Americano What’s driving political violence in America?
Sep 12, 2025
Max Horder, an author and anthropologist, joins to delve into the alarming rise of political violence in America, spurred by recent events and online hate. He discusses how social media fuels radicalization and how feelings of polarization elevate aggression. The conversation highlights the evolving political landscape, focusing on contentious issues like immigration and transgender rights as symbols of deeper societal divides. Horder emphasizes the need for constructive dialogue to combat the negativity that breeds violence and division.
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Online Permission Structures Fuel Violence
- Online permission structures normalize violent ideas by repeating images, myths and stories that make violence seem acceptable.
- Exposure to those structures means a small percentage of very-online people may commit real-world violence.
From Cause-Driven To Nihilistic Attacks
- Recent political killings show a shift from ideologically driven violence to nihilistic, purposeless attacks.
- That lack of a redemptive narrative makes the violence more random and harder to predict or politicize conventionally.
Tolerance Rises As Politics Feels Zero-Sum
- Public opinion now shows a rising tolerance for political violence as a justified tactic against opponents.
- This change parallels perceptions that politics is zero-sum and that losing means existential disaster.