Collective Rage

Hate is a factor in many cases of collective violence
Collective Violence and Mass Extremism
Factors that lead to mass extremism and collective violence include the unbearable conditions suffered by much of the world, profound poverty, exploitation, disease, hunger, tyranny, war, and the legacy of injustice and oppression inflicted by powerful nations. 

The modern-day plagues of rage, hate, and brutality grew out of generations of oppressed individuals and groups. 

We examine how policies of the current U.S. Administration may be planting the seeds for future atrocities and terrorist acts by adding to the trauma and repression of generations of children.

These age-old destructive tendencies rose to the forefront of global concern in the turbulent aftermath of the Cold War and the final throes of colonialism. Nations released from decades of oppression experienced economic and political chaos. There was no comprehensive investment in infrastructure (by the wealthy nations), comparable to the Marshall Plan, instituted to offset the dislocation and upheaval. Simmering ethnic rage flared—triggering horrific atrocities and acts of genocide and terrorism (Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Algeria, etc). The 9/11 attacks were emblazoned onto our TV sets in shocking intensity; however, this was only one atrocious event among other countless horrific acts of violence that have taken place in recent times.

We look at recurring patterns of destructive group behavior on many levels of society, contrasting present-day situations with historical examples of mass indoctrination and collective violence.

• Group-activated violence 
• Hazing, wilding, gang rape, riots 
• Lynch mobs, vigilante justice
• Ethnic violence, hate crimes, pogroms
• Mass hysteria leading to massacres 
   (i.e. Rwanda Genocide, witch trials)
• Rebel and State-run paramilitary
• Death squads
• Suicide bombings; assassinations

The impact of cruelty and violence whether within families or across nations, interferes with all other efforts to produce healthy, just, and compassionate societies. 

Following the “cycle of damage” on the individual, family, and societal levels, we trace the path from neglect, trauma, repression, brain damage, and group pressure toward hate, extremism, and acts of terror or collective violence. We incorporate studies on the neurobiological effects of trauma, abuse, deprivation and learned helplessness.