The alarming rash of right-wing violence, threats of violence, and hyperbolic speech in recent months (& since 2006) has come as somewhat of a shock to many Americans. Certainly, it's likely that this phenomenon has resulted in part from factors including the 2007 economic collapse, surges in unemployment and foreclosure rates, and sadly, a surge of right-wing racism since the 2008 election. Another factor is the despair resulting from the electoral landslide, which disempowered the right-wing dominated Republican Party. After being dominant for most of the past 30 years, many on the right are frustrated by the fact that they are no longer in control. Fear & flailing - a paroxysm of panic - is evident. As the American population becomes more diverse, and as the proportion of Americans of European ancestry decreases, many voters of light complexion voice impending terror. As some Republican voters famously shouted in 2008: they "want their country back."
But as powerful as the economic crises and surging racism have been, there may be another important factor driving the escalating atmosphere of right-wing violence:
Much of the Republican and right-wing rhetoric, so prevalent on radio, television, and internet, has not only an air of panic, but also a vivid feeling of traumatization. Much of the opinion, stirred up by Palin, Limbaugh, Beck, and others is pointedly violent in tone.
What could be causing such extreme rhetoric?
One possibility is the very high rate of unusually severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attributable to extreme acts of combat and abuse of civilian or prison populations during the Bush-Cheney years.
It is known that some of the most severe PTSD is experienced by individuals who have committed acts of violence that they themselves find unforgivable. In other words, they have been traumatized by their own actions, unlike others with PTSD who have been traumatized by the actions of others.
Our nation has been re-absorbing thousands of individuals who are currently attempting to recover from severe combat and abuse-related experiences, or acts of violence against civilian populations, sometimes as seemingly innocuous as collateral damage, friendly fire, 'fragging' (e.g., the unresolved Pat Tillman case).
Even a few thousand individuals, suffering from severe and unremitting PTSD, have enough influence to change the nation's political trajectory.
An example, from prior years, is the Timothy McVeigh bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City. In the McVeigh case, a traumatized individual engaged in an extreme act of violence on fellow Americans. There have been many similar actions of meaningless violence committed by individuals with persistent PTSD.
It's important to note that not all cases of PTSD related violence are political in nature, and that there are individuals with PTSD caused by other forms of stress who may engage in political or non-political violence. Further, most people with PTSD do not engage in acts of violence & people with PTSD should not be stigmatized as a class of fellow-citizens.
However, some of the political extremism, so evident today, may be stimulated in part by a relatively small % of right-wingers who are suffering from unremitting traumatic stress. It is important, for all of us, to recognize that there is considerable distress and impairment associated with such symptoms. In other words, there is a mental health component that needs to be taken into consideration. When we see the most extreme forms of political rhetoric, violence, and hate speech, it would perhaps be helpful for us to recognize that some of the individuals engaging in such acts may be suffering from a complex form of PTSD. Hopefully, some conservatives, as well as moderates and progressives, will recognize that it is important to distance ourselves from extremism, and to recognize the frequently pathological nature of hate & violence.