What's Behind America's Mass Violence Spike? It's the Grievance (Stupid).
The mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school by a former student is at least the 131st mass shooting (4 or more victims) in the US in 2023 according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Sadly we’re on pace for another record year.
And from the reports so far the shooter, a former student gone for two decades from the school, targeted the school and documented the supposed justification behind the shooting (there is no justification for this despicable action).
Already, it’s clear that this is yet another in a long line of grievance based violence that is plaguing the US.
From 2013 through 2019, there were 400 mass shootings a year in the US. Beginning in 2020 it’s been consistently 600 or more. And there’s little reason to doubt that we’ll blow through that number this year.
That’s a massive increase. But why are the levels rising so high?
I spent 30 years conducting civil and criminal litigation investigations, and for over 10 years have taught people how to feel more confident in their personal safety, and businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies how to keep their staff safe, and protect their reputations, and bottom lines by preventing workplace violence.
So I’ve seen and investigated a lot of violence and threats of violence. More than most people would see if they were to live for 50 lifetimes.
And here’s what’s going on.
ITS THE GRIEVANCE (STUPID) Ok. I'm kinda stealing from Bill Clinton’s campaign team with the stupid part. But, I'm so so tired of the never ending debate of guns vs mental health that gets us nowhere. And the media isn't helping much.
Oh yeah, and a SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT, that leads people to believe they can address their grievance in anyway they please including harming innocent people.
- Monterey Park, CA. Patron angry at how he’s been treated kills 11 people at the dance club he regularly patronized.
- PHD candidate who stabbed 4 young college students to death in their own home had begun expressing significant anger towards women.
- Walmart Supervisor killed 6 co-workers after becoming increasingly angry with them.
- Tree of Life Synagogue Shooter killed 11 people blaming Jews for the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory stoked by Tucker Carlson and other right wing media and political figures.
- Walmart Shooter in El Paso Texas killed 23, and again echoed the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory.
- The Buffalo Supermarket Shooter who killed 10 was; yet again, driven by anger over the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory.
- The storming of the US Capitol by Insurrectionists on January 6th, over the belief that the election was stolen from them through manipulation by coastal elites. (Still mass violence with resulting deaths)
- Let’s not forget the armed men who stormed the Michigan State House angry over Covid restrictions, nor the men, who sought to kidnap the governor of Michigan because of those same Covid restrictions. (Ok no mass deaths but grievance driven ).
- And the man who stormed the home of then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in order to kidnap and “knee cap” her because he didn’t like her politics. (Pure grievance stoked by politicians and media personalities and fortunately no deaths).
And these are just very obvious incidents. There are far too many to write about. But in the end, each and every one of these incidents was driven by grievance based anger, and the belief that it’s okay to do whatever it takes to remedy the reason for their grievance.
So what’s changed? In the background of some of these incidents, though not all of these incidents, were political groups, and politicians, and media personalities stoking this grievance. Oh yeah. And social media too. Algorithms that favors angry over decent.
Did their stoking help push those already feeling aggrieved to engage in mass violence?
It’s definitely possible.
Back to Nashville.
There’s clearly something that took place at the school that continued to haunt the shooter decades later. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about what happened and how this info played into the shooter’s actions.
Holding a grievance for decades, and acting violently on it against innocent kids is mind numbing.
But, it raises the issue of was there something that triggered this person into action?
Earlier this month, Tennessee legislature passed, and the Tennessee governor signed a bill into law criminalizing medical treatments for children seeking to change their gender.
And the shooter apparently identified as transgender.
Hey timing is everything when it comes to detective work.
The new law is part of a trend by GOP governors and legislators across GOP states to stoke grievance in the GOP base. Because...
An angry base votes.
So GOP politicians have been targeted transgender people to get their base angry enough to vote. First it was public bathrooms and fear of pervs (started in Georgia), then it was sporting events and changing sexes to get a sports advantage (can I say ouch to that one), and now it’s about the government defining who is a male and who is a female and deciding who gets healthcare based upon that definition.
Could the shooter in Nashville have been reacting to this? We don’t know…yet.
But, it’s in the realm of possibility.
Conservatives express the belief that they're under attack for who they are. Seems to me a transgender person would have the same tendency to feel targeted and to lash out over it.
What can be done to start reversing this grievance based anger that can lead to mass violence?
It’s starts with each of us, and then runs through the politicians, interest groups, and popular culture figures.
We need to start toning down the rhetoric that makes targeting others justifiable in some people's minds. We also need to start challenging those we know who start going down these rabbit holes filled with grievance.
We have to cut the grievance level, and the entitlement level down by a lot. And we have to find a way to do so collectively.
We’re either a society. Or we’re a bunch of individuals stewing in anger over some slight—real or imagined. We can’t be both.
