1 Answer

When people think of "violence," they are generally thinking about "direct violence." Direct violence is "the most obvious, overt form of violence, perpetrated by one or more disputants directly upon those with whom they are in conflict". Direct violence can occur between individuals, groups, or nations. It can be verbal (such as a racial slur) or physical (such as sexual assault). In direct violence, there is a clear subject (the actor being violent), object (the victim), and action (the violence). War, rape, gang fights, child abuse, and making fun of the school nerd are all examples of direct violence.

Contested questions in the definition of direct violence include whether or not the perpetrator must deliberately do harm and whether or not attempted acts of violence are violent. Not everything that causes people harm or pain is violent. For example, a construction worker who drops a hammer from a ladder does not intend for a pedestrian walking underneath to be hit. Here, violence is not perpetrated by the construction worker. But this does not mean the person hit with the hammer feels any less pain than if it were intentional. Can we blame the worker? These questions are reflected in US law. Attempted manslaughter and first degree murder verdicts produce vastly different sentences. The law seems to believe that attempted violence is criminal, if not violent: Attempted robbery is punishable, though less strictly than successful robbery.