Why a rising number of people believe political violence is justified
Jack Elbaum
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If it feels like the temperature of political debates is rising by the day, you’re not alone — nor are you just imagining things.
A new report titled “The Dangers to Democracy” asked people about their opinions on the use of force to achieve political ends, and the results were quite concerning.
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Almost 1 in 5 people say force is appropriate to “Protect the voting rights of Black Americans and other minorities” and “Ensure members of Congress and other government officials do the right thing.” About 1 in 10 believe force is justified to “Restore the federal right to abortion,” “Prevent Donald Trump from becoming president,” and “Prevent the teaching of CRT in schools.”
In other words, somewhere between 10% and 20% believe force is a legitimate means by which individuals and political movements can make change.
But this ought to worry us all because nonviolence is an implicit condition of conflict resolution in free societies like the U.S. Without it, states devolve into banana republics. The reason is simple: It is impossible to maintain a government and society of laws where too many people don’t actually believe in the value of order created by laws.
We got a sneak peek into what such a society would look like during the 2020 riots in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
It seems worth reviewing: The monthslong 2020 “racial justice” riots caused more than $2 billion in property damage, killed dozens of people, and forced the law-abiding into their homes at a curfew because of the threat posed by the rioters. Random people were beaten on the street, business owners had to stand guard while armed outside their establishments, and agitators even took over a couple blocks of Seattle for almost a month. In that anarchy, there were rapes and murders, along with the emergence of an apparent warlord.
On Jan. 6, 2021, MAGA-crazed zealots ransacked the U.S. Capitol — among the central symbols of American greatness — beat police officers after outnumbering and overpowering them, and had lawmakers running from the chamber and hiding in their offices. More than one rioter was killed and over 100 Capitol Police officers were injured.
The feeling of helplessness, with law and order utterly broken down, was palpable during both episodes. Of course, those were short periods of time. It has by no means become “normal.” But when it comes to issues of existential, rather than tangential, importance, exercising caution is the prudent approach.
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Heated political debates are fine — even crucial for the functioning of a democracy. But we head into dangerous territory when people prioritize their preferred outcomes over the rules of the game themselves. These “rules” may be political custom, the laws that govern our daily lives, or the Constitution itself. It is certainly exasperating to not always be able to achieve the political aims a movement has because of those “rules” — which act as guardrails in political life. However, we must understand there is stability in procedures and laws. And the long-term stability ensured by fidelity to law and process is far more important than short-term political gain.
That an increasing number of people on both the Right and Left do not appreciate this fact, though, is likely one of the driving factors behind their rising openness to violence as a political tool. We must work to change this before such an attitude becomes even more widespread.
Jack Elbaum is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.