Summary
The US began 2025 with a wave of violent incidents, including an ISIS-inspired truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14, a suicide bombing at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, and the FBI’s largest-ever seizure of explosives in Virginia.
Experts warn of increasing risks fueled by political polarization, extremist rhetoric, and global conflicts like the Gaza war.
While overall support for political violence has declined, even a small percentage translates to millions of Americans willing to act.
The other day in a video game public chat, someone said something like “these zombies are so fast in the cave. They keep killing me!”
Someone replied “skill issue”
I looked at this interaction and was like, huh, why? Why say that? It’s kind of trite but I guess very mildly funny in the “I understood that reference” kind of way. But also it would’ve taken about the same amount of effort to be like “I hear you bro. those zombies are assholes.” Just, like, be nice.
So I asked the guy why he chose to be unkind rather than supportive. He was confused, but after I elaborated he responded by saying I’m “soft”
I think about this sometimes, now. He could’ve been nice. But he decided not to. Because he views being nice as being “soft”, and that’s bad.
That’s not a set of norms I really want to live under.