vein, there is a wide range of studies that are researching the impact of trauma on DNA. The idea is that trauma can be passed down to the next generation, making them grow up dealing with a trauma they can’t even identify, worsening mental illness, and, in some cases, violent tendencies.
Putting aside all of this, violence may not have increased locally to the extent that the news and crime statistics implies.
A large percentage of main news stations and reporters are in big cities like Chicago and New York. These cities have had a severe increase in violence over the last fifty years due to their population, which impacts the way stories by reporters in those areas are written, as well as the type of information we hear. 80% of people in the United States also now live in suburban communities, where violence is less common. When children grow up and move to bigger areas, they feel as if violence has increased locally, when it really has stayed the same, since they simply aren’t used to those levels of violence.
On the other hand, violence might be much worse than we ever thought. Online there are constantly posts about violent world events not being talked about in the news. In the example of the U.S., the majority of news reports seen are about American events and don’t include some global issues. This is also the case in many other places, meaning no one is seeing the full scope of global violence. It could be much worse than anyone thinks.
Overall, there are many influences to why violence has increased recently. There are many generational factors that have increased it, but also many perspective factors that suggest it’s really not as bad as we think it is.
Either way, it’s obvious that violence has increased to some extent, and hopefully, the factors that contribute to violence will be battled in the coming years.
Sources
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/stats-services-publications-school-shooter-school-shooter/view
https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/american-organized-crime-of-the-1920s.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5977074/
https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/04/26/school-culture-impacts-student-violence/54129.html
