USA: A culture of violence, Part 2

Second in a series by guest author Anthony Marsella

Charting a “culture of violence:” Causes and consequences

As the immediate emotions of the presidential elections pass — the euphoria and elation of the winners, the grief, despair, anger of the losers — the harsh realities of daily life once again emerge. Among these is the widespread violence pervading the United States.

As Figure 1 demonstrates, the manifestations and consequences of violent acts are extensive. They suggest a “culture of violence” that is generated by acts arising from individual and collective impulse and intent and sustained by tolerance and approval across political, economic, educational, military, and moral policies of institutions.

The omnipresence of violenceCulture of violence diagram

As the new year begins, let us acknowledge that violence abounds in American society, touching everyone’s life as victim, perpetrator, or anxious observer and witness of endless violent acts committed locally, nationally, and internationally.

Ultimately we are all victims and perpetrators through acts of intention or acts of silence and indifference.

How much more violence can we view on TV, how much more violence can we cheer and applaud in entertainment, how much more violence can we experience before becoming overwhelmed by a constant state of stress, anxiety, anger, and/or moral indifference?

Every person — regardless of location — is compelled to live with daily reminders of risk and danger. What is distinct about violence in the USA, however, is the existence of a national culture of shared, learned behaviors and meanings transmitted across generations via values, attitudes, and ways-of-life that are violent. This is our culture today. What can we do about it for tomorrow?

Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu

A recipe for tolerance on Thanksgiving

What the first celebration of colonists and native people  symbolized more than anything else was the coming together in peace of people with different languages, different ethnicities, different cultures, and different religions.

U.S. Army soldiers eat Thanksgiving meal in Afghanistan, 2009
U.S. Army Soldiers eat their Thanksgiving meal on Combat Outpost Cherkatah, Khowst province, Afghanistan, Nov. 26, 2009. Photo in public domain; from Wikimedia Commons.

The Europeans were immigrants coming into a new land. It was the native peoples who helped assure their survival through the first winter, taught them much about farming, and celebrated with them their first successful crop.

Although George Washington issued the nation’s first proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving in 1789, it was not until the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, spurred by activist Sara Josepha Hale, that the November celebration was established as an annual national holiday. Lincoln’s proclamation urged all Americans to pray for “all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” These are words to live by.

Today when the drumbeat of hatred and intolerance grows louder, fueling wars worldwide, please use this Thanksgiving  to set aside your own prejudices. With your family and friends, reflect on how a key moment in U.S. history epitomized the principles of acceptance, open-mindedness and peace.

To help you set the table for tolerance, check out the Recipe for Diversity and Teaching Tolerance. And for more information about the history of Thanksgiving as a U.S. national holiday, you might enjoy this video.

Then liven up your menus with some recipes rooted in our historical traditions:
Stewed Pompion (Pumpkin)
Sullabub (a parfait-like precursor to eggnog)

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology
Pat Daniel, Managing Editor of Engaging Peace