I don’t think that’s it. I think we have become too unplugged as a society. We are dehumanizing each other. People don’t get to know their neighbors. They go to work, they come home, and they watch Fox News or whatever echo chamber they prefer. They’re angry and they don’t see the people that they’re killing as people.
But why are they doing that? Why are people listening to ignorant sources which make them want to hurt others? What are they angry about? Why are people so depressed? I don't think people who are well educated with good access to healthcare and aren't terrified of losing their jobs would spend much time watching Fox News type programming, and as such would be far less likely to be radicalized and more likely to interact socially with their neighbors.
Same reason why doom scrolling is so prevalent. People are interested in bad stories. They like to be mad. They like to be outraged. They like drama. Fox News profits off anger and outrage. People who think their country is being destroyed. They’re mad at immigrants. They’re mad at liberals. They’re mad at young people. They’re just mad.
Education, healthcare, and economic stability make people less likely to be angry. Less likely to be drawn to Fox News, and too educated to buy into it.. Kids who are becoming antisocial or depressed, or who just need help, can be identified and treated because of these services. See countries like Finland. They have access to just as much technology and ability to doom scroll. They don't have the violence or depression problems we have here in the US. They have universal access to education and healthcare. They have stronger employee protections. They have better social support. That's the difference. We can choose all of that for ourselves.
Our country values violence more than education. Just look at our military budget. Look at what is the most popular movies or television or video games. We love violence and we are prone to violence to solve our problems. Been that way for a long time. The US was born out of violence.
This is the problem we need to solve, IMO. We aren't the world power because of our great abilities. We are the world power because we're lucky enough to live on the most hospitable and defensible continent in the world. We have more naturally navigable waterways than the rest of the world combined. We have every natural resource we need, and we have huge, easily defensible moats to our east and west. We are the luckiest people in the world. We just need to stop stepping on our own dicks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/nyregion/daniel-penny-arrest-jordan-neely.html Marine veteran Daniel Penny who choked out homeless man Jordan Neely on a subway train until he died, is being charged with manslaughter.
