Violence, control and (post)modern culture from a criminological perspective

Abstract

At a time of profound and complex structural crisis, the cultural "rottenness" of the world capitalist system is becoming increasingly evident, manifested not only by its grotesque obsoleteness, but in particular by its stupidity (as a determining characteristic of the "spirit" of postmodern society) and the harmfulness of its principal ideals, value orientations and the norms derived from them. It is therefore not surprising that the socio-economic crisis, which started, strictly speaking, in the seventies of the past century (or even before), has also been accompanied by an ideological crisis, namely a crisis of legitimacy, legality and rationality. In chaotic, confused and insecure circumstances, it is increasingly easy to recognize the predatory, plundering, exploitative and fraudulent origin (or "developmental logic") of the existing economic and statutory inequalities and last, but not least, the violence and nonsense (or even absurdity) of the organisation of the capitalist production system. A permanent omni-crisis situation also has significant criminological repercussions; for example, blurring the distinction between normatively legitimate and illegitimate enrichment, between illegally and legally "organized crime' (i.e. between) "conventional" mafia structures and greedy "mafia" networks operating on the management level of official supranational, national or local political, party, financial, economic, religious and other authorities, institutions or organisations). In respect to the accumulation of "inflammable" reactive feelings, such as resentment, dissatisfaction, indignation, fear, anxiety, anger and hatred, we should not underestimate the danger that mass frustration might be channelled into more or less available "scapegoats" (or "good enemies"), instead of into structural and ideological constraints. In other words, it is high time for reflection about non-violent ways of handling various forms of structural violence and, finally, for the formulation of more effective sanctioning of the most disgusting forms of individual or subjective violence.