Safer Then... Or Not?

destiny · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 213

I was thinking the other day after the latest round of school shootings and co-ed disappearances Sad

and I wondered if the 60s (and 50s, etc.) were actually that much safer as they certainly appear to have been.... or is it a matter of the public just *seeing* more of it now with 24 hour media and graphic pictures of the crime scenes right in our living rooms?

kdarrell · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 60 Location: Canada

No, I really believe it was a lot safer back then than it is today. There are more amunition available now, less jobs and more drugs. I think all this has an effect on the youths of today. Back then, I don't think they had all the temptations that our kids face today.

destiny · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 213

kdarrell · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 60 Location: Canada

Unfortuantely I don't think we can ever go back. There are just too many temptations out there now and the kids of nowadays want to experience everything. Whether it's good or bad for you, I don't think really matters.

destiny · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 213

kdarrell · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 60 Location: Canada

No, I really hope this is as bad as it gets. With the school shootings, drugs, murders, and drinking. I don't think it can get any worse than it already is. I think it's up to the parents to try to disuade their children in their bad behavior and then maybe when they get older, they will lead by example. Who knows what were in for Sad

destiny · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 213

bangfor · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 75

Things are better now, people live better, there is enough work, which means people would rather do better things, and it'll get better as the means of making a living gets better. It might be because of the media we hear of bad happenings quickly, whereas most incidents would've stayed inside police records or in newspapers that many people wouldn't bother to buy.

destiny · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 213

bangfor · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 75

There could be enough criminal things done just for the media attention and even if you can't be certain about it the possibility is there, as every small incident gets a huge coverage.

rattitude · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 101

The number of sociopaths in the population is pretty steady at around 2%. You might argue that they cause more deaths with guns than crossbows but I am not sure this is true. For exaplme, if you look at the proportion of people dying from violent crime in the US it is actually the lowest it has been for 30 years. The universal media coverage plus immensely larger population (if it leeds it leads) just makes the level or reduced personal risk seem otherwise.

bangfor · Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 75

But 2% of what, the US population or the world population. The crime rate in the US is low and it's getting lower as you said it, but we can count a few that migh have been done for attention. But internationally now it's letting up among the Palestinians, but in Iraq they are still at it. How about if no one hears about them, I doubt that some of it will take place at all.

rattitude · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 101

Conflict regions are a whole different issues, I think. And they have been around throughout this whole period as well. It seems like a few people being bad regardless, and most people being bad when law and order breaks down, is just part (sadly) of the human condition.