No, America … Violence IS NOT The Answer!!!

Posted on by under guns, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Last month, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in partnership with Brookings Institute published their annual “American Values Survey”.  It covers a number of interesting topics, but the one that made me sit up and take notice was a question they began including in their survey in March 2021, two months after the January 6th violent attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol.  People were asked to either agree or disagree with this statement …

“Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”

Now, back in March 2021, some 15% overall agreed with that statement.  I found that appalling, but the latest survey is even more so, for in the one just released last month, that number has risen from 15% to 23%!  Nearly one-fourth of people in this country think that violence is an acceptable means for solving the nation’s problems!  Couple this with the fact that there are more guns than people in the country, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

So, I guess this explains the way certain members of Congress have been acting of late, with one very nearly coming to blows, and another punching a fellow representative in the back.  Their constituents have told them that if it takes violence to make your point, then yeah, go for it.

I think it’s time for a reset, my friends.  Time to step back from the partisanship that is so deeply dividing us that we’d rather fight than meet halfway, time to step back, take a deep breath and try to remember what, exactly, this nation stands for.  It does NOT, contrary to what one of the two political parties seems to believe, stand for white supremacy, for wealth, for male dominance, for bigotry, for violence.  I have long believed and been taught that the nation stands for equality for everyone regardless of gender, skin colour, ethnicity, religion, or other criteria.  It stands for welcoming people from other nations, opening our doors of opportunity to any in need.  At no point in my 72 years have I thought for a single minute that violence was the way to solve a problem.

The PRRI survey covers much more, and I will likely delve into more of it in the coming days/weeks, but for now I just wanted to draw your attention to this surge in the belief that our situation today justifies violence as a solution.  Frankly, I believe that is the exact antithesis of a solution to our problems and will only add more problems to the ones we already have!

This chart breaks down the responses by political and religious affiliations …

And add that to the rise in gun deaths even as of two years ago …

But now that we understand there’s a problem, the question becomes … how do we fix it?  How do we calm the waters, make people understand that nothing has ever been solved by violence, and convince our legislators to enact gun legislation to do everything in their power to significantly reduce the number of guns in the hands of civilians?  What we’ve been doing so far sure as hell isn’t working!  Maybe there just aren’t enough of us doing such things as voting out the radicals and letting our elected officials know our views on guns.  Or perhaps … there aren’t enough of us who are aware and who care?  And maybe that’s where people like us, bloggers with small voices, come in.  Maybe our collective small voices eventually do make a difference, prick some consciences, make people stop and think.  I don’t know … just throwing that out as food for thought.

Discover more from Filosofa's Word

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

20 thoughts on “No, America … Violence IS NOT The Answer!!!”

  1. I agree that nearly a quarter may sound a lot, but as Rawgod mentions, 77 % do NOT believe in violence. I wonder if these 23 % wish to use violence not to save the country, but to press their own ideas on others, have it their way and to hell with the others.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I think more than the 23% number, what concerned me most was the rise in the acceptance of violence as a means to an end. What if, in another two years, that number jumps to 45%? And in another two years to over half? We’re heading in the wrong direction and I just hope we can work together to find a way to turn this around, to resolve our problems in more peaceful ways. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. You ask … “How do we calm the waters, make people understand …”

    So long as this country has an individual proclaiming and promoting retribution for any and all “hurts” inflicted upon them, there will be no calming of the waters.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Well … in one sense, you’re right, but … that “individual” has opened doors that it may be damn near impossible to close again, even when he is naught but a bad memory. There will be others, and more people will be convinced that violence and guns are better than diplomacy and compromise. We really must … MUST find a way to nip this in the bud before it grows out of control.

      Like

  4. Maybe just maybe, reverse those numbers. 77% of respondees do not believe in using violence to solve their problems.
    I admit the numbers you quote are scary dangerous, but one problem could be in how the question is worded, another could be what is happening in life when people are asked the question, and a third is who are the people being asked. No survey is perfect, and surveys can be biased by asking people in certain areas for their opinions. Further, who chooses to answer these surveys? Angry people will answer surveys more than calm people will — angry people are more prone to using violence.
    How were these surveys administered? Did they interrupt people in their lives, or were the respondents able to answer the questions at a time of their choosing? There are so many factors I really have little use for surveys of any kind.
    But no mstter what the real numbers are, looking from outside, Americans are overall a violent people compwred to a lot of nations. I am glad I was not born there.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Exactly, RG. Many times the answers are due to pushing, or unclear/ambiguous questions. Also, unless every one of us in the US was asked that question, the numbers apply only to those who were asked, and the percentages are actually smaller when truly applied to “the American people” as a whole.

      Liked by 2 people

    • You make some really good points, rg! Yes, the wording of the question can have an effect on the answers, and for sure the target group that was surveyed makes a difference. I’m still puzzled and appalled that 23% of ANY group would condone violence as a means of solving problems, but you have given me some pause to think, too. I just always come back to the gun culture in this nation … the fact that people will shoot someone rather than try to reason with them, rather than try to find other solutions. I don’t blame you for being glad you weren’t born here. For the past decade or so, I’ve wished I hadn’t been born here. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Pingback: No, America … Violence IS NOT The Answer!!! | Filosofa’s Word | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  7. Like you I abhor violence and don’t see it as a solution. But, when they say it’s the last resort, it is still a resort and maybe we’ve reached that point where all the things the Republicans say they fear should start to happen. maybe there should be a purge of weapons in private hands. Perhaps it’s time to remove Freedom of Speech or at least make anything inflamatory said, instantly punishable by very heavy fines and/or imprisonment. Any so called fact made about others must be easily proveable and must be proved in a court of law. Hate marches must be banned completely as must any sign of discrimination, especially where hiding behind religious differences is given as a reason. ie. refusal to make a wedding cake for a gay marriage by a business that makes wedding cakes. Maybe it’s time to round up all those who promote Hate and stick them all in the concentration camps the Republicans are threatening to create when they return to power. Time to use some of threir own tactics against them. Maybe the Judiciary should be made(forced) to follow a set of ethics and the House od Representitives should be dissolved and members suspended without pay until they agree to do their jobs properly. During which time a set of ethics coul be created which outlaw bribery. Do the job you’re paid to do by the people with no other employer. That would at least be a start. Cwtch.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Sigh. And what you describe sounds just like the autocracy that we fear another Trump presidency would bring, except his would target any who oppose him in any way. I do agree with some of your ideas, such as suspending congressional salaries until they start actually DOING the job we pay them for, and enforced ethics upon the judicial branch. And you know I would support a full ban on all firearms in the hands of civilians. But when we start thinking/talking about taking away freedom of speech, rounding people up and putting them in concentration camps, then it moves right into visions of Nazi Germany and … I couldn’t ever live in a country like that. Then again … if people in this country don’t wake up soon, don’t begin to understand the ramifications of re-electing a hardened criminal with an ego the size of Canada, then that’s exactly where we will be two years from now. Sigh. The key is educating the voters in the coming year, but I just don’t know how to penetrate the fog that seems to surround their brains. Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.