On the Saturday afternoon of July 13th former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Trump escaped with what seemed like a small cut on his ear, but tragically two people, including the gunman, were killed. As a result, we have since seen a wave of condemnation and calls to tone down the intense rhetoric and a concern that our democracy cannot function with this kind of violence.

I agree with all of this, but would like to include that we should look at this holistically, not as an isolated incident.

The sad reality is that there is and has always been an accepted–and some would say encouraged–level of violence within our society. For example, every day in America 23 children are the victims of shootings. This of course includes the horrifying reality of school shootings that teachers, students, and parents think about almost daily.

Drug use, especially fentanyl use, only increases in the United States which has resulted in tens of thousands dying each year of painfully violent overdoses.

The violence experienced by marginalized communities is and has always been at a much higher rate than majority populations. LGBTQ, non-white, and poor communities, among others, have endured systemic inequities that lead to harm and suffering. I could go on, but readers will understand the examples.

When it comes to the Trump shooting, I fully expect multiple investigations as well as massive changes made that will impact all of us. My question is: why can’t we have that same strong reaction for these other examples of violence? Where is the drive to make meaningful change in the wake of school or other mass shootings? We have come to accept these incidents as normal parts of our lives and society, but they do not have to be.

Perhaps the most egregious example is what is currently happening in the Middle East. On October 7th of last year, Israel was attacked by Hamas. This brutal attack was and should have been condemned by the vast majority of our nation. When Israel responded in kind, it was seen as acceptable and supported by many, but after months of war and massive civilian casualties some believe that what Israel is currently doing in Gaza is an act of genocide.

In response to these events and what some perceived to be public apathy in the US, groups of college students gathered to peacefully protest events in Gaza, but many of them were condemned for their actions and removed violently by police. The aggressive removal of the relatively powerless students was accepted and applauded by many of those in power because this benefits the status quo.

We must ask ourselves: are we accepting, even embracing, the violence that does not personally touch us, while remaining indifferent to other people’s concerns, their experiences, or their suffering? We are presented with a pivotal moment in our country’s history, where we can pivot away from our violent culture. We can and should approach all violence with the urgency that we experienced in response to Trump being attacked. We must renounce the violent rhetoric used by those who wish to divide us and remember our best selves.

If we do not, events like we saw on Saturday July 13th will be the norm and become “acceptable violence.” I fear that. Each of us must make the commitment to do better.

Justin Hubbard is a Jamestown resident and a social studies teacher.