Nothing Personal

When a man attacks a complete stranger, it is obviously nothing personal. But, if it's not personal then what is it? One man does not attack another for “no reason” as many like to claim. Regardless of how it may seem, violent behavior is never unprecipitated. A man resorts to violence only when he perceives a threat of some sort to his personal interests. So when the target of his violent reaction is a stranger, perhaps the real target is something the stranger represents. Maybe it is personal after all, but just not for that particular person.
For instance, what does a stranger represent to most people? The answer is anonimity. And what does anonimity symbolize but society itself! So a so-called random attack is probably not random at all. It is most likely a very targetted and personal attack against society committed by a man who without doubt perceives the society in which he lives as a threat to his own existence. And how that man came to that perception should be of grave concern to those who would resist his violent behavior. Because more than likely the reasons for his mis-perception are shared by many others, and perhaps attacking the man personally (i.e. as our so-called justice system does so notoriously well) will only further support the dellusion of a threat they all take personally.
This is an example for how society creates what it fears, i.e. “random violence”.