Of course 20 years ago we just called these things "going Postal" or domestic violence spread into the workplace or disgruntled worker on a rampage. Now the term 'active shooter' has gone mainstream so we tend to lump all these events together, whether it's a school shooting, a domestic violence situation, or a workplace violence issue. I don't know if it's just because the media likes the ratings because everyone tunes in to get the latest on an event which is usually over before the media even puts out the first story or if there's some bigger force pressing the issue, but it really seems to ratchet up the fear level when folks think it might be them next and the violence is everywhere.
Remember the huge uptick in violence with 16 separate mass shootings in 2012? It marked the second year in a row where homicides bottomed out at the lowest point since the 1960s at 4.7/100,000 (compared to a peak in 1980 of 10.2/100,000 and 1993 of 9.5/100,000). It astounds me how the media can spin things to make it seem like we live in a more dangerous time than ever before, but violent crimes are at near-record lows. Only in 1962 and 1963 did homicide reach 4.6, the lowest in modern record keeping (and based on some studies, the lowest in US history).
Fear causes people to make irrational decisions. It drives people to act now rather than wait, which in turn causes debt spending, which drives company profits. Who could possibly be behind this manipulation?
