Violence Out of Control, and the Media Is Absent

If you spend enough time on Twitter, videos like this one abound. While some of it may be anecdotal and not necessarily indicative of an epidemic of violence happening across America, the fact remains that there are simply too many videos to account for, and the frequency of this happening is something that we should all be deeply concerned about.

Where does it end? And more importantly, why isn't this violence being called out? Where are the advocates against bullying? Why are we not looking for a link between this and other violent crimes and other things that happen in our society? And where is the media to report on these things when they happen? Where are the police to call for a stop to this sort of thing? Where are our other elected officials and the leaders in our communities?

The question is, what is the culture of this, and why does it seem so important for many people to simply want to brush it under the carpet and remain silent about it?

It's not the way it is supposed to be in America. 

Granted, one can easily make the argument it's always been the way things are since our very early beginnings. From the raucous nature of the Wild, Wild West to the days of Jim Crowe and racially motivated lynchings and other crimes of violence.

But shouldn't we have moved towards more civility by now? 

And it's not just videos like this of kids running rampant stomping on each other and smashing heads against asphalt. It's adults lashing out in violent and criminal ways toward fast food workers and customer service personnel, and even strangers on the streets.

The violence is everywhere and there seems to be no end in sight.

Beyond that, there's another element here that I think is important. There aren't guns being used in much of these violent videos. It's fists flying and hair pulling and head slamming and gut kicking happening in them.

Which begs one other question. Where is the media? Because more often than not these displays of violence receive no coverage at all. But with all of the shootings we get to hear about, it seems clear that these acts of violence pose a much greater threat to all of society than even the high number of shootings does.

It seems like it is a bigger problem. But the problem is, there are no politics to be entered into the equation here. Politics on gun control. Politics on race and oppression. Politics on police violence. And because there is no agenda here to push, the media chooses to remain silent. And so do the community leaders.

The question becomes, what do we do about it? How do we stop it? How do we figure out what's causing it? And do we actually want to stop it? 

It's maddening to see these videos day in and day out, and what makes it more maddening to watch is that we also know nothing is being done about what we see happening in them. It's maddening that people are turning a blind eye to a very real problem while only focusing on things that aren't the big problems we are led to believe are.

On top of that, it's frankly disheartening. Our kids are supposed to be our future. They are supposed to be the epitome of innocence. If this is what the future of what will become our new adults look like, I can't even imagine how much worse it will get.

Because these are also our future leaders.

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The Entire Country Seems to be in Chaos

It seems to be all over the country, and even spilling into other parts of the world. Shootings, violence, unrest, chaos, fighting, and just overall angry people. Police offer some help, but police are often targets in all of this as much as anyone is. And, police are not the "figures" they once were. They are not respected or even feared in situations of violence where they may otherwise provide some calm to things.

From schools to shopping malls and retail and grocery stores, to parades and festivals, inside of state fairs and during other events—you can't even call it a zoo anymore. Even zoos have much more order and calm than all of this that's going on.

It's also the level of anger that is increasingly alarming, and typically over things that would not normally cause anger at such levels. A simple overcooked hamburger or getting an order wrong at a fast-food restaurant could launch someone into a violent tirade, terrorizing other customers and staff in ways that are almost unimaginable.

It has simply gotten out of control and seems to be getting worse, and the question becomes why is it happening and how do we fix it? What's the solution to it all? How do we restore law and order at this point? How do we restore a sense of humanity and community? Where is all the anger coming from and why the intensity, especially over very small issues?

At some point it does have to end. Because if it doesn't and only gets worse, there may come a point where there is no going back to the way things were. Sometimes once a particular disease takes hold, there is no cure. There is only treatment for the symptoms.

There is one thought that I do have, and that's a political one. Unfortunately, it just is. We have been largely polarized as a people—and dare I say that's been something of a product of the democrat party and their constant campaign to divide people from all walks of life and pit them all against each other.

Whites vs. blacks, blacks vs. Asians, rich vs. poor, gay vs. straight, trans vs. binary. Everyone hates everyone.

And let's face it. Whites have become an extreme target as well. And white seems to check more boxes. Privileged. Rich. Part of the "establishment." Supremacists. Racists. And the list goes on.

The word entitlement comes to mind as well. Another culture bred from the democrat party over many years of so-called "advocating for the less fortunate." When you breed into the minds of people the idea that they are victims of everything, everything and everyone becomes an enemy. A target. And a reason to lash out.

A reason to be angry at the world and everyone and everything in it.

Whether it's about being underpaid or unappreciated—even if these things are just a perception—the culture of the idea has been firmly planted and is creating part of the chaos. You owe me something and therefore I have the right to demand this, that and the other thing. 

I made the comment more than once on social media like Twitter that listening to the democrat party anymore is like watching that now-famous episode of Oprah when she gave away those cars. "You are a victim, and you're a victim, and you're a victim. Everyone's a victim."

Rather than promote togetherness and strength through unification, targets are being promoted as something to lash back at and attack. 

You can't have a world like that and expect it to be peaceful. You can't live in a world like that and expect it to be successful. From employees not wanting to do the job they are asked to do, feeling entitled to simply take their money and run to people demanding reparations, tuitions to be paid, free healthcare and whatever else one can think of. Everyone feels entitled to something that frankly, they are not entitled to at all.

But that's been what's been infused into their mindsets. And there's no getting through anymore. There's no logical way to logically explain why they're wrong. 

As well, beyond what the democrats have done to incite all this unrest, it is also the breakdown of the American family that I think is fueling some of this. Kids are left without any real structure. They lack guidance and principled parenting. And in many inner cities especially, kids are taught victimhood like some kids in other circumstances might be taught to stay within the lines in a coloring book.

In many instances, the kids really don't have any parents at all.

Did some of this start with the doing away of corporal punishment? Another tenet of the democrat party and liberal ideology by the way. Did it start with "everyone gets a trophy?" Did it start with every normal childhood action being "treated" with a drug? 

Lack of fear of consequences is a very real thing in this country right now. But where did that come from?

I asked before, what's the solution? And I still want to know. Because right now the only thing being explored is the apparent cause, not the actual cause. Just like with the gun argument. Is it the gun? Or is it something else? I think it's something else, but few people want to explore what that something else is and simply want to address the weapon of expression rather than what weaponizes the expression.

It is a rather depressing time, if you ask me, watching what was once a great country falling on such hard times emotionally, mentally, as a culture, and getting worse day by day. When you lose your sense of personal pride, of patriotism, of unity, of opportunity—how do you get these things back? 

Because honestly, if you think about the struggles we have today, they pale in comparison to the struggles that our forefathers went through. Times were many times more difficult, many times more unfair, many times more trying than they are now. And yet, our unrest is as great as it has ever been as though our condition were much worse today than it was yesterday. Which is not true at all. We have it easier than we have ever had it. More people are free than were ever before. More opportunities exist than ever before. 

As a nation, we are so much more divided than we have ever been in our past history, and it is a deep-rooted problem without a solution right now. Not only is it depressing, I find it to be downright scary. Like watching someone die before your very eyes a slow and painful, cancer ridden death, I fear we are watching the death of our great nation in much the same way. The fear is whether or not the cancer has taken hold so badly that we can't stop what becomes the inevitable outcome.

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