Mystified that anyone thinks "It's not nearly as bad as the worst period of criminal violence in US history" is a compelling rejoinder to fears about crime.
Rather than reassuring, it suggests you think we should wait until murders reach their old level before taking action.
Rather than reassuring, it suggests you think we should wait until murders reach their old level before taking action.
https://twitter.com/PeterMoskos/status/1413481530220027909
I realize, of course, that this is not what people are *trying* to say, but it's what they're implying, and they should stop! It is a total political own-goal.
If you want to allay media-driven crime anxiety, ask folks if anyone they know has been victimized recently. In my experience, answer's usually "No", which often gives worriers pause--if cities are really descending into dystopia, how come no one they know has been mugged lately?
(If you'd asked that question in NYC in 1991, you would have gotten a long list from virtually every single person in the city. Friends, coworkers, neighbors, they themselves.)
But of course if they say "yes", you should revise your priors accordingly, particularly if you hear that answer more than once or twice.
And you should also recognize that--rightly or wrongly--humans treat ubiquitous norm violations as a signal that all sorts of bad things are more possible, including crime.
A breakdown in public order is going to make people think index crime is up, even if it's not, or not much
A breakdown in public order is going to make people think index crime is up, even if it's not, or not much
You can try to argue them out of it, but the only people I find even vaguely receptive to such arguments are either young enough to still think they're immortal, or affluent enough to buy themselves private alternatives to public goods--doorman buildings, taxis, suburban homes.
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