Stochastic Violence

As September is the PCUSA's Season of Peace, I thought I would discuss with you all a new term I recently discovered: Stochastic Terrorism.

Britannica.com defines the term thusly:

“stochastic terrorism, the repeated use of hate speech or other vilifying, dehumanizing rhetoric by a political leader or other public figure that inspires one or more of the figure’s supporters to commit hate crimes or other acts of violence against a targeted person, group, or community.” source

In order to create peace, we must understand all forms that violence takes.  So, let’s create a scenario to explore this term further:

• Billy is known on the playground for being mean, but he is only mean with his words.  Billy never hits people or pushes them.  For the past few weeks Billy has been picking on Tim.  Billy tells all of his friends that Tim is smelly and that he doesn’t think anyone should play with Tim at recess.  Slowly, other kids stop wanting to spend time with Tim at recess, in the lunchroom, or in the classroom. 
  
  A few days ago, the whole class got in trouble and lost 10 minutes of recess.  While the whole class was at fault, Billy blamed Tim for it, saying that it was all his fault for not following the rules.  The other kids believed Billy and were angry at Tim.  The next day, Billy made a comment that Tim really deserved to be hit, or kicked, or pushed down to pay for what happened the day before.  Other kids listened to Billy and agreed that someone should make Tim pay for his alleged wrongs.
  
  At recess later that day, Garrett pushes Tim off of the jungle gym in anger, and Tim gets hurt.  Garrett gets in trouble and is sent to the counselor’s office for being violent towards Tim.  However, Billy should also be held responsible for what happened to Tim because he repeatedly villainized Tim and remarked that someone should hurt Tim.
  
  While Billy was not directly violent towards Tim, Billy created a situation where someone else was likely to be violent towards Tim.

Billy engaged in stochastic terrorism towards Tim.

We often have kids memorize the singsong saying, “Sticks and stone can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  However, words can and do hurt people.  Words may not break bones and words alone cannot shoot guns.  But when people string words together it becomes rhetoric.  Rhetoric influences people’s beliefs.  Repeated rhetoric changes what is normalized.  Norms shape acceptable behavior. What is acceptable influences whose actions we see as violent and whose actions are justified.

When politicians and newscasters villainize immigrants, it becomes acceptable to treat migrant workers inhumanely, putting them in camps and cages.

When talking heads valorize gun ownership as a sacred right, the 304 mass shooting in 2025 so far becomes acceptable collateral damage, (source).

When government officials turn the Palestinian people into a caricature of a terroristic people bent on eliminating the Jewish people, the starvation, bombing of civilians, and genocide of the Palestinian people is seen as necessary.

When the rich villainize the poor and the disabled as unworthy leeches on the system, people happily accept the violence of denying assistance and healthcare to the most vulnerable people in our society.

When city officials describe homeless individuals as violent drug addicts, the community cheers when the police destroy homeless encampments and imprison the homeless. 

• While I saw many people this week condemning all political violence, I was struck by the political violence carried out by systems we have put into place.
• Arresting migrant workers without warrant or trial is political violence.
• Refusing to pass gun legislation while gun violence continues is political violence.
• Bombing Palestinian civilians is political violence.
• Refusing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza is political violence.
• Allowing people to die because they cannot afford healthcare or were kicked off government healthcare is political violence.
• Imprisoning homeless individuals for the crime of being poor is political violence.

And the people who vocally support these policies - be it government employees, elected officials, news reporters/anchors, talking heads, podcasters, etc. - are engaging in Stochastic Violence.  They may not be the ones that were personally engaged in the violent act, but they used their rhetoric assuming that someone else would.

Blessings,
Pastor Chris