Some historians believe that the U.S. is on the brink of a civil war.
On the Big K Morning Show, Joe Mistick, associate professor at Duquesne University School of Law, said there's a growing number of people who do not know the difference between political speech and political violence,
"There's a celebration of violence by common folk. I mean, by our friends, neighbors, and family members feel free to talk about political violence and shrug their shoulders at it, perhaps tolerate it. It's a pretty scary time."
He says the political discord in this country right now is the worst he's ever seen in his lifetime and noted on the recent incident involving Paul Pelosi,
"Some politicians made light of it, they laughed at it. They got a laugh from the people at their political rallies. There's nothing funny about that, but it turned into a political meme."
Historians say the hate speech on social media is helping to fuel political violence it to a degree they've never witnessed before.
In a time where we have seen incidents like the January 6th insurrection, threats and harassment have increased ten fold from even five years ago.
According to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, threats on members of congress increased from 902 to 9,600 from 2016 to 2021 and 68% of citizens believe force may need to be used to get back to the traditional American way of life.
Mistick says more public officials need to stand up and condemn the violence.
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