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We need to do something about the culture of violence.

Nothing gets us down more than watching violence on television or reading about war and brutality in the newspaper. The truth is, there's a massive reduction in the amount of violence around the world.

You just have to open the newspapers in most Western news to see real violence.

We really are creatures of a violent world, biologically speaking - watching violence and learning about it is one of our cognitive drives.

American culture is torn between our long romance with violence and our terror of the devastation wrought by war and crime and environmental havoc.

Violence is one of the most fun things to watch.

There's more than one way to sense violence.

For me, it's a real shock to see American mainstream films. I can't see these films because it's always the same thing to me. This is very American. Violence is very American, and I can't understand these films. Why do they use violence? To show what? Masculinity? To show fear? Defense? What are you showing with all this violence?

Violence can succeed, as Americans know well from the conquest of the national territory. But at terrible cost. It can also provoke violence in response, and often does.

I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.