Quotes from

A Personal Voice That Appeals to Your Behavior

Combating violence

Rien Rouw 
Translated from Trouw 20 May 1999

Those who react to the recent murder of a 16-year-ols girl in the north of The Netherlands, often use the words "meaningless violence". Whoever uses these words, doesn't she or he identify with the victim? We have also to explain the behavior of the offender.

[...] The frequent use of the words meaningless violence indicates a turning point in society, namely the turning of the attention from the offender to the victim. If we look through the eyes of the offender, the violence might not be meaningless at all. In some cases he - mostly, it are men - uses violence to get money, in other cases he may feel hurt or dishonored and the violence will give him satisfaction. Violence is only meaningless from the perspective of the victim and the people around her or him.

[...] Especially meaningless is to merely complain, as do the victim's family and acquaintances, but also rulers and politicians. We seem to be forgotten that violence exists, even in our peaceful society. We still have the plight to search for the sources and the ways to solve the problem.

[Because of that, the Council for the Development of Society has, in an advice to the government, used another term: [to be translated as] 'rash violence' [or 'violence without thinking']. This is violence that has its source in the offender's feeling of being hurt. The offender might take offence and feels to be treated without respect. By thinking so, the offender does not consider the victim's fate, and uses violence. For these offenders, respect is not what you give, but what you merely claim for yourself. 

Interpreting violence as madness has the same risk labeling it as meaningless violence. Of course, most violent offenders are behavior-distorted boys and young male adults. But, according to the newspaper stories about meaningless violence, there are also 'normal' boys and young men who suddenly seem to explode. It is this unpredictability and immoderateness which make rash violence so alarming. But realize that also in the normal night life unpredictable drinking to excess is quite 'normal'.

Which factors play a role in rash violence?

Alcohol, drugs and weapons strengthen the use of violence. They may cause a fatal effect of a fight. The possession and the use of these means has increased in the last years. This may explain a part of the violence.

However, there is another crucial element in the analysis of rash violence, namely the way society is organized. 

The characteristics of modern society are individualism, bureaucracy, increase in scale, and the tendency to blame the government or institutions instead of the citizens. Citizens have 'delegated' their moral responsibility for each other to public institutions. They expect that these institutions talk about bad behavior and correct people if needed. The effect is anonymity between people and between citizens - nowadays often called clients - and officials of public institutions. [...]

The result of this process is a social climate in which people no longer talk to each other about bad behavior. In other words: people do not establish moral relationships with each other. Public moral appeals are done by TV spots, flyers and posters. But humans are not enough talked about the limits in the human contacts. There is too much room and some use this room to exceed the limits. If they ever are talked about their behavior, the feel hurt. 

If we want to structurally combat violence, we have, in our opinion, to reorganize the public domain. The moral voice who confronts you with your behavior and your responsibility has its greatest strength within personal relationships. Thus, we should reorganize the public domain so that they may come personal relationships between citizens and between citizens and officials of public institutions. This means, to be concrete, that in any case the scale of public institutions must become smaller, for example institutions such as police and social security.

Limits can only be limits if they have a face. If you feel hurt, it is the face of the one in front of you. But better long before that moment: the faces of the people who have told you that there are limits to be respected.

Drs. Rien Rouw is senior advisor at the Council for the Development of Society.