Citizens become violent if they do not like the manner in which their government runs their country. Violent people make the stability of a state to deteriorate. There are various issues that make citizens to become violent. For example, the government may be involved in various scandals that make people lose confidence in the mode of governance.
The common types of scandals involve corruption and misuse of public funds. Therefore, people put pressure on the government to resolve such issues through violence. However, if the government fails to listen to the voice of its people, the citizens remain persistent until the government realizes that it is violating its citizens rights (Jacobus 76).
Moreover, there are instances whereby the police oppress citizens without any genuine reason. In addition, the government may also fail to provide security, health care, and education services in an adequate manner. This is usually happens when the government misuses state funds. These inconsistencies make the public to become violent thereby forcing the government to be accountable to its citizens.
There are countries around the world where people engage in violence to make them bring an end to various forms of oppression that prevail in such states. For example, the issue of drug abuse in America is extremely rampant. As a result, the police oppress the different communities that live in the region in order to end drug abuse cases.
The Black and Latino communities are targeted since they are the ones who are associated with drug abuse cases. For example, the recent drug war in America devastated thousands of Black and Latino communities and more than 60,000 people got killed in the incidence (Staudt, Payan and Kruszewski 32).
To bring an end to these forms of oppression, the US and Mexico Caravan for Peace joined hands with local leaders so that they could manage to bring an end to violence and mass imprisonment in the region. These issues resulted from the failed war on drugs. The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity comprises of the Mexican survivors who were linked to the drug war and activists from United States and Mexico.
These activists joined hands with local civil rights leaders in order for them to be able to enlighten people about the number of innocent citizens who lost their lives in drug-related-violence. The failed war on drugs is also attributed to the systemic racism that prevails in the region.
Moreover, in March 1965 approximately 600 peaceful civil rights marchers protested against brutal murders and violation of constitutional rights by the state. However, armed officers intervened and attacked the peaceful civilians with clubs and tear gas. This is an indication that the government was not concerned about the welfare of its citizens.
This made people to become violent in order to show their government that they were capable of fighting for their rights. In this perspective therefore, the government should have listened to its citizens instead of fighting them when they participated in the protests.
When citizens participate in protests, their overall objective is to persuade the government to stop oppressing them. Various activists who participate in protests aim at notifying communities, families and nations on the way in which they can overcome the injustices that their governments practice to them (Antonio, Merino and Newman 17). When the government fails to handle challenges that face its citizens in a peaceful manner, the citizens react by becoming violent.
Citizens become violent so that they can be able to sustain peace in their community. However, there are times when the state uses brutal force to bring an end to violence in a community. This forces the citizens of a community to fight back. Therefore, it is essential for the state to come up with other ways of addressing challenges that its citizens face.
In order for the information that the government wishes to deliver to its citizens to be persuasive, it should use non-violent means of communication (Jacobus 79). For example, the media is well known for influencing the public to develop positive attitudes towards their government. In this perspective therefore, the state needs to ensure that it uses the media when it wishes to communicate useful information to its citizens.
There are various issues that persuade people to become good citizens. For example, people become good citizens when issues such as corruption, insecurity, oppression are brought to an end. However, most states are characterized by oppression, corruption and misuse of public funds thereby forcing citizens to become violent while advocating for peace and stability in their country (Jacobus 64). Citizens can only remain peaceful if the government listens to their grievances.
There are various ways in which people can serve their state. For example, they can do this by fighting for their rights as well as advocating for peace in their country. This would foster stability in the state. However, it is true that citizens have not taken over their states because issues such inadequate allocation of resources, corruption, and oppression continue to prevail in different countries around the world.
Works Cited
Antonio, Manuel, Garretón Merino and Edward Newman. Democracy in Latin America: Re-Constructing Political Society. London: United Nations University Press, 2001. Print.
Jacobus, Lee A. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2009. Print.
Staudt, Kathleen, Tony Payan and Anthony Kruszewski. Human Rights along the U.S.-Mexico Border: Gendered Violence and Insecurity. Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 2009. Print.