The Crisis of Democratic Politics and Metapolitical Violence: An Analysis of Rampage Shootings

Abstract

This article addresses the social roots of rampage shootings through the concept of "metapolitical violence," characterized by the impossibility of negotiation, and the concept of "diffuse hate violence," as these attacks, while expressing some form of hatred, are not unified by a single discourse. Both concepts aim to provide a foundation for the analytical perspective that frames this phenomenon as a consequence of the crisis of democratic politics. The proposed analysis contrasts with most American research, which largely does not adopt a dense sociological perspective, thereby revealing a style of thought, as conceptualized by Mannheim.