Political violence has been around as long as politics have. Many have spoken of “the ends justifying the means,” but does it really?
Human nature is a major factor in this dilemma; we are conditioned by our life experiences, and politics has a hand in our lives. As we have seen in public places for multiple decades now, many people have done what is widely known as campaigning. This has been a consistent tactic used by activists and politicians to get a point or stance across, or to reach an intended audience.
This often seems to ruffle the feathers of opposing political parties.
It really is a matter of whether or not you want to do something about it, but those things blur in a heated debate that adds to an already growing anger towards the other person or viewpoint, which can lead to violence.
In a study conducted by the ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data), 233,000 people are estimated to have been killed due to political conflicts in 2024, which is up 30% from a previous annual study conducted in 2023.
Most of the statistics come from a mix of ongoing conflicts all around the world, ranging from Ukraine to Palestine, but those aren’t just numbers that are inevitable to come from war. The death toll per year is rising. What that means for citizens caught in the crossfire of wars, military coups, and assassinations is a conflicted sense of understanding in other nations of whether or not these things are justified, and they aren’t.
For example, when speaking about gun violence or you can make the argument of whether or not self-defense is a reasonable necessity for concealed carry.
However, these kinds of arguments are most often based on how people see the world and rarely off of any life experiences, because it wouldn’t feel like a discussion was needed as there would be a more established sense of understanding when coming off experiences.
When talking about the news around the world, politics are rarely brought up outside their own country, and big things make the news commonly, but rarely policy from places outside whichever country it may be.
For example, the military coup of Haiti was a news story all over, but its details and aftermath were not as widely discussed. The attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump were much discussed and debated, and contention between those of opposing parties within the US before and during the 2024 election season.
Violence is a paradox; it starts but never seems to end, and much like the meaning of a paradox, it is self-contradictory. Violence only seems to cause more violence, and justifying violence is almost impossible, so why should we do harm to each other over such complex things as politics and trivial things like trade wars?
It stands to reason that we must not fight, even if it is a human urge; that doesn’t mean it’s justifiable.
