PEDIATRICS Vol. 98 No. 6 December 1996, pp. 1198-1200
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Our Society Is Not More Violent

ABRAHAM B. BERGMAN MD1

1 Department of Pediatrics, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98104

The proposition that our society as a whole has become increasingly violent is now firmly imbedded into the psyche of the American public. As counterpoint to the unremitting tales of crimes in our newspapers and telecasts, waves of "experts" are brought forth to lament how each particular act of mayhem typifies the violent culture in which we live. Multidisciplinary conferences on violence are a growth industry.

There is much wrong with this depiction of the violence "epidemic" (medical metaphors are popular these days), not the least of which is that it is inaccurate. If the term means hurtful actions and behaviors between human beings, I contend that there is considerably less overall violence in the 1990s than occurred 100, 50, or even 25 years ago.

Submitted on November 27, 1995
Accepted on February 16, 1996