Changing the Status Quo

You are more likely to die violently if you live in a middle-income democracy with high levels of inequality and political polarization than if you live in a country at war, says democracy advisor Rachel Kleinfeld. This historical shift in the nature of violence presents an opportunity for everyday voters to act as a great force for change in their unbalanced societies.

Rachel Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment shares fresh thoughts and insights about the most violent places around the world. She discusses privilege violence in highly unequal countries where groups in power use violence to keep it. One of the biggest contributing factors to this violence, she shares, is when violence becomes acceptable in the mainstream. Finally, Kleinfeld shares some hope that we, as regular voters, can be a major force of change to alter this culture of violence. Check out the full Ted Talk above.