Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which has fuck all to do with the subject at hand, which was the relationship between abortion and crime.
Let's try to keep this civil.
Randomly screaming "racist" is the height of incivility.
Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
41–50 of 54 posts
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which has fuck all to do with the subject at hand, which was the relationship between abortion and crime.
Let's try to keep this civil.
I am. Vaguely threatening to label another commenter a racist for citing an argument by Steve Sailer that had nothing to do with race was far less civil than anything I said.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#43Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#44I guess Netflix On-Demand, Facebook stalking, and FarmVille do their job in cheaply entertaining us! Seriously though, murders are a distant leap from idle teenage mischief, but I have to believe people commit fewer crimes when they have more to lose. If someone is reasonably happy with his day-to-day life, why risk disrupting it? Now for a really big leap-of-faith: maybe social media opens our eyes to how other peop…
Well, it does sound like a good point for Facebook and other social media if that's true, however the pessimist inside of me was immediately reminded of this exchange in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World:
"V.P.S.?"
"Violent Passion Surrogate. Regularly once a month. We flood the whole system with adrenalin. It's the complete physiological equivalent of fear and rage. All the tonic effects of murdering Desdemona and being murdered by Othello, without any of the inconveniences."
"But I like the inconveniences."
"We don't," said the Controller. "We prefer to do things comfortably."
"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin."
"In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're claiming the right to be unhappy."
"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy."
From http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Brave_New_World
Fortunately, we're not there (yet).
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Let's try to keep this civil.
I am. Vaguely threatening to label another commenter a racist for citing an argument by Steve Sailer that had nothing to do with race was far less civil than anything I said.
Yes I agree, his point that there are better sources could have been made without the ad hominem implication. I also think profanity doesn't help civility.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#46I guess Netflix On-Demand, Facebook stalking, and FarmVille do their job in cheaply entertaining us! Seriously though, murders are a distant leap from idle teenage mischief, but I have to believe people commit fewer crimes when they have more to lose. If someone is reasonably happy with his day-to-day life, why risk disrupting it? Now for a really big leap-of-faith: maybe social media opens our eyes to how other peop…
Now for a really big leap-of-faith: maybe social media opens our eyes to how other people perceive their lives. As stated in Paul B's "open as in water" blog post, Facebook and Twitter have shown more people that they aren't alone in their miseries; and that there are lots of little joys in life!
Blogging and forums might have the effect you describe. Certainly every violent criminal takes a look at the peaceful life open to him and decides that it isn't tolerable. Whether it's a twenty year old with half a high school education working shifts at Chik-fil-A thinking, "It's shameful for a grown man to be doing this work. I can't afford a car; my apartment is a piece of shit. If I stick with this, I'm a loser and a failure. I've gotta do something" or Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold deciding that accepting their role as loser outcasts was just too painful, the decision is to reject your lot in society and go outside the rules, with little hope of actually improving your life, just the prospect of enjoying some dignity and satisfaction. Finding some anonymous fellowship online would, I think, take the edge off the shame and indignity of being at the bottom of the pack.
Facebook and Twitter, on the other hand, are the opposite because they're all about cultivating public identities. The people who post regularly on Facebook and Twitter are the ones who are happiest with themselves and most secure broadcasting themselves to intimate friends and non-acquaintances alike. Unhappy and insecure people are invisible, because if they're downers, they'll be defriended. That increases the impression of inequality -- everyone else is happier than me; I just don't measure up -- and should lead to more violence, if anything.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#47Perhaps because these crimes do not include non-prosecuted white collar finance crimes?
Well, yes. The article is talking about the drop in violent crime, not total crime. On the other hand, I doubt that financial crimes made up for the 5.5% drop in violent crime. There are probably no conclusive figures for non-prosecuted white-collar crimes, though, so all we have is speculation.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the quote is basically saying that the police claim an increase in crime rates is largely because more victims are coming forward instead of holding back, but when crime rates go down the police say it's because they are reducing crime. It seems to imply that when crime rates go down you could also question whether that's just because fewer victims are coming forward (or whether police are misrepresenting cri…
The main lesson I took from watching The Wire is not to trust any statistics that come from police departments. When performance is evaluated on crime statistics and case closure rates, there are an awful lot of tricks one can pull to make one's performance look better no matter what the underlying trends are. The second lesson I took from The Wire is that while robbing drug dealers for a living can be lucrative, the…
That's why many studies only track the murder rate (it's hard to fudge). Just making people wait an extra hour before they can report a crime has a miraculous effect on the reported crime rate.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#49Perhaps because these crimes do not include non-prosecuted white collar finance crimes?
Well, yes. The article is talking about the drop in violent crime, not total crime. On the other hand, I doubt that financial crimes made up for the 5.5% drop in violent crime. There are probably no conclusive figures for non-prosecuted white-collar crimes, though, so all we have is speculation.
In terms of victims or perpetrators?
Unlike finance, rapists only have one victim at a time.
Re: Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
He is saying: 'When the crime rates go up, police say "we are encouraging more victims to come forward', and when crime rates go down, police say "this is due to the work of the police" '
Right, in other words, no matter what, they tell a story that is favorable to themselves. It's like asking a real estate agent about the right time to buy. If prices are rising, it is a great time to buy and make a profit. If prices are falling, it is a great time to buy at a discount and make a profit.
With real estate agents it's even worse -- not only do they have to convince buyers that it's always a good time to buy, they have to convince sellers that it's always a good time to sell!