Beliefs or Despair? Why Young Men Turn to Political Violence | CNN2.0

🎯 Core question: Are recent attacks by young men driven more by ideology or by personal struggles like isolation, job loss, and despair, with many assailants showing minimal political engagement before striking.
🧩 Pattern seen: Cases from the Charlie Kirk assassination to the Butler attempt on President Trump often involve socially isolated men, some logging thousands of gaming hours and not even voting, complicating prevention.
🧠 Insight: Experts argue that while acts are political, the perpetrators’ motivations frequently trace to loneliness, purposelessness, and mental‑health crises rather than coherent partisan agendas.
🚨 Prevention challenge: These are not organized cells or meeting‑going extremists, making law‑enforcement disruption difficult when the risk originates with isolated individuals rather than groups.
🔎 Comparisons: Parallels with school shooters include social withdrawal, employment instability, and notoriety‑seeking via imitation of prior attackers, reinforcing a public‑health frame.
📊 Data reminder: Analysts and hosts cite research showing violence “comes from all sides,” urging focus on root causes over left‑right blame cycles and encouraging evidence‑based policy debate. #PoliticalViolence #YoungMen #MentalHealth #Isolation #Prevention #PublicHealth #Smerconish #NYTimes #CNN2Point0