- Violence as Entertainment
The hosts consider the enduring appeal of violent spectacles and movies, asking what audiences normalize when harm becomes routine entertainment.
- Football and Legal Violence
Their shared interest in football prompts a discussion of injuries, intentional aggression, and Klein’s preference for a less physically harmful version of the sport.
- Choice and Moral Standards
Klein argues that human agency makes violence a choice rather than an inevitable expression of nature, and that consistent standards matter when judging harm.
- Media, Community, and Prevention
Borden cites an interview about community violence-prevention work. The hosts debate voluntary changes to media culture, personal viewing decisions, and the evidence needed to connect those changes to real-world outcomes.
- The Aerial View and Historical Perspective
The episode connects nonviolence to a broader view of human purpose and history, warning against repeatedly falling into harmful cultural habits.
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Why Is There So Much Violence in Our World?
About this Episode
Dr. Mark Klein and Enid Borden ask why violence is so prevalent in entertainment, sports, and everyday life. They examine the tension between enjoying football and opposing harm, and discuss the human capacity to choose different standards of behavior. Klein advocates a voluntary cultural shift away from violent media, while Borden emphasizes audience choice and questions whether the proposed connection to crime reduction is established. The conversation relates community prevention and historical perspective to the larger goal of treating others with kindness and reducing harm.