It goes without saying that this world is violent, but do you think our ancestors were more violent?

Question

Consider this. Back in the day, our ancestors, forefathers or people before us, were VIOLENT! Burning people at the stake, hanging people then setting them ablaze, all kinds of kinky torture devices, and techniques. Strapping people to the hull of a ship and dragging them through coral reefs! (Either way you're dead. Exposure, shark bate, hemorrhaging or all three.) Maybe they were more creative and less violent? Or are we more violent and less creative?

Answer 1

Good question! I think we are LESS violent today, but you hear more about random acts of violence because today we have media which report incidents almost instantaneously.
I go to sea on merchant ships for a living; there is no chance that I will be keelhauled or whipped as punishment for any infraction, no matter how serious.
Our ancestors had to endure a greater chance of dying in wars or as victims of random violence than we do today. Romans delighted in seeing death and dismemberment in arenas all over their empire.
Western culture has managed to move beyond delight in death and dismemberment to become one that, in the main, preserves life.
We will never totally eliminate random violence from our culture. But we have moved a long way toward minimizing it.

Answer 2

Yes your are right. But they didn't have the media like CNN to report it to the rest of the world and they got away with it. Today it would cause such an outrage and war as soon as it would be reported. Now we see and hear more and more violence such as children being abducted , raped and murdered even by their own family members as well as strangers. If a person is caught captive in the war or someone breaking in your house to rob you there is a very strong possibility that they will be tortured. I can't understand the need for some people to be so violent to another as if they have no feelings at all. So I don't feel people are less violent or more creative, I think the media causes more awareness and laws are then created to hopefully put an end to the violence which I say is not all that effective, not even the death penalty.

Answer 3

Ok this is what i feel i say it about evens out because most people think there was alot of wars back then they were so horrible i feel that they had excelent reasons for their wars they fought for independince and the groth of a nation but on the other hand the burning and the hanging and other things think of it this way
buring at the stake-the electric chair
being hung- lethal injection
draging them threw the reefs-Getting beat with basball bats lol but i honestly feel it evens out we are no more if not less violent than it was in the past. back then it wasnt illegal to shoot some one in the face as long as they had the possibility of shooting you

Answer 4

I think we're both equally violent. We have different ways, though. Our ancestors were more creative, so maybe less people were violent because it was less convienient. People today can just go buy a gun or knife simple.

Answer 5

The people in the medieval and ancient times were violent in a different way. They physically killed them. In modern society, however, there is less civil disorder in society, so they look more violent then us. But in the modern era, we have moved into more emotional and political violence. It depends on whether you believe physical pain of emotional pain is more painful.

Answer 6

We are just as violent and creative. Society's disapproval and punishments deter us acting on those 'instincts'. There are those who cannot be controlled at all - they are today's mass murderers and serial killers.

Answer 7

The fact that we are here answering/asking questions is in itself amazing.
Just imagine how many people had to NOT die for you to be here at all.
All your ancestors had to stay alive long enough to reproduce.
It's amazing really.

Answer 8

You are so right .Things that hapen years ago are hapening now ,things are the same today as yesterday.