Is Increased Violence Our New Norm?

As we look around us in western societies, the images of violence consume us. As do the stories of our own committing evil and criminal acts in the name of political discontent.
On a daily basis, we see images that for so long were only associated with war-torn areas in the Middle East. We hear stories of personalities attacking their own from within, the prevalence of such have never been commonplace in our society.
That is until now.
As the gaps between each occurrence shrinks, we must ask ourselves- is this our new norm?
And if so, is this what we want to accept for our society? The answer lies not from the sensationalizing rhetoric peddled by pundits, but from those of us who live our daily lives seeking to do good.