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Patricia Jaeger's avatar

I'm glad you re-posted this interview as it's a very important conversation. Unfortunately, one variable in this conversation is always overlooked. Most violence is committed by men. Why is this? What is it about too many men that they believe they are allowed to use violence to force others to do what they want? This is also a universal fact around the world, but the difference is that men in the US have easy access to guns.

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Bill Apgood's avatar

Chris Murphy here provides some hope regarding some of those who chose to enter the political arena. It's heartening to see a cogent, substantive treatment of one of the fundamental contentious issues that has so divided this society.

And since the "like" comment icon doesn't seem functional (at least in my browser), I would like to thank Patricia Jaeger for her question (really, almost as much a tautology): most violence is committed by men - for the same reason - likely a species characteristic.

It is just what we seem to be. What men, in particular, seem to be.

Which doesn't let us off the hook; our responsibilty is to recognize this honestly, and attempt as best we can to negotiate with this behavioral tendency within us. (But yikes! What are the prospects for this? Steven Pinker aside, do we really do with this anything? A reading of hIstory would seem to offer different interpretations. )

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