I hope your uncle will be okay, Scott.  That is a horrible thing to have happened to him. In my personal opinion, using a knife on another person or animal to inflict pain or worse is one of the lowest and most cowardly acts someone can do.

I don't think things are any better or worse. It's just that there are so many more media platforms for it to be highlighted. That is not a bad thing but it will obviously magnify any negatives without necessarily doing the same for any positives of the place.