In terms of murder rates and the kinds of weapons used, violence today is nowhere near as bad as in the middle ages. It may seem to be getting worse lately, but that's because the news media has turned violent crime into their leading stories and so we hear more about the nastiest crimes. Rates of violent crime actually have been declining in America over the last ten years. But there does appear to be an increase in beheadings by terrorists in Iraq and copycat killers in other countries like France. Still, sometimes I wonder if the world is regressing towards the horrific middle ages.
It does seem that the "Patina" of civility and civilization is fraying under the weight of the extremes deosn't it.
I use the word "Patina" (A superficial covering or exterior) because it's what I see every time there is the opportunity for some (Most?) people to behave in a lawless fashion such as an extended Power Outage or an out-of-control soccer match, etc. Hell, sometimes I see it right here on FR!