Is American Nonviolence Possible Summary

In the article “Is American Nonviolence Possible” written in The New York Times by Todd May. He speaks on the violence in America, try to come up with a way for the United States to be less violent. He asks if it’s possible, but it isn’t; America will not be able to become a society which practices nonviolence, because individualism is deeply ingrained in our culture, freedoms granted to us by the constitution support some of what is considered violence, and there are many supporters for the more violent approach to things. The United States may not be that old, but it still may be too old to learn new tricks.
Individualism is the back bone of our country. The U.S was formed, because we wanted to be separated from British rule, we wanted to be our own country. The freedom to do what you want, and make your own life with your own actions is pretty much the motto. The people of the USA are responsible for themselves, and that may make a few people selfish, but it also allow those that strive for greatness to succeed without worrying about, or relying
It’s stated in the article that one of the reasons we are a violent nation is the “decline of our ability to control events in the world” it states “it is clear that the United State cannot impose its will as it did during much of the 20th century. We live in a different world now, and this makes many of us insecure.”(May) This is true, but what it boils down to is fear, when people are afraid they usually do one of two things; fight or run, and the United States fights its fears with military force, and there are many supporters that agree with this ideology. Like Todd states in the article that Americans are very competitive; that competitive nature mixed with fear and insecurity equals the phrase “don’t let the terrorist win”. We gain a “have to get them before they get me” mentality that can’t be easily given