Statitics say crime rate in most citie's lower than it used to be in 80/90's yet people say they felt safer back then? (neighborhood, living in)
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I am little bit curious about something. I have been living in U.S for some time and noticed one thing. Many people say things like "back then when I was a kid we used to keep our door unlocked, I could ride my bike in neighborhood without being worried, I knew all my neighbor by their name. It was just much more safe, not like today when it is much more dangerous and crime is everywhere...etc".
Well but if you look at statistics what the show is that crime rate was much higher back then in most cities. Especially murders.
So how come? Is it that well know "back then everything used to be better syndrome" or do I miss something.
Being from the youngest generation, I hear that whole "back in my day" kind of thing a lot from older generations. Maybe its because they were young and were oblivious to the crime occurring at the time. Maybe its because they didn't feel they need to lock doors lol. They point is, you are right. Crime is at the lowest its been in generations.
Having grown up in the "Wonder Years" (the 1960s) I recall hearing about crime but there wasn't 24/7 media chatter about it with "breaking news" banners running across the bottom of the TV screen. American society has become obsessed/fascinated with crime and violence in terms of media coverage, so even though the crime rate is lower we're more fixated which makes things seem worse.
Having grown up in the "Wonder Years" (the 1960s) I recall hearing about crime but there wasn't 24/7 media chatter about it with "breaking news" banners running across the bottom of the TV screen. American society has become obsessed/fascinated with crime and violence in terms of media coverage, so even though the crime rate is lower we're more fixated which makes things seem worse.
This. Plus, I think all generations, as they age, tend to romanticize their youth. I see it already with my age group (early 40s).
Crime in the 70s through early 90s was worse in most parts of the country than it is today. The dramatic decrease in crime started in the mid 1990s and has continued ever since. That being said, people's opinions about any subject are usually unrelated to actual statistical data, so its no surprise that people's opinions about crime are so far off base.
people's opinions about any subject are usually unrelated to actual statistical data, so its no surprise that people's opinions about crime are so far off base.
Having grown up in the "Wonder Years" (the 1960s) I recall hearing about crime but there wasn't 24/7 media chatter about it with "breaking news" banners running across the bottom of the TV screen. American society has become obsessed/fascinated with crime and violence in terms of media coverage, so even though the crime rate is lower we're more fixated which makes things seem worse.
^This
To put this into perspective, I believe that Black on Black violent crime rates 5-10 years were lower than White on White violent crime rates in the early-mid 1970's according to the Bureau of Justice.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 12-21-2012 at 07:55 AM..
Gypsies, tramps and thieves are not the criminals anymore, and people felt safer when that's all they had to worry about. Now there are the Patriot Act, and the banks, and medical billing, and the police trolling for their revenue quota.
Last edited by jtur88; 12-21-2012 at 08:29 AM..
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Is it that well know "back then everything used to be better syndrome" or do I miss something.
