Violence and the economy

A while back we spoke about the relationship between economic hardships and violence. We then discussed the man in California who shot himself and his family after losing his job, and the elderly woman who shot herself in the chest after she could not pay her mortgage. This, unfortunately, seems to be a rising trend around the country.

has a feature about the rising violent trend this week in an article entitled "As economy sinks, officials fear violent solutions"

Of special interest is the following quote:

Across the country, authorities are becoming concerned that the nation's financial woes could turn increasingly violent, and they are urging people to get help. In some places, mental-health hot lines are jammed, counseling services are in high demand and domestic-violence shelters are full.

And, here's another one:

Karthik Rajaram, 45, left a suicide note saying he was in financial trouble and contemplated killing just himself. But he said he decided to kill his entire family because that was more honorable, police said.

The saddest statement, however, comes from a woman in MA who committed suicide after she became too overwhelmed by the mortgage woes:

After falling 31/2 years behind in payments, the Taunton, Massachusetts, housewife had been intercepting letters from the mortgage company and shredding them before her husband saw them. She tried to refinance but was declined.

In July, on the day the house was to be auctioned, she faxed the note to the mortgage company. Then the 52-year-old walked outside, shot her three beloved cats and then herself with her husband's rifle.

Notes left on the table revealed months of planning. She'd picked out her funeral home, laid out the insurance policy and left a note saying, "pay off the house with the insurance money."

This is a very sad state of affairs. I hope it gets better, but there's a real fear that it will not anytime soon. It's the women who are either getting killed, or killing themselves because of these problems. This is yet another example of how women tend to be in the most vulnerable situations in society, and when things get difficult, it in fact, becomes dangerous for women.

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