video games and violence

Violence is a significant concern in contemporary society, and is something that has continued to rise steadily in specific geographical areas of the US. While acts of violence between members of society are troubling enough, incidents where violence is directed towards authority figures is even more concerning, as this is something which strikes at the very core of shared communal values. Law enforcement bodies and officers subsist to protect the members of a community, and an attack upon them is a direct challenge to the safety and harmony of a society.

As reports filtered through that a total of 11 US police and Federal officers were gunned down in the space of just 24 hours, a tangible sense of shock gripped the entire country. Although the US and many western cultures have become used to instances of gun crime and violence as a daily though regrettable occurrence, the sudden explosion of fury aimed at a body of authority figures is as disturbing as it is unprecedented. It is a trend that could destabilize an entire society of it were to continue, and one which needs to be understood fully before it is tackled.

Understanding the Violence

Early reaction from government and law enforcement officials suggest that they believe the acts to be unconnected, and individual instances of violence manifested from desperation and variable personal circumstances. While this is a plausible explanation, it does not necessarily correlate with the frequency of the events and their nature. It is particularly unlikely that there would be 11 separate instances of citizens using firearms against police officers within such a short space of time, especially ones that are result of the exact same trigger and circumstance.