The link between minor and serious violence

Often it is only the more serious violence that people see as violence. And the more serious the violence, the more attention it gets. But the milder forms of violence are linked to the more serious violence. Lesser forms of violence include, for example, derogatory images, looks or comments, and racist and sexist jokes.

In environments where mild violence is common and seen as normal, more severe forms of violence are also significantly more common than in environments where the majority do not accept mild violence.

The violence pyramid (pictured above) clearly shows the correlation. That racist joke can, if no one reacts, eventually be followed by verbal abuse, then kicks and threats, then assault and, in the worst cases, attempted murder and murder.

If more of us react to the mild violence, we can prevent the gradual shift towards the more serious violence in time.

So it's very much about what we collectively get used to seeing as normal. We need to increase our awareness and detect the mild violence. Then we can act on it and show that it is not okay.