We live in an era of increasing violence world-wide that requires a coordinated global response.

Begin with the ultimate mass violent event — a nuclear bombing. This threat requires immense technological capabilities together with specific nuclear resources to make a device that can’t be done by a few individuals. The U.S. is the only nation that has demonstrated using such devices on other nations, which happened 80 years ago in Japan. Today some nine nations have this capability. More countries want to acquire such a planetary destructive force in the hopes that having such power would deter a strike on them. This global Armageddon’s consequence would make the climate catastrophe seem like a picnic. The current U.S. President, having dubious responsibility, could begin the final battle.

Since the Roman times violence has been entertaining for the citizens with its gladiator fights, often to death, occurring in coliseums around the empire. As then these clashes remain exciting today to divert our attention from those with great power.

What forms of mass violence are happening world-wide? Consider mass shootings (4 or more victims per event), terrorist attacks, and suicide bombings. What drives such activity?

In the U.S. there are more mass shootings where there is high income inequality as well as the presence of high incomes. The media never report such a reason.

Today’s immense increase in income and wealth inequality creates status anxiety and perceived humiliation, especially among those residing in rich nations. The stress of being at the lower end of a hierarchical society produces a sense that someone (you) has been wronged and that needs to be redressed. Worldwide close to half of adults experience significant stress daily which is much higher than pre-2020. Despite all the readily available technologies to make life easier we are suffering more tension, worry and anxiety for which many responses may not be healthy.

Power plays into this as exemplified by road rage where the driver believes he’s in control and invulnerable. Other examples include cyberbullying, where frustrated people try to gain redress. We live in an age of rage. Also, just look at Gaza.

The rule of law is being blatantly neglected at the U.S. federal level so that trying to redress a violent situation you may have suffered legally can seem futile. Consider the murders being regularly perpetrated by the U.S. Executive branch in the Caribbean. Violence against American prominent individuals is condoned by President Trump making it a valid response.

Increasing isolation has resulted from rising fear driven by social media where anonymous hateful responses take place, often citing lies and violently extreme ideas. Social capital has declined. There are fewer meetings held by various groups in physical gatherings. They have been replaced by virtual gatherings using Zoom and others. With less face-to-face connection more frequent misunderstandings can lead to violent redress and blind following.

The media highlight violent events and present how-to-do -it instructions as they sensationalize vicious stories first. If an event bleeds then it leads the news. One can’t avoid being unaware of such incidents. By comparison structural violence or social murder does not create headlines. An example, which nobody reports, is that 40+ children under age 5 die every day in the U.S. that wouldn’t if the nation had the death rate of Slovenia, our First Lady’s country of birth. Violence against children is the largest contributor to their poor scores. This is mass violence on an unimaginable scale of which we are unaware.

To put this daily child death toll in perspective, about 100 deaths of U.S. children are prevented every year by the use of car seats. This is less than one death every three days. I mention this because when my wife and I picked up our almost three year old grandchild with his mother at the airport the ritual of getting the restraining car seat in place was an absolute necessity. But the daily child death roll does not make the news.

Our media show videos of shooters captured by surveillance devices that are then widely broadcast. The media names perpetrators that may lead to copycat effects, so shootings may cluster. The perpetrator might gain resulting fame or notoriety to make him feel he has accomplished something notable. These tragedies typically kill only a handful in a single event which pales by comparison to the more than 40 unnecessary children’s deaths a day.

The internet makes violence culturally transmissible. A violent event will become ‘viral’ much faster than a good deed. The episode diffuses into various extremist ideologies such as antisemitism, misogyny, and Islamophobia and even white racism. As well, younger generations are more likely to be affected leading to GenZ revolutions in places like Nepal and Kenya.

The Roman maxim was “let them hate so long as they fear.” As FDR said “we have nothing to fear than fear itself.” Today, imminent power and profit await those who scare-monger us to then sell symbolic products such as security devices (alarms, surveillance devices), and firearms, especially in the U.S. The U.S. has more mass shootings and other such violence with higher lethality, or severity, per event especially with the easily available high-capacity, rapid-fire firearms such as the AR-15. There are more guns in the hands of civilians than in the military. The purchase of bullet-proof backpacks for students to take to schools have become consumer favorites in America as sales skyrocket.

Some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, have responded by changing and fine tuning policy on gun availability to decrease such events. They limit gun availability and have gun buyback schemes. Don’t expect this in the U.S. as too many individuals express their ‘power’ by openly carrying a loaded weapon legally. A country expresses power with a nuclear arsenal.

Strained masculinity also produces violence. Traditional male roles such as working to provide for the family, being the leader, dominating in the media, have become less prevalent leading some men to react with fury, especially in rich nations. No wonder that over 90% of mass shooters are male.

Mental illness contributes to violence. The U.S. has arguably the most mental illness in the world together with the most treatment. Most with mental illness are not violent but some are, such as those with Paranoid Personality Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, or schizophrenia are more likely to produce such outbursts.

Societies are becoming looser, meaning they are less likely to agree on desirable behaviors and condone violent outbursts as a part of their culture. Tight societies are less tolerant of deviant behaviour.

Today enforcement or controls against violence have become weaker, with the U.S. government a prime example committing murders and supporting genocide, and even the pardoning of convicted January 6 criminals.

Suicide terrorism increased after the pivotal example of the September 11, 2001 bombing of New York’s World Trade Center towers. A suicide bomber – a person wearing explosives -detonates them in a crowd. They have declined since 2010. Some people become martyrs through such acts. They are effective in instilling fear in the general population.

New technologies such as drones are less risky to users and may induce even more fear as they fly overhead especially in poorer nations. Commercial drones are inexpensive and easy to learn. Multiple drones can be used sequentially or simultaneously. Such terrorism will rise and be present near you in the not-so-distant future.

Mass attacks are becoming more common than mass shootings in Western Europe, but not so common in East Asia. Vehicular assault, where one drives a car or truck into a crowd, produces mass harm. An example is the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing of a Federal building in the city which was carried out by military veterans of the Gulf War. More recently they have happened in Germany, the U.S. and Israel with many casualties.

Responses today are almost entirely downstream, namely apprehend the perpetrator and bring him to trial rather than address the root causes. They are no doubt difficult to discern, but it should be openly discussed.

The required global response is to decrease economic inequality among nations and within them — the root cause. Use the resources gained to provide much needed social support policies to decrease stress.

One very successful such example was the occupation of Japan by the Allied Forces after the United States dropped two atomic bombs there in 1945. The immense inequality in Japan was leveled, the country was forbidden to have an army and had to resolve disputes peacefully. There followed the most rapid health gain ever as Japan became the longest lived nation in 1978, a position that it retains today.

To decrease global inequality first requires acknowledging it and then informing the public of its harms. Angela Davis says: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

Stephen Bezruchka, Seattle, WA