I think David Graeber's critique of Steven Pinker's book was a good one. Graeber points out that a lot of coercion has been institutionalized and normalized so that it no longer looks like violence. There's systems of violence all around us, we just don't recognize them for what they are anymore. There's been a sublimation of violence, but its still there. They've just dressed up the violence and perfected it--they've perfected violence to the point that physical force is rarely necessary since they can intimidate people into conformity through culture, social pressure, and such. Look at public schools. Forcing kids into these little prisons against their will, where they will be indoctrinated, and their parents are forced to send them there. It's sublimated violence, but the coercive apparatus of the modern State has been so perfected that people conform out of fear or confusion as to alternative options. Kids stand for the pledge of allegiance, everyone at a ball game stands for the national anthem, and they do so out of social pressure--even if they don't believe in the State and don't want to stand, they will do so because they rightfully fear the reaction of the crowd around them if they were to resist. People "voluntarily" pay their taxes. They voluntarily purchase car insurance, get a license before driving, etc. They voluntarily obey a lot of laws (anti-drug laws, anti-homeless laws) most of the time because there is a certain understanding that bad things will happen if you don't obey. Nevertheless, all of this is still predicated on violence. They've just removed the obvious physical violence and replaced it by structures, institutions, and customs that involve violence or the threat of violence on a large enough scale to thoroughly intimidate most people into doing what they want without having to use physical force most of the time.
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