As a resident of NYC for 25 years, and during the height of the crack and crime epidemic, I can confirm that the anxiety of being alone on the street never leaves. I was “only” mugged once and burglarized once, and never harmed, but the experience sticks. The fight against crime is indeed a political one. The law-and-order/gun advocacy folks decry “rights” but only as it pertains to theirs. Just like the Confederacy did when justifying its secession.
Jan 30, 2023·edited Feb 2, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Steven, you have encapsulated the depth of violence in America, admirably. It permeates every level of society, with some disproportionately affected, but with everyone potentially at risk. I reflect often on how it reached this point, and my conclusion is acceptance. While heredity and environment influence behaviour, the toxicity of opposing political camps plays out before our eyes, every day. We remember how well TFG Trump capitalised with his fear-mongering platform of 'them against us'. He used threat stimulus such as caravans of invading immigrants as bait, in order to trigger fear. Violence opposes reason.. The underlying common denominator is access to weapons. This quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. resonates with me: 'Violence is never the answer, until it's the only answer.' That is where we seem to be today, on the precipice of self-destruction.
And you are a man -imagine the horror of women having to park a car on a city street and fear violence and rape, every single time we go out at night.  I once praised a male photographer friend’s night photography-the colors- lighting-reflections, especially after a rain -he asked “why don’t you go out at night” I said “women can’t.”
Excellent reflection, Steve... thank you! One thing I noticed in my life is that the culture of violence can affect us in ways we don’t really want. The most peaceful person if pushed enough can counter with a mentality of self defense, not only for themselves but for loved ones, justifying in their minds more violence and thinking of some people as subhuman. It is an easy and understandable pit one can find themselves in and It can happen to any of us. Maybe if more people were aware of this, they could react better when finding themselves in a similar situation. Our society shouldn’t close their eyes about this but meet this challenge head-on.
Steven, Thank you for your excellent newsletter with important statistics of violent crime in the U.S.
Generally speaking, we are not a trauma-informed society. There are studies called 'Adverse Childhood Effects' (ACE) that show a correlation between traumatic incidents for children growing up and their predisposition for adult trauma, mental illness, violent relationships, and addiction. There are studies that show a direct correlation between trauma and addiction. For people who experienced childhood trauma, a violent encounter or hearing about one, can result in Complex-PTSD later on -the early childhood trauma predisposed the adult to PTSD/addiction more-so than adults who experience traumatic events, who are more able to integrate the experience, than those with unresolved early trauma. Thank you for speaking out, educating, asking question -all of the devotion you show for this community and the betterment of our country. You give me inspiration and hope!
Thank you Steven for this thoughtful piece. As a woman I understand fearfulness especially at night; however, I can and never will know the terror of Black and Latino persons just going about their lives every day!
In no way am I trying to blame any one thing because this issue is so incredibly complex. I watched last night as football players piled on each other with fists raised punching each other and piling on in anger; I felt anxious and wondered if this response (us vs them) mirrored our culture or was a result of our culture. That led me to think back to my childhood and remembering comic books with “violence” in them POW! BOOM! CRACK! 💥 ⚡️and other “emojis” that created uncomfortable feelings within myself. In no way do these compare to the violence depicted on video games today! Of course, other cultures have these as well--so it boils down to guns! Not pretend pop guns! Real guns! Real violence! Wondering if someday with kinder gentler people the second amendment might be amended away?
I have to say that I am not very hopeful this can be reversed. It would take not only legal reversals but cultural and societal reversals or maybe just growth that will take a generation or more. I will not be alive to see it and I sincerely, dearly hope it happens. If I were a citizen of another country thinking about visiting the US, I would not do it. I would fear for my life coming here. I fear for my life living here. I live near San Francisco but rarely go there anymore; due to COVID but also crime. It doesn’t help I know but my fear keeps me home or within 20 miles of home anyway. I grew up in the Chicago area and my family there has mostly moved out of the city after living there and enjoying it for years. They don’t feel safe walking in their neighborhood or along the lake or the river. I don’t know what else I can do but vote for people and measures that I think will make a difference.
You may forget consciously, but your subconscious does not forget & brings it back to the fore by a similar surrounding & feeling. or even a smell.
I am beginning to believe the propaganda war will defeat democracy like it did in Germany.
When "free speech" is used to lie to people under a trusted banner those without critical thinking skills will swallow the lies & believe till death.
I blame Abrahamic religion myself. Historically, it wormed its way into the centers of power then, either superseded them or forced a place close to it. Where it could not it was an alternate center of power with the same middle-ages privileges as princes.
Its ultimate goal of total supercedeing governments & forcing their religion down everyone else's throat thru legislation.
It is and always has been about greed & power over others. Sky-fairies were invented by man.
It is the oldest con there is. That is why their Buybull has 4 commandments regarding greed & it does not help a bit...
I am now 74 years old and I have noticed in myself the creeping fear rising in me especially at night. I lock and recheck the doors in my home to assure myself of some relative safety.
When a younger man I felt impervious to attack from another male since I had a stronger body and a sharp mind. I carried that confidence around my interactions with others like a cloak of fearlessness.
I have not felt that similar strength going on 10 years now. It is disconcerting to say the least.
Frankly, I don’t see this so much as a culture change problem as a political problem, at least in the short-to-medium term. Changing culture will require generations. Changing laws requires only enough electeds willing and motivated to do so. We have plenty of examples of good laws that have made a big difference in gun violence. When we elect sensible people and “incentivize” them (by way of the normal means in politics, like lobbying and donations, etc.) we can get very significant forearms safety regulations.
The escalation of macho “culture” and gun violence, and the election and appointment of judges and politicians who enable this, mirrors and is part of the right-wing political agenda to break-down the “liberal” legal and social norms that have been accreting since FDR and the New Deal, and that were made possible by anti-slavery and anti-authoritarian forces that won the Civil War. The reactionary agenda is to roll this movement back and to impose something much more authoritarian and thuggish.
We challenge here is to win more political fights for the continuing CIVILization of our nation. As in all fights, mostly what this takes is courage, discipline, and lots of resources in the form of money and “supplies” (enabling public health research on gun violence, etc).
This fight is just part of the overall fight we are in right now for the future of our nation as a Republic of laws and a nation built on enabling the best of human agency through the “live-and-let-live” and pioneering foundation of e pluribus unum.
I, so far, have never been involved or seen violence of any kind.When in high school, my girlfriend and I could walk home from the movies after dark, stand by the stop sign where she went home one way and I the other, and talk for half an hour. Nobody ever bothered us. In college, I had no fear of walking alone anywhere. Dorms were not sexually mixed; if needed, could make a call and get an escort. My first teaching job was in a Pittsburgh suburb, I had no fear of driving into city center, parking in multiple story garages, shopping alone. My 2 "brushes" with the law were a policeman's rudeness for parking in front of Newark airport entrance and a ticket in my NJ town for going 36 in a 30mph zone. Luck? White? or different culture? Now, I will not substitute teach for fear of a crazy or covid. I fear for my grandchildren. I work part time in a grocery store, I am nervous. Watched a company video of actor portraying a gunman and what to do. Very realistic, scary. I read that policemen have the same mentality as criminals, just have the law backing them up. Few are prosecuted. Juries tend to side with them. Prosecutors work with them on cases.
However, there are 800,000 law enforcement officers, @ 325,000 policemen in the US, 12% black. Overall, 226 killed in line of duty, 2022, 64 of them, policemen. 1192 people were killed by them in 2022. So, in reality, it comes down to the old bigger chance of being killed by lightning than by lawmen. More harm from owning a gun to defend yourself than actually for defending yourself.
Mass killings started in 1966 in Texas when LBJ was president. Before that, crime was considered more of a state thing, not federal. Johnson called for gun control. Reagan never even mentioned the killings that occurred during his time in office. Clinton was consoling, empathetic, called for solutions. The Bushes, not so much. 43 -legislation for background checks but also federal protection for gun industry against lawsuits. No real help during Obama even tho Sandy Hook. No need to mention NRA or trump-says he is angrier than ever now !! Biden has done more than has occurred in the past 30 years. Democrats have accused guns for violence, Republicans-mental illness. Funny few women accused. They are just as subject to mental illness as men.Ashli Babbitt being made a martyr.
So, why violence? Poverty, poor living conditions, neighborhoods for minorities, stress, being left out, looked down upon, hunger, substandard schools, the media's desire for watcher numbers, egotist politicians -trump, desantis, lake - who encourage hatred, revenge, men who think they are tough, strong, smart, in charge, can get away with anything ( OJ did ) How to end violence? Change the above. Think of how families, children fate, living conditions improved with the federal money rec'd at the beginning of the pandemic. The middle class actually grew .The cost of one F-35C=$94,000,000.Divided among 32,000,000 citizens = almost $3,000 more/year. Two = $6,000. The government is buying @ 400 of them, Think how that could improve life, violence. Oh, but we need them to defend our country. Well, we lost in Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan. Where were those planes?
So, Mr. Beschloss,, keep looking behind your back.
After reading through this posting of Steven’s I was struck by the statistics..and how isolated it makes the United States..We are alone at the top of the list by a substantial margin..When I looked again at my earlier reply something struck me..I would argue that when it comes to the two groups of our citizenry who are disproportionately on the recieving end of the violence in this country they are primarily left leaning politically..Which made me observe that the Federal, State and local GOP and their large supporters the NRA, the gun Lobby, Twisted 2nd Amend zealots, Big Oil, Large Corp concerns fearing regulation just don’t care who gets killed as long as they continue to be voted into office..This is why I believe that the wrong people are getting killed..The violence in this country isn’t touching them..So they just don’t care.. Look at Uvalde, TX, what has Abbott done about that? Nothing..and he has no intention of doing anything..
This remark is an example of the cart before the horse..as I have not yet read this piece or any of the comments..But I will, however, just by the title, subtle title and a skim of it I can extrapolate the content and the replies..
It’s an old conversation that has been repeated for years and years and years..The problem continuing to escalate more out of control as each day passes..
Now I’m going to make a very unpleasant and unpopular point about this phenomenon..To which I expect much criticism and pushback..
All of the wrong people are getting killed by gun violence..Instead of children, teachers, black folks at car stops for the most part, LGBTG folks, church and synagogue parishioners, random groups of people gathering, becoming the victims of these horrific crimes, imagine it were the leadership of the NRA, the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, city council members, state legislators, state government officials, groups of police, Representatives and Senators at the federal level, judges state and federal..People from the legal community, business people from the big companies and corporations, the wealthiest among us all across the country were the victims..
And here’s a head scratcher, in recent years two members of Congress came close to being killed by gun violence..the Democrat became an advocate fighting against the gun lobby, the Republican became a bigger champion for the gun lobby that he had before he was shot..
There is a lesson in that I’d say..
If the script was flipped with the same frequency, how fast do you believe a different course of action would be developed and deployed with thoughts and prayers abandoned?
All of this says the man who owns two hand guns, a rifle and a shotgun..
As a resident of NYC for 25 years, and during the height of the crack and crime epidemic, I can confirm that the anxiety of being alone on the street never leaves. I was “only” mugged once and burglarized once, and never harmed, but the experience sticks. The fight against crime is indeed a political one. The law-and-order/gun advocacy folks decry “rights” but only as it pertains to theirs. Just like the Confederacy did when justifying its secession.
Steven, you have encapsulated the depth of violence in America, admirably. It permeates every level of society, with some disproportionately affected, but with everyone potentially at risk. I reflect often on how it reached this point, and my conclusion is acceptance. While heredity and environment influence behaviour, the toxicity of opposing political camps plays out before our eyes, every day. We remember how well TFG Trump capitalised with his fear-mongering platform of 'them against us'. He used threat stimulus such as caravans of invading immigrants as bait, in order to trigger fear. Violence opposes reason.. The underlying common denominator is access to weapons. This quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. resonates with me: 'Violence is never the answer, until it's the only answer.' That is where we seem to be today, on the precipice of self-destruction.
And you are a man -imagine the horror of women having to park a car on a city street and fear violence and rape, every single time we go out at night.  I once praised a male photographer friend’s night photography-the colors- lighting-reflections, especially after a rain -he asked “why don’t you go out at night” I said “women can’t.”
Excellent reflection, Steve... thank you! One thing I noticed in my life is that the culture of violence can affect us in ways we don’t really want. The most peaceful person if pushed enough can counter with a mentality of self defense, not only for themselves but for loved ones, justifying in their minds more violence and thinking of some people as subhuman. It is an easy and understandable pit one can find themselves in and It can happen to any of us. Maybe if more people were aware of this, they could react better when finding themselves in a similar situation. Our society shouldn’t close their eyes about this but meet this challenge head-on.
Steven, Thank you for your excellent newsletter with important statistics of violent crime in the U.S.
Generally speaking, we are not a trauma-informed society. There are studies called 'Adverse Childhood Effects' (ACE) that show a correlation between traumatic incidents for children growing up and their predisposition for adult trauma, mental illness, violent relationships, and addiction. There are studies that show a direct correlation between trauma and addiction. For people who experienced childhood trauma, a violent encounter or hearing about one, can result in Complex-PTSD later on -the early childhood trauma predisposed the adult to PTSD/addiction more-so than adults who experience traumatic events, who are more able to integrate the experience, than those with unresolved early trauma. Thank you for speaking out, educating, asking question -all of the devotion you show for this community and the betterment of our country. You give me inspiration and hope!
Thank you Steven for this thoughtful piece. As a woman I understand fearfulness especially at night; however, I can and never will know the terror of Black and Latino persons just going about their lives every day!
In no way am I trying to blame any one thing because this issue is so incredibly complex. I watched last night as football players piled on each other with fists raised punching each other and piling on in anger; I felt anxious and wondered if this response (us vs them) mirrored our culture or was a result of our culture. That led me to think back to my childhood and remembering comic books with “violence” in them POW! BOOM! CRACK! 💥 ⚡️and other “emojis” that created uncomfortable feelings within myself. In no way do these compare to the violence depicted on video games today! Of course, other cultures have these as well--so it boils down to guns! Not pretend pop guns! Real guns! Real violence! Wondering if someday with kinder gentler people the second amendment might be amended away?
A truly powerful essay, Steven. I hope it resonates far and wide, beyond the borders of Substack.
I have to say that I am not very hopeful this can be reversed. It would take not only legal reversals but cultural and societal reversals or maybe just growth that will take a generation or more. I will not be alive to see it and I sincerely, dearly hope it happens. If I were a citizen of another country thinking about visiting the US, I would not do it. I would fear for my life coming here. I fear for my life living here. I live near San Francisco but rarely go there anymore; due to COVID but also crime. It doesn’t help I know but my fear keeps me home or within 20 miles of home anyway. I grew up in the Chicago area and my family there has mostly moved out of the city after living there and enjoying it for years. They don’t feel safe walking in their neighborhood or along the lake or the river. I don’t know what else I can do but vote for people and measures that I think will make a difference.
What you describe is a milder form of PTSD.
You may forget consciously, but your subconscious does not forget & brings it back to the fore by a similar surrounding & feeling. or even a smell.
I am beginning to believe the propaganda war will defeat democracy like it did in Germany.
When "free speech" is used to lie to people under a trusted banner those without critical thinking skills will swallow the lies & believe till death.
I blame Abrahamic religion myself. Historically, it wormed its way into the centers of power then, either superseded them or forced a place close to it. Where it could not it was an alternate center of power with the same middle-ages privileges as princes.
Its ultimate goal of total supercedeing governments & forcing their religion down everyone else's throat thru legislation.
It is and always has been about greed & power over others. Sky-fairies were invented by man.
It is the oldest con there is. That is why their Buybull has 4 commandments regarding greed & it does not help a bit...
I am now 74 years old and I have noticed in myself the creeping fear rising in me especially at night. I lock and recheck the doors in my home to assure myself of some relative safety.
When a younger man I felt impervious to attack from another male since I had a stronger body and a sharp mind. I carried that confidence around my interactions with others like a cloak of fearlessness.
I have not felt that similar strength going on 10 years now. It is disconcerting to say the least.
Frankly, I don’t see this so much as a culture change problem as a political problem, at least in the short-to-medium term. Changing culture will require generations. Changing laws requires only enough electeds willing and motivated to do so. We have plenty of examples of good laws that have made a big difference in gun violence. When we elect sensible people and “incentivize” them (by way of the normal means in politics, like lobbying and donations, etc.) we can get very significant forearms safety regulations.
The escalation of macho “culture” and gun violence, and the election and appointment of judges and politicians who enable this, mirrors and is part of the right-wing political agenda to break-down the “liberal” legal and social norms that have been accreting since FDR and the New Deal, and that were made possible by anti-slavery and anti-authoritarian forces that won the Civil War. The reactionary agenda is to roll this movement back and to impose something much more authoritarian and thuggish.
We challenge here is to win more political fights for the continuing CIVILization of our nation. As in all fights, mostly what this takes is courage, discipline, and lots of resources in the form of money and “supplies” (enabling public health research on gun violence, etc).
This fight is just part of the overall fight we are in right now for the future of our nation as a Republic of laws and a nation built on enabling the best of human agency through the “live-and-let-live” and pioneering foundation of e pluribus unum.
I, so far, have never been involved or seen violence of any kind.When in high school, my girlfriend and I could walk home from the movies after dark, stand by the stop sign where she went home one way and I the other, and talk for half an hour. Nobody ever bothered us. In college, I had no fear of walking alone anywhere. Dorms were not sexually mixed; if needed, could make a call and get an escort. My first teaching job was in a Pittsburgh suburb, I had no fear of driving into city center, parking in multiple story garages, shopping alone. My 2 "brushes" with the law were a policeman's rudeness for parking in front of Newark airport entrance and a ticket in my NJ town for going 36 in a 30mph zone. Luck? White? or different culture? Now, I will not substitute teach for fear of a crazy or covid. I fear for my grandchildren. I work part time in a grocery store, I am nervous. Watched a company video of actor portraying a gunman and what to do. Very realistic, scary. I read that policemen have the same mentality as criminals, just have the law backing them up. Few are prosecuted. Juries tend to side with them. Prosecutors work with them on cases.
However, there are 800,000 law enforcement officers, @ 325,000 policemen in the US, 12% black. Overall, 226 killed in line of duty, 2022, 64 of them, policemen. 1192 people were killed by them in 2022. So, in reality, it comes down to the old bigger chance of being killed by lightning than by lawmen. More harm from owning a gun to defend yourself than actually for defending yourself.
Mass killings started in 1966 in Texas when LBJ was president. Before that, crime was considered more of a state thing, not federal. Johnson called for gun control. Reagan never even mentioned the killings that occurred during his time in office. Clinton was consoling, empathetic, called for solutions. The Bushes, not so much. 43 -legislation for background checks but also federal protection for gun industry against lawsuits. No real help during Obama even tho Sandy Hook. No need to mention NRA or trump-says he is angrier than ever now !! Biden has done more than has occurred in the past 30 years. Democrats have accused guns for violence, Republicans-mental illness. Funny few women accused. They are just as subject to mental illness as men.Ashli Babbitt being made a martyr.
So, why violence? Poverty, poor living conditions, neighborhoods for minorities, stress, being left out, looked down upon, hunger, substandard schools, the media's desire for watcher numbers, egotist politicians -trump, desantis, lake - who encourage hatred, revenge, men who think they are tough, strong, smart, in charge, can get away with anything ( OJ did ) How to end violence? Change the above. Think of how families, children fate, living conditions improved with the federal money rec'd at the beginning of the pandemic. The middle class actually grew .The cost of one F-35C=$94,000,000.Divided among 32,000,000 citizens = almost $3,000 more/year. Two = $6,000. The government is buying @ 400 of them, Think how that could improve life, violence. Oh, but we need them to defend our country. Well, we lost in Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan. Where were those planes?
So, Mr. Beschloss,, keep looking behind your back.
After reading through this posting of Steven’s I was struck by the statistics..and how isolated it makes the United States..We are alone at the top of the list by a substantial margin..When I looked again at my earlier reply something struck me..I would argue that when it comes to the two groups of our citizenry who are disproportionately on the recieving end of the violence in this country they are primarily left leaning politically..Which made me observe that the Federal, State and local GOP and their large supporters the NRA, the gun Lobby, Twisted 2nd Amend zealots, Big Oil, Large Corp concerns fearing regulation just don’t care who gets killed as long as they continue to be voted into office..This is why I believe that the wrong people are getting killed..The violence in this country isn’t touching them..So they just don’t care.. Look at Uvalde, TX, what has Abbott done about that? Nothing..and he has no intention of doing anything..
This remark is an example of the cart before the horse..as I have not yet read this piece or any of the comments..But I will, however, just by the title, subtle title and a skim of it I can extrapolate the content and the replies..
It’s an old conversation that has been repeated for years and years and years..The problem continuing to escalate more out of control as each day passes..
Now I’m going to make a very unpleasant and unpopular point about this phenomenon..To which I expect much criticism and pushback..
All of the wrong people are getting killed by gun violence..Instead of children, teachers, black folks at car stops for the most part, LGBTG folks, church and synagogue parishioners, random groups of people gathering, becoming the victims of these horrific crimes, imagine it were the leadership of the NRA, the gun lobby, gun manufacturers, city council members, state legislators, state government officials, groups of police, Representatives and Senators at the federal level, judges state and federal..People from the legal community, business people from the big companies and corporations, the wealthiest among us all across the country were the victims..
And here’s a head scratcher, in recent years two members of Congress came close to being killed by gun violence..the Democrat became an advocate fighting against the gun lobby, the Republican became a bigger champion for the gun lobby that he had before he was shot..
There is a lesson in that I’d say..
If the script was flipped with the same frequency, how fast do you believe a different course of action would be developed and deployed with thoughts and prayers abandoned?
All of this says the man who owns two hand guns, a rifle and a shotgun..