New Zealand – The violent society.
When I was young, going on for a century ago, we had about one murder in the whole country in a year. That is if we were unlucky. Some years went by without any murder.
Today the count is close to one a day, and more on some days.
What has happened to our once peaceful, pleasant, and safe communities to so change us?
No doubt 'the experts” could provide all sorts of esoteric answers, but could I suggest a few, to me fairly obvious, ones?
Firstly, since about the 1970s our education system has been driven by over-liberal people with a belief in the Freudian philosophy that if young people are frustrated by not being allowed to do whatever they like, they will develop psychological problems in later life. Children must be allowed to do what they like, not what society wants them to do. This teaching is further assisted by a law that prevents parents from using any physical means to control their offspring, although, apparently, the children can beat up the parents with impunity. [I have seen this happen.]
Secondly children, and adults, are constantly subjected to displays that are specifically designed to encourage, hatred, aggression, and violence. I refer here to the haka, which should be restricted to the sports field only. The introduction of the new Kapa haka to young children only serves to reinforce the development of these aggressive attitudes in the young and vulnerable.
Thirdly, the Christian churches, which have in the past done much to grow a humane, caring, humanity [still plenty to do], have seriously lost support and seem not to be able to carry their message into today's world. If we are to survive at all, they have to, eventually succeed.

John Mills, Mt. Maunganui.