claim: “The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of.”
evidence: People who commit political violence have aggressive personalities.23 Many who commit forms of political violence that do not include preplanning—such as most hate crimes, threats, and violence at rallies—also have poor self-control or have lowered their self-control temporarily (by drinking, for instance).24 These traits are shared across individuals who commit all forms of violence. What is unique about political violence is that it does not arise from interpersonal friction. Instead, for people with low self-control (a large pool that includes, for instance, teenage boys and anyone who has drunk in excess) and aggressive personalities (which limits that pool somewhat) to turn to violence, they need to be enraged and have that anger directed at a group of people they don’t know. They also need to believe that they will not face severe consequences or not care about consequences (because they are too impulsive to care or because they think the consequences are worth it). [...] 177 Rachel Kleinfeld, "The Rise of Political Violence in the United States," Journal of Democracy 32, no. 4 (2021): 160–176, https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-rise-of-political-violence-in-the-united-states; and Lee Drutman, "The Case for Proportional Voting," National Affairs 56 (2018): https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-case-for-proportional-voting.