Kevin Duffy wrote: » Personal violence has, I think, escalated. Your archetypal pub fight used to involve punches and maybe the odd stool. Now, violence goes from a glance to a fatal stabbing, or an imagined personal slight to a pipe bomb with no intervening steps.
JohnMarston wrote: » Society in general has developed a desensitivity to violence and violent acts in general. Think of how graphic movies and video games are at portraying violence. But, just as the old saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind" . If violence is not something a person witnesses on a daily basis, they can continue to stick their heads in the sand and ignore it. You need to phase out much of the bad stuff that goes on around you, otherwise you'd go cracked
Ghost Buster wrote: » Really? 400 or so years ago I would more than likely now be dead but not before having been in a few battles and killed a few others. I cannot really conceive of me killing somebody these days in spite of having played Grand Theft Auto last week end. Edit!!! Actually I would probably just be dead after one battle where i wee weed my pants and attempted to kill someone else.....
jester77 wrote: » It's been a long time since I was able to take the family to a public hanging
Kevin Duffy wrote: » International violence, wars etc, have changed in nature, from the large scale allied nations v allied nations involving millions of people in the early 20th Century, to the lower scale of terrorism, popular uprisings and occupied countries, which while it makes the news probably involves far less combatants overall. The unpredictability of that probably makes it a lot more threatening than the actual statistical risk it poses. Personal violence has, I think, escalated. Your archetypal pub fight used to involve punches and maybe the odd stool. Now, violence goes from a glance to a fatal stabbing, or an imagined personal slight to a pipe bomb with no intervening steps. So, yes and no is my answer.