If there's anything more unsettling than an assassination attempt on a presidential nominee carried out in front of cameras so it's like we all witnessed it. It is the fact that less than a month later,

the public conversation has kind of moved on. If most Americans continue to find political

violence abhorrent, we don't find it unimaginable. From KERA in Dallas, this is think. I'm

Chris Boyd. It is hard to pinpoint the genesis of this wave of destruction and

bloodshed carried out by people who have lost confidence in democracy as a means for exerting

influence. Did it start with a racial justice protester run over and killed by an angry driver,

with a gunman firing on a recreational softball game among members of Congress, with the

insurrectionist takeover of the U.S. Capitol, it's hard to say.

But at least as important as figuring out how this violent era began is trying to get a handle

on how it could be brought to an end and what might happen between now and then.

Adrienne LaFrance has been interested in political violence since the early 90s, and she shares

some insights in her essay for The Atlantic, where she is executive editor.

The article is titled American Fury.

Adrienne, welcome back to think.

Thanks so much for having me.

It is not just that political violence is happening more lately.

You note that it is broadly viewed as more acceptable now than it was 10 years ago.

What are the signs of that?

Right.

So, I mean, there actually are polls that have been taken where people respond.

And if you look at this over the past even five years,

more and more people respond that violence isn't acceptable or justified means to achieve the

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