Difference between revisions of "Violence"

From civicintelligence
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349 soldiers committed suicide in 2012, while 301 died in active combat.  This was the third time in four years that suicide surpassed combat deaths among American soldiers. It is assumed though not verified through scientific study that the reasons for suicide are linked to the psychological effects of combat service. The 90 percent increase in violent sex crimes committed by active U.S. Army soldiers between 2006 and 2011 is also attributed in part to the trauma of war. Soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and depression have also been shown to have higher incidences of partner abuse.
"Suicides in the U.S. military have been climbing, reaching a record high in 2012 when 349 soldiers took their own lives, about one every 25 hours. By comparison, 301 U.S. soldiers died in active combat in 2012, marking the third time in four years that the number of military suicides has surpassed the number of deaths in combat of U.S. soldiers. The figures also do not include the 110 “pending” reported suicides that are still under investigation by medical examiners. In veterans, the numbers are far worse: about one veteran every 65 minutes takes his or her own life, according to a new investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs which examined suicide data from 1999 to 2010."
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http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/22/soldier-suicides-2/
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"Violent sex crimes committed by active U.S. Army soldiers have almost doubled over the past five years, due in part to the trauma of war, according to an Army report released on Thursday.
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Reported violent sex crimes increased by 90 percent over the five-year period from 2006 to 2011. There were 2,811 violent felonies in 2011, nearly half of which were violent felony sex crimes. Most were committed in the United States."
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"Soldiers suffering from issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and depression have been shown to have higher incidences of partner abuse, according to the report.
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Soldiers with PTSD are up to three times more likely to be aggressive with their female partners than those without such trauma, the report said.
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The report also said that family abuse cases are typically underreported.
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As the largest branch of the U.S. armed forces, the Army has done the bulk of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, including years of extended duty and repeated deployments."
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https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/01/20-1
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==== Links (to other  anti-patterns)====
 
==== Links (to other  anti-patterns)====

Revision as of 13:27, 16 May 2013

Rioter cheers while a car burns during the 2011 Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver.

Description of the pattern

Effective rule can be achieved through dominance and submission by using violence. If the subject cannot be subdued psychologically through fear, then injury can be inflicted. If injury is not enough, then the subject can ultimately be eliminated by murder.

How it Works

The population is desensitized to violence through the media where it is overtly displayed, and also portrayed as the most convenient and efficient means of solving problems. Violence is also celebrated and glorified in sporting events. This desensitization to violence eventually makes it universally accepted by the populace. When violence becomes the norm, it can be used overtly by the ruling class to control the populace. The glorification of domination through violent means can also be used to gain popular support for war.

Creating a culture of violence can also be used for indirectly inflicting psychological problems on the populace. When plagued with their own mental health issues in addition to the mental health issues of the people close to them, they are much more likely not to be concerned with what the ruling class is doing and how they are doing it.

Evidence

349 soldiers committed suicide in 2012, while 301 died in active combat. This was the third time in four years that suicide surpassed combat deaths among American soldiers. It is assumed though not verified through scientific study that the reasons for suicide are linked to the psychological effects of combat service. The 90 percent increase in violent sex crimes committed by active U.S. Army soldiers between 2006 and 2011 is also attributed in part to the trauma of war. Soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and depression have also been shown to have higher incidences of partner abuse.

Links (to other anti-patterns)

Eye for an Eye – Retribution, Fear Mongering, Xenophobia

Notes and Suggestions

It might also be good because it increases fear and thus decreases the possibility of solving problems intelligently. If one can manipulate people through fear you can lead them into thinking the way you'd like to to think.

Violence also often leads to more violence.


Elie Karam of the Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care in Beirut, Lebanon, and colleagues measured the effects of war on the mental health of 2857 Lebanese civilians. They found that 70 per cent of respondents to their survey had been exposed to traumatic events related to the country's ongoing conflict, including living in a war zone or being a refugee.

Those exposed to conflict were six times as likely to have an anxiety disorder, three times as likely to have a mood disorder, and 13 times as likely to have an impulse-control disorder as people who had not experienced such events. Less than half of the survey respondents who reported a disorder had sought any treatment - and they took an average of six years to do so. (PLoS Medicine, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050061).