Without a doubt, humans have a propensity for violence.
Moreover, they like to watch violence and, when brave, they participate.

This can be seen on multiple occasions throughout history.
There are countless instances of people murdering others for differing opinions, going against social norms, and supposed clandestine meetings. That’s not to mention those who violated the laws of the time.

Second to their violent voyeurism is humanity’s creative drive.
Humanity has developed a number of ways of killing the other. Sometimes, this way can be swift and, as far as it is known, reasonably painless. The french razor, also known as the guillotine, was used for its effectiveness, ease of use, and perhaps appreciated for the little physical pain it caused. But, other ways, such as crucification, obuilette, keelhauling, and the infamous hanged, drawn, and quartering, can be very painful and last for days.

For most of these situations, the death was brought about for the ” greater good. ”

Supposed witches in America were hanged while their European Wiccan sisters across the pond were burned. … Although, most of the time, they were God-fearing women. Saudi Arabia stone adultery. Should anyone use the word ‘death’ in reference to King Henry the 8th, they found themselves swiftly short on life as it was illegal to wish or even think ill of the king – someone who was appointed by God to guard the kingdom.

The greater good causes more death than the greater evil it seems.

But, in most situations, hundreds, if not thousands, would come to watch an act of terrorism. People would place bets on how long it took for someone to die. Over a thousand people came to see Ann Boleyn’s famed small neck be cleaved in two by a French swordsman. Typical hangings, gibbliting, and beheadings would draw at least a hundred people for each instance.

The violence built a community and, oddly, made people feel secure. No matter their lot in life, at least they weren’t the ones swinging in the wind.

But, in America, there was a form of violence that was vigilante. Normal and typically well-meaning people lost their minds and dipped into disciplined violence during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was the time directly after the Civil War and during the Jim Crow area.

American lynchings tend to be dismissed and hidden under the umbrella of white supremacy. I’m certain that was a reason. The societal shift from slaves becoming free men had to be jarring. White people didn’t know how to think or feel. Some may have been angry and ashamed of how they treated African Americans. Others lost family and loved ones in the Civil War for the African Americans to be released. Just seeing one could cause the feeling of loss and regret to become emotions that they felt must be acted upon.

None of this was right, of course.
I would like to think that if a massive culture shift like that happened today, people would react differently. But, I also tend to fool myself a lot.

However, there were other forces at play. These are more simple and perhaps less obvious.

Going back to Maslow, the basic needs are:
– Food
– Water
– Safety
– Warmth.

Once these things are achieved in some fashion and to some degree, the next tier of community and friendship can be achieved.

The basic needs were threatened for everyone during Jim Crow.
The South had lost the war and its primary labor force – the slaves. The economic downturn caused jobs to be scarce. The lower-paying jobs, jobs that needed little to no skills and education, were becoming difficult to obtain. African Americans could be hired at a lower rate than their white counterparts. For struggling businesses, this was a godsend. For whites who were already coping with the societal shift, this was a direct attack on their ability to provide safety and food to themselves and their family. i.e. The basic needs as defined by Maslow were not met or threatened.

Hence, the lynching occurred.

Unfortunately, lynching provided a temporary solution. It removed or threatened African Americans from a community. That helped secure jobs to help stabilize the basic needs. It provided the feeling of superiority. Yes, I think that the superiority was related to skin color. But, not entirely.

Again, the south lost a war. Friends and families were lost, wounded, and relationships are torn asunder. People were vindictive. While African Americans did fight in the Civil War, they were in the minority. It was mainly white v. white killing. The southerners probably felt prohibited from attacking northern whites in retaliation. So, they attacked the African Americans.

It’s kind of like how a supervisor vents on an employee. The employee takes the aggression home and is rude to the wife. The wife goes after the child. The child hurts the dog.

There isn’t a mechanism in place to handle aggression and other negative feelings. It just rolls downhill. (What might be interesting is if African Americans released their aggressions somehow. I know a lot of them moved north to get away from the toxic environment. But, in the interim, what else did they do to cope with the threat?)

Anyway….
* poor economy
* basic needs threatened
* lack of community
* societal shift
— are the main reasons why lynching occurred.

Right now, in American 2022, we have a:

* poor economy
Inflation is increasing at a very scary rate. I wouldn’t be surprised if hyperinflation occurs over the next couple of years.

* basic needs threatened
The reputed food shortages, as demonstrated by the lack of baby formula, are occurring. Companies are scurrying to reduce this threat by making packages smaller. But, this can only go so far. Outside factors, like climate change restrictions and government policies, are necessarily suppressing basic needs.

* lack of community
This is a many-faceted area. Democrats v. Republicans. Vaccines v. non-vaccines. Skin color. Education level. Sexual orientation. Haves v. have nots. Those who have children and those who don’t. Climate change v. climate change deniers. Gun ownership. Honestly, the list is endless.
———– Truthfully, it’s always been this way to a degree. But, it was largely superficial. The current administration is promoting the differences. Brandon, the great unifier, is accomplishing the opposite.

* societal shift
This factor is a mystery.
Lynching occurred because a group of people felt like they were being invaded by another group of people. It caused a change in their daily perception and threatened their security. According to https://www.nps.gov/, there were 5.5 million free people and 3.5 million enslaved. I’m not good with math, but this is a really high percentage.

America’s population is 332 million.
While it’s impossible to know the number of illegal immigrants, the best guess is around 16 million with thousands more coming in each day.

The states of California, Texas, Florida, and New York are reported to receive the bulk of these.
To break it down a little, the population of California is 40 million. There are, best guess, 4,373,000 illegal immigrants in that state. (I’m unsure if the 40 million number includes the number of illegals.) That percentage isn’t as high as the whites and blacks in the south, but it will continue to increase.

Given the poor economic conditions and lack of unity, when (if) would society feel threatened enough to lynch illegal immigrants? Would the lynching be physical or would there be a new form? During Jim Crow, skin color was an easy way to define the other. It’s not that easy now. What would be the distinction between the two groups or would there be one at all?

I’m not sure. But, it is worrying me enough to spend all this time writing this really long post.