Berman is a distinguished fellow of practice at The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, co-editor of Vital City, and co-author of "Gradual: The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age." This is the fifth in a series of interviews titled "The Polarization Project."

On Jan. 6, 2021, the threat of political violence in the United States became an issue of urgent national concern. America has long had political extremists who have advocated for violent struggle of one kind or another — Weather Underground, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and others. But the rioting on Capitol Hill seemed to suggest something else entirely — namely, that support for political violence had moved from the fringes and into the mainstream of American life.

According to Robert Pape of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago, more than half of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists were white-collar workers — business owners, architects, doctors and lawyers. “We need to really come to grips with the fact that what we saw on Jan. 6 is not simply the usual bad apples acting out yet again,” Pape says.

What do Americans really think about political violence? How widespread is support for the use of force to achieve political goals? It is difficult to wrap your arms around these kinds of questions. Different polls suggest different answers.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter