Reply #15: We are all taught that violence is the way to handle our problems. From the death

[John Q. Citizen]

penalty to the Iraq War, to spanking the kids, violence is the solution of choice for our culture.

I don't think we can pin roots of the problem on any particular age group or gender.

It's all of us, excluding that minority of us who argue consistantly for non-violent solutions to problems.

Ever check out the rates of violence in lesbian relationships gone bad? It might surprise you. That isn't to say that lesbians are exceptional in this regard, only that violence is an accepted American solution to problems for a whole lot of people in our culture.

I agree that men more often actually commit acts of violence than do women, and younger adults commit more actual acts of violence than do older adults.

But is a women who encourages her boyfriend to kick somebody's ass because she feels they dissed her actually less violent than the boyfreind who does the deed?

That seems to be on a par with blaming women for over population because they are the ones birthing the babies. It's everybodies problem, just as violence is everybody's problem. And it's endemic in our society and crosses gender and age lines.