Is the United States a violent nation?

[arcadian]

[niyad]

1. duh!!!

[elocs]

4. I second your duh. This has got to deserve one of the biggest DUHS any question has received. n/t

[arcadian]

7. I ask because some folks on this board don't think the U.S. is violent at all.

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. the poll is showing otherwise...at least at the moment!

[slackmaster]

14. It's actually both violent and non-violent

It's a big country with a lot of different kinds of places and people. Most of the violence is concentrated in parts of the big cities. Most rural areas are generally peaceful and safe.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[slackmaster]

22. The statistical data is clear - Violent crime IS concentrated in urban areas

And not the entirety of each city. Every city has high-crime areas and low-crime areas.

Rural areas are not crime-free, and I didn't claim that they were. But crime rates per capita or any other way you want to measure it are higher in cities.

[depakid]

Actually, the data shows that many rural areas- as in Georgia have higher per capita rates

of homicide and violent crime.

A fact that is even more impressive when one considers density and opportunity.

[T Wolf]

28. Control for socio-economic status and then come back to me. This "violence" issue is

much more than simple crime rates. And if they would arrest every cow-fucking rube, the rural "rate" would be much higher.

The very nature of Amerika and its "relations" with the rest of the world is based on the violent exertion of power. Discussion on that will take you way beyond only looking at the police state and how they suppress/control urban populations.

[marybourg]

33. Yeah, like all the "big city" schools in this list::

Notable school shootings
Main article: List of school-related attacks
] United States
Name Location Date Year Death toll
University of Texas at Austin massacre Austin, Texas, United States August 1 1966 15<11>
SC State killings1 Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States February 8 1968 3
Kent State shootings1 Kent, Ohio, United States May 4 1970 4
Jackson State shootings1 Jackson, Mississippi, United States May 14-15 1970 2
Olean High School shooting1 Olean, New York, United States December 30 1974 3
California State University, Fullerton massacre Fullerton, California, United States July 12 1976 7
Cleveland Elementary School shooting San Diego, California, United States January 29 1979 2
Parkway South Middle School shooting Manchester, Missouri, United States January 20 1983 2
Goddard Middle School shooting Goddard, Kansas, United States January 21 1985 1
Portland Junior High School shooting Portland, Connecticut, United States December 10 1985 1
Pinellas Park High School shooting Pinellas Park, Florida, United States February 11 1988 1
Hubbard Woods School shooting Winnetka, Illinois, United States May 20 1988 1
Cleveland School massacre Stockton, California, United States January 17 1989 6
University of Iowa shooting Iowa City, Iowa, United States November 1 1991 6
Lindhurst High School shooting Olivehurst, California, United States May 1 1992 4
Palo Duro High School shooting Amarillo, Texas, United States September 11 1992 0
Edward Tilden High School shooting Chicago, Illinois, United States November 20 1992 1
Simon's Rock College of Bard shooting Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States December 14 1992 2
East Carter High School shooting Grayson, Kentucky, United States January 18 1993 2
Amityville High School shooting Amityville, New York, United States February 1 1993 1
Reseda High School shooting Reseda, California, United States February 22 1993 1
Wauwatosa West High School shooting Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States December 1 1993 1
Grimsley High School shooting Greensboro, North Carolina, United States October 12 1994 1
Wickliffe Middle School shooting Wickliffe, Ohio, United States November 7 1994 1
Blackville-Hilda High School shooting Blackville, South Carolina, United States October 12 1995 2
Richland High School shooting Lynnville, Tennessee, United States November 15 1995 2
Frontier Middle School shooting Moses Lake, Washington, United States February 2 1996 3
Hamilton High School shooting Scottdale, Georgia, United States February 2 1996 1
Mid-Penninsula High School shooting Menlo Park, California, United States February 8 1996 0
San Diego State University shooting San Diego, California, United States August 15 1996 3
Hetzel Union Building shooting State College, Pennsylvania, United States September 17 1996 1
Bethel Regional High School shooting Bethel, Alaska, United States February 19 1997 2
Pearl High School shooting Pearl, Mississippi, United States October 1 1997 2
Heath High School shooting Paducah, Kentucky, United States December 4 1997 3
Westside Middle School shooting Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States March 24 1998 5
Parker Middle School dance shooting1 Edinboro, Pennsylvania, United States April 24 1998 1
Thurston High School shooting Springfield, Oregon, United States May 20 1998 2
Columbine High School massacre Littleton, Colorado, United States April 20 1999 13
Heritage High School shooting Conyers, Georgia, United States May 20 1999 0
Fort Gibson Middle School shooting Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, United States December 6 1999 0
Buell Elementary School shooting Mount Morris Township, Michigan, United States February 29 2000 1
Lake Worth Middle School shooting Lake Worth, Florida, United States May 26 2000 1
University of Arkansas shooting Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States August 28 2000 2
Santana High School shooting Santee, California, United States March 5 2001 2
Granite Hills High School shooting El Cajon, California, United States March 22 2001 0
Martin Luther King, Jr. High School shooting Manhattan, New York, United States January 15 2002 0
Appalachian School of Law shooting Grundy, Virginia, United States January 16 2002 3
John McDonogh High School shooting New Orleans, Louisiana, United States April 14 2003 1
Red Lion Area Junior High School shootings Red Lion, Pennsylvania, United States April 24 2003 2
Case Western Reserve University shooting Cleveland, Ohio, United States May 9 2003 1
Rocori High School shooting Cold Spring, Minnesota, United States September 24 2003 2
Columbia High School shooting East Greenbush, New York, United States February 9 2004 0
Fairleigh Dickinson University shooting Florham Park, New Jersey, United States April 4 2004 2
Red Lake Senior High School massacre Red Lake, Minnesota, United States March 21 2005 8
Campbell County High School shooting Jacksboro, Tennessee, United States November 8 2005 1
Pine Middle School shooting Reno, Nevada, United States March 14 2006 0
Essex Elementary School shooting<12> Essex, Vermont, United States August 24 2006 2
Orange High School shooting Hillsborough, North Carolina, United States August 30 2006 1
Platte Canyon High School shooting Bailey, Colorado, United States September 27 2006 2
Weston High School shooting Cazenovia, Wisconsin, United States September 29 2006 1
Amish school shooting Nickel Mines, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States October 2 2006 6
Henry Foss High School shooting Tacoma, Washington, United States January 3 2007 1
University of Washington shooting Seattle, Washington, United States April 2 2007 2
Virginia Tech massacre Blacksburg, Virginia, United States April 16 2007 33
Delaware State University shooting Dover, Delaware, United States September 21 2007 1
SuccessTech Academy shooting Cleveland, Ohio, United States October 10 2007 1
Louisiana Technical College shooting Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States February 8 2008 3
Mitchell High School shooting Memphis, Tennessee, United States February 11 2008 0
E.O. Green School shooting Oxnard, California, United States February 12 2008 1
Northern Illinois University massacre DeKalb, Illinois, United States February 14 2008 6
Davidson High School Shooting Mobile, Alabama, United States March 9 2008 1
Central High School shooting Knoxville, Tennessee, United States August 21 2008 1
Henry Ford High School shooting Detroit, Michigan, United States October 16 2008 1
2008 University of Central Arkansas shootings Conway, Arkansas, United States October 27 2008 2
Dillard High School shooting Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States November 12 2008 1
Henry Ford Community College shooting Dearborn, Michigan, United States April 10 2009 2
Hampton University shooting Hampton, Virginia, United States April 26 2009 0
Larose-Cut Off Middle School shooting Larose, Louisiana, United States May 18 2009 1
Skyline College shooting San Bruno, California, United States September 2 2009 0
Deer Valley High School Antioch, California, United States September 16 2009 0

Note 1: not a "school shooting" in the contemporary sense

[TheWraith]

19. Actually you said the US was the most violent nation in the world, all through history.

Which is demonstrably bullshit.

[arcadian]

23. You have misquoted me

[TheWraith]

26. So do you admit there are other, more violent countries in the world?

Say, Somalia? You were continuously evading that in the other thread.

[Arctic Dave]

38. for your reading pleasure

http://www.conflicttransform.net/Somalia%20report.pdf

[elocs]

24. Wow! What else could I say but, wow! n/t

[seabeyond]

51. . lol. nt

[slackmaster]

2. Compared to other Western democracies, yes it is

Our crime rates have always been higher than those of European countries, Australia, NZ, etc.

Compared to most third-world countries, no.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. Not only violent, but scared shitless about...you name it.

[Bonobo]

5. You need a category for "Fuck yes!" nt

[Egnever]

6. I want to kick your ass for making this poll!

We are peacefull nation now STFU wuss.

[zippy890]

44. and I want to stab stab stab them

for making this poll.


thx for the laugh. I needed it.:P

[el_bryanto]

8. I'll punch anybody who says we are a violent nation!

That'll learn 'em.

Bryant

[LeftinOH]

9. Anyone who thinks my country is a violent place needs to be shot!

[onehandle]

11. We love our guns. nt

[arcadian]

12. O my, I've created a polling paradox.

Overwhelmingly "Yes", but my actual original post is be unrecommended! What ever shall I do! :rofl:

[slackmaster]

15. I suggest that you ignore the Rec count

It doesn't really matter much.

[Arugula Latte]

13. Are you kidding? Isn't it obvious?

There is nothing millions of Americans like better than blood and death and bombing brown people and shooting each other with guns. This is a sick, sick country full of violent, armed whackjob gun nuts.

[T Wolf]

16. The very fact that you have to even ask that question means you deserve a severe beating about

the head and shoulders.

Of course we are a violent country. That violence is the very essence of the Amerikan spirit. We stole this land from a weaker enemy. We enslaved a population from a different continent. And we have exported our violence all over the world in pursuit of empire.

Which leads to the obvious conclusion that non-violence is not the way to succeed in Amerika.

Which is why the weak-ass attempts at political change are just a narcissistic exercise in mental and emotional masturbation (Carrie Prejean reference intended).

Real change comes from people who are brave enough to do whatever is necessary. The moneyed elite know that most Amerikans will exert their violent tendencies only against a weaker foe. Hence, the wars against non-powers like Grenada and Panama and Iraq. But the forces aligned with the corporate powers are very powerful and the rulers can count on our cowardice to "temper" those violent instincts.

Thus, nothing changes. Even when we are promised that change.

[paulsby]

17. way to keep being intellectually dishonest

in another thread, you are still defending your claim that the US is the MOST violent nation on earth

despite numerous calls on the falseness of this statement, you refuse to admit error.

now, you START another post with the question about the US being violent.

of COURSE the US is violent, although "violent" is a relative term. violent compared to somalia? not really . violent compared to belgium? hell, ya

but it is UNDENIABLY false that the US is the MOST violent nation on earth. and you STILL can't admit that

american exceptionalism combined with a creationist-esque denial of reality.

that's pretty sad

[Arctic Dave]

39. for your reading pleasure

http://www.conflicttransform.net/Somalia%20report.pdf

[paulsby]

40. that's a beefy report

making my way through it. thx.

[Arctic Dave]

41. Yeah, its a pretty good read.

Everyone keep making refrences to Somolia so I decided to check it out. It gives a pretty good synopsis of why Somolia is the way it is. Kind of like the way Afghanistan is a failed state for the same reasons. Internal/External fighting and everyone wanting to be the king.

[paulsby]

42. to paraphrase

every pissant warlord looking for a pot to piss in

[Arctic Dave]

46. Yep.

[G_j]

20. does watching violent images day in, and day out, count?

making torture porn movies like Saw, box office leaders?

[RadicalGeek]

35. Not to mention

Games like HALO, etc.

I still think a lot of the abuses we saw at Abu Gharib, etc are the result of people who see the enemy as little more than a "blip on a screen".

[TheWraith]

21. Congratulations on your mental masturbation thread.

Maybe if you polled on the same claim that you made in the other thread--that the US was more violent than any other country in the world, and any other nation in history--then you'd get corrected the way you deserve.

[arcadian]

25. I never made that claim.

I said, the United States was the most violent country on Earth.

[TheWraith]

27. So you admit other countries are more violent?

A "yes" or "no" will be fine.

[arcadian]

29. No, are you completely daft?

Name one country that has used nuclear weapons against another country, not once but twice. We have a history of violence it permeates throughout our culture. If you don't recognize that then you are in denial or you are just some Pollyanna type.

[TheWraith]

32. So you ARE claiming the US is the most violent country in the history of the world?

More so than, say, Nazi Germany? A simple yes or no will suffice.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

34. Which ones?

Might also be interesting to examine the level of violence in other countries that can be attributed to such things as colonial legacy, small arms exports from the US and other nations, economic strangulation at the behest of US-Western controlled financial institutions, overthrow of nationalist governments, assassination of left-leaning political leaders and so forth.

[proteus_lives]

30. Trying make up for your epic fail on the Hood thread?

Wow, you just can't admit when you're busted.

On the other thread you make a claim. Then other posters prove how utterly wrong you are. Then you start the name-calling and tantrums. Now you start a poll in another forum seeking validation.

Wow.

[closeupready]

31. No question about it. Really goes without saying, doesn't it?

Very violent - watch the films, listen to the music, read the history of the nation. Drenched in blood.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

36. What gets to me

is people thinking America was once a great country with a moral compass? When was that? I must have missed that part of history. From the massacres of Indians, to slavery, to Hiroshima, Vietnam, to its policies in Latin America, to supporting the Shah of Iran, to supporting Saddam with intelligence and chemical weapons against the Iranian people, to these modern day Middle East massacres and on and on and on America has quite a bloody track record. But America does have a very powerful propaganda machine to show they are the land of the free.

[Echo In Light]

37. "We fear violence less than our own feelings...

... Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict." ~ Jim Morrison

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

43. Compared to what? "Violent" is a relative term as stated. eom

[David Zephyr]

45. Too bad the folks in Nagasaki and Hiroshima can't vote in your poll, huh?

Or the Native Americans who were slaughtered or the Africans died on their voyages here. Or the soldiers in our Civil War (thank you South Carolina, by the way).

Is America a violent nation?

Hell, we'd win the Gold Medal at every Olympics if it were a contest.

[oldlib]

47. Yes, the USA is a violent nation

This country was conceived in violence and the later wars have supported violence. Our gun laws have allowed easy access and the use of same is a daily, if not hourly, occurrence.

[Xicano]

48. Quote from Martin Luther King:

"The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today - my own government."

[krabigirl]

49. Yes. With too big of an army and way too many weapons.

[Echo In Light]

53. +1

[MellowDem]

50. Every nation has violence...

So every nation is a "violent" nation. And every nation is peaceful as well. So your question is rather pointless. Violent compared to what? You need a point of referance.

Mostly, this thread is for people to prove just how much they think the US is screwed up and get some mental masturbation from reinforcing each other's outlandish claims to see WHO is the most pure American Critic.

[harun]

52. Maybe a special poll just for you that says "Do you think the United States is too violent of a

nation?".

or

"Do you think the United States too often uses violence to solve problems?"

or

"Do you think violence is promoted as a way to solve ones problems too often in the United States?"

Either way these claims are not outlandish. They just aren't what you want to hear.