The current crisis of faith in society isn't new; people have always known individuals can be corrupt. What has changed is the demonstrable proof that core institutions—government, media, etc.—are systemically incompetent and corrupt. This breakdown erodes the foundational ideologies, like democracy, that these institutions were meant to uphold.

We have doctors for health crises and faith communities for personal loss. However, most people lack a dedicated 'political home' to process and strategize during prolonged political turmoil. This absence represents a critical missing institution in modern civil society.

The rise of polarizing figures is not a top-down phenomenon but a bottom-up demand. In a 'populist moment,' voters want their leaders to weaponize government bodies against the opposition, which in turn makes being out of power feel like an existential threat, escalating the cycle.

Mass support for political violence creates a crucial motivator for volatile individuals: social approval. The expectation that their actions will be celebrated by millions nudges them over the edge to commit violent acts, a dynamic amplified by social media.

Both the Daniel Penny subway chokehold and the Brian Thompson killing provoked defensive public reactions because citizens across the political spectrum feel abandoned by formal authority. When left and right perceive a systemic void—whether from a lack of public safety or unchecked corporate greed—they increasingly rationalize self-appointed avengers who step into the breakdown of dependable institutions.

Civil unrest and destructive populist outbreaks reflect an underlying collapse in national cohesion, trust, and shared values. When historical narratives focus exclusively on national guilt and institutions abandon social assimilation, citizens lose common ground and devolve from reasoning individuals into destructive hordes. Resolving surface flashpoints like school policy fails to stop unrest without restoring foundational cultural trust.

The appeal of conspiracy theories is not just about specific claims. It's a symptom of a deeper societal problem: the erosion of trust in institutions like government, media, and science. When people lose faith in official narratives, they search for alternative explanations to make sense of the world.

The primary problem isn't the small number of violent extremists, but the far larger population that sympathizes with them. This mass support normalizes and encourages violence, creating the environment for it to flourish, as seen in conflicts from Northern Ireland to the US.

When people perceive that their political participation is futile and that corporations can simply lobby their way past regulation, they are more likely to support violence. A sense of political efficacy is a powerful antidote to radicalization.