Does is seem like random acts of blind violent rage are on the rise?

What makes you think it’s random?

I think the perception that acts of blind violent rage is on the rise.

Welcome, connectedness.

Periods of economic downturn often invite acts of rage (it does seem like the two you mentioned were related to some kind of economic issue).

A man loses his job and can’t provide for his family so he decides he and his family are better off dead. It’s a common thing that has been done for decades. But it rises of course during a period of economic downturn.

I think it’s advertised more.

The movie Falling Down seems to be right on the money with every passing incident like this.

@DominicX Last I checked (not sarcasm, honest), there was no correlation between economic disarray and violence/crime. I was certain that was a myth, a perception.

Do you have any concrete data?

Nut jobs have always existed since the dawn of man. We only can now see and report it all live and instantly rebroadcast the insanity in all it’s glory.

@Grisaille

Well, I don’t know if the overall rates of violence necessarily go up, but I do think that many of these outbursts of violence are rooted in economic reasons and thus they may show up more during a period of economic downturn. Those are the ones of course that make the headlines. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the overall rate of violent crime has gone up. Last time I looked at a chart, the overall rate of violent crime has been decreasing since the 1990s and continues to decrease.

Yes, let’s move to Canada!

I am a contributor! :)

No, it’s just shown to us much more often.

Thank you Internet!

There are two things in life you cannot avoid…Death and the IRS… this poor sucker managed to not avoid either…simultaneously.

Crashing your plane into the IRS building is anything but blind violent rage…
Rage, sure…but not blind…

@lucillelucillelucille Was that you in the clown suit Tazering all the late night shoppers at Walmart I saw on the news the other night??

@Cruiser -Was the clown wearing a bra?

@lucillelucillelucille Yes on her head and playing a kazoo which seemed to scare the shoppers more than the tazer.

Nope! There’s random violence every day, and that has been true for many, many, many years.

We’re just more aware of it thanks to TV and internetz.

@Cruiser-Wasn’t me then because I attract more dates with that method.lol!

The real in that deal IMHO is that there might be a increase in those types of incidences but not really by that much, it just seems like more because when the news comes on if it bleeds it leads. We Americans by a greater margin than not, are too bored with the news if it is about how the Boy Scouts cleaned up a local creek, or the high school cheerleaders are having a crab feed for new uniforms. With all the violence in the movies and on TV the gore factor has been upped. What would never have been on the news 30 years ago is quite common now and nobody scarcely blinks an eye. Also the population is larger so it maybe the same % of the overall population but in actual numbers more.

Na, just media and a larger population.

I’m pretty sure it’s always been as such, which is why I’m often saddened that we only recognize it when it hits too close to home.

Every time has its craziness. There were witch hunts. There were lynchings. There was fascism. There was McCarthyism. The list is endless. Today’s media try to catch it all and we get the impression every year people get more crazy. It’s not true.

@Cruiser What is it with you and kazoos? Next you’ll insist that the clown was kazooing and doing river-dance while tazering people, and you’re going to propose.~

@Trillian Shhhhh! It is supposed to be a surprise!