Political Violence in America

... Leans to the Right

The United States is an outlier among industrialized nations, with violence rates that are often five to ten times those of its counterparts.  Political violence is now becoming an increasing problem, pointing to a breakdown of democracy, if democracy is to be defined as peaceful resolution of conflicts—including peaceful transfer of power.

Violence is learned behavior that increases when it is normalized. While a great number of Republican candidates are blaming Democratic elected officials for surges in violence, only one of the two parties drastically increases it.  Forty percent of Republicans said violence against the government can be justified, compared with only 23 percent of Democrats.  Since September 11, 2001, far-right terrorists killed 122 people in the United States, compared with only one that far-leftists killed.  Since 2015, right-wing extremists were involved in 267 plots or attacks, compared with 66 for left-wing extremists.

This is consistent with a 2014 study we did showing that, for over a century, whenever Republicans gained the presidency, the country repeatedly suffered from epidemics of violent death.  When Democrats governed, these levels dramatically diminished, even after controlling for unemployment, recessions, and poverty, but with a two-year lag.  Because of this two-year lag, and largely alternating parties in power, over time Democrats received the blame for the violence Republicans set in motion, while Republicans benefited from the reductions Democrats effectuated.

This is what we meant in 2017 about the public health dangers of Donald Trump, whose rhetoric has unleashed a new culture of violence. Since his election, threats against members of Congress have gone up more than tenfold, to 9,625 last year, and political violence is not only normalized, but exalted.

Awareness reduces violence. Denial and projection are the opposite of awareness. Understanding where violence originates helps to prevent it.