Culture of Fear

[karrie]

Okay, so, it's come up repeatedly. How many mass murder threads, torture thread, brutal slaying threads do we have on here right now. We've fought about our reactions to them (some react wrong, like the jokers, some react right, like me... ha!), and we've fought over the reasons behind them. We've fought over solutions and we've fought over parenting and we've fought over politics surround all of them.

But... is any of it truly proportional? Colpy, perhaps you'll do me the favor of repeating some of your murder stats here. Perhaps we can get a reasoned account of who is personally affected by these cases, who has had to deal with this stuff touching their lives.

I don't care what aspects this conversation takes on... be it to discuss the ways we react, or the solutions we are passionate about. But, I think we're spreading bits of this essential topic over a host of threads right now, and thought it might be nice to have a place to centralize it.

 

[lone wolf]

Is it really any worse or do we just have so much news coverage in search of selling their story that one item gets magnified and dressed up to sound like three?

 

[gerryh]

Is it really any worse or do we just have so much news coverage in search of selling their story that one item gets magnified and dressed up to sound like three?

That's exactley what it is.

 

[karrie]

I think that's a HUGE part of it wolf... media diet has changed a lot.

 

[lone wolf]

I don't know if it was so much in respect for fear as it was in acknowledgement of harsh and ugly reality. In so many ways, it felt like a triumph of evil over good when I felt compelled to teach my kids the art of self defense. Which was the lesser of two evils? ...revealing this world can be a bad place and thus robbing them of some of the childhood innocence I grew up with ... or knowing they could have defended themselves with some very simple "tricks"? Fortunately, with the art, they discovered the discipline.

 

[Praxius]

Culture of Fear? Perhaps... I mean, it wouldn't be all that suprising, considdering the level of fearmongering over 9/11 and afterwards... maybe it's just conditioning....

Then again... perhaps overall crime is dropping, but are the crimes that are being commited becoming worse and more violent?

 

[Praxius]

I don't know if it was so much in respect for fear as it was in acknowledgement of harsh and ugly reality. In so many ways, it felt like a triumph of evil over good when I felt compelled to teach my kids the art of self defense. Which was the lesser of two evils? ...revealing this world can be a bad place and thus robbing them of some of the childhood innocence I grew up with ... or knowing they could have defended themselves with some very simple "tricks"? Fortunately, with the art, they discovered the discipline.

Not to mention, when you learn how to defend yourself and you're confident in your abilities, you might not be full of fear compared to the next person walking down the street.

I feel confidence and education are the building blocks to making the world around you safer.

 

[karrie]

Culture of Fear? Perhaps... I mean, it wouldn't be all that suprising, considdering the level of fearmongering over 9/11 and afterwards... maybe it's just conditioning....

Then again... perhaps overall crime is dropping, but are the crimes that are being commited becoming worse and more violent?

I don't know Prax. Are they? Or is the media really good at ferreting out only the most violent and sensational? You didn't hear in the news about the man dying from a couple punches to the head. You didn't hear in the news about the knifing in a bar up north. You didn't hear in the news about the brawl at a house party. You hear about the house party where the brawl ends up involving a pick axe to some kid's face. And you'll hear about the case where a guy gets his head severed. You'll hear about youth violence, but you won't hear about the men who've done the exact same thing that teenage girl suffered, to their wives and or kids. Because the media love a good 'youth gone bad' story, whereas domestic violence is almost commonplace... has been for as long as humanity's been around. You'll hear if a man beats his daughter for a religious motive, but not if he just beats her because he's a control freak.

I don't have a lot of faith in the view the media presents. Partly because they want you to keep listening so you know what to be afraid of next.

 

[Praxius]

I don't know Prax. Are they?

*shrugs* lol... I dunno, that's why I asked the question.

Or is the media really good at ferreting out only the most violent and sensational? You didn't hear in the news about the man dying from a couple punches to the head.

Actually, yes, there was a case here about two years ago, where someone from Alberta moved into the HRM to work, was only here for just a few days, and then one night he got into an argument with some teenagers at a bar (who of course were underage and shouldn't have been there in the first place) and when he went to leave, he was jumped by them and beaten just outside of the bar, which he died from his injuries to the head. I used to work across the street where it happened.

(Not sure if that's the case you're talking about, but for example purposes....)

You didn't hear in the news about the knifing in a bar up north.

How about the Gas Station attendant here in Dartmouth who was working alone and late at night, where she was beaten, raped and had her throat slashed? I usually hear more news relating to near where I live, then up north or out west.

You didn't hear in the news about the brawl at a house party.

Those too are also reported where I live. They may not get national coverage, but I do read the local news.

You hear about the house party where the brawl ends up involving a pick axe to some kid's face. And you'll hear about the case where a guy gets his head severed. You'll hear about youth violence, but you won't hear about the men who've done the exact same thing that teenage girl suffered, to their wives and or kids. Because the media love a good 'youth gone bad' story, whereas domestic violence is almost commonplace... has been for as long as humanity's been around. You'll hear if a man beats his daughter for a religious motive, but not if he just beats her because he's a control freak.

It usually depends on the news source I'm reading.... I do follow a lot of various ones, not just in Canada, but around the world.... I do see and read a lot of it.

You might be true about the "Youth's gone bad" theory..... but why all of a sudden when I was young it was always murder and assult cases involving adults, and now it's mostly youths?

What reason can you think of that would have suddenly switched the two? Because the media wants rating and they feel youth criminals are the ticket?

I would personally think more along the lines that now that the Youth Justice System has been in play for some time now, we're begining to see it's faults and failures, people are speaking out, and there just might actually be a real problem at hand..... not just ratings.

I don't have a lot of faith in the view the media presents. Partly because they want you to keep listening so you know what to be afraid of next.

I know that's how it is when I read news from the US, as there are usually extra opinions or bias added in between the facts by the reporters.... CNN and Fox are pretty bad for this.... but as it goes for... say.... Global National.... they just unload the news for the day, issue what is know and unknown, and then move onto the next report. I don't see much room for them to input their bias into what they report.

And if you feel they are being bias, then you can always report them to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

 

[lone wolf]

The press - or is it their handlers - portray images of a certain people, or geographic area, or time of day being more dangerous than others. Media manipulation can demonize - and has since the first cave painting depicted an evil mastadon goring eight innocent hunters. Truth is always the victim. As we become calloussed, and more and more sensationalism is required to sell the story, maybe it's the truth we have to fear more.

 

[karrie]

I think the key Prax is the difference between national and local coverage.

When one of my mom's acquaintances was beaten to death, it made it to the news here, but not the national news. The national news tends to be where many people's media fill comes from though. And they're more selective, covering only the more sensational stories from each area.

 

[Zzarchov]

Side note: I think the jokers are the ones reacting right

I think alot of it is sensationalisation of the present,

but alot of it is also sanitization of the past. There is this rose coloured view that the past was full of polite victorian gentlemen and ladies with little violence, the worst of which was 2 gentlemen resorting to civilized fisticuffs.

But gorey serial killers, rapists, violent crime sprees, robberies used to be far worse in the past.

The further back you go the worse it was. I mean, in terms of violent crime and robberies, for most of human history, if you went between cities you had to travel in a well armed and armoured convoy because the wilderness were full of roving bandits who raped and pillaged everything that moved.

When was the last time you were going down a 400 series highway and were keeping a fearful eye out for roving bands of brigands out to desend upon your minivan?

Go back 100 to 150 years and that was the case.

As time goes by technology is dropping crime like a stone, from phones, to street lights, to CCTV and now camera cellphones and Interac (how many people carry wads of cash worth robbing anymore?)

 

[karrie]

but alot of it is also sanitization of the past. There is this rose coloured view that the past was full of polite victorian gentlemen and ladies with little violence, the worst of which was 2 gentlemen resorting to civilized fisticuffs.

Exactly Zz.

 

[dj03]

Or is the media really good at ferreting out only the most violent and sensational?

"If it bleeds it leads"

 

[L Gilbert]

Is it really any worse or do we just have so much news coverage in search of selling their story that one item gets magnified and dressed up to sound like three?

I don't think it IS any worse or better. I don't think all those billions spent on gun regulation has done a damned thing except keep paper pushers busy and suck more money out of taxpayers pockets.
I mentioned in another thread that the newsmedia focuses on certain things because ithey are sensational. Every single firearm death gets nationwide coverage, and sometimes international coverage, yet the deaths from vehicle crashes goes up and only a few are mentioned and those are only mentioned in the local sense. Do you think they'd ever cover other causes of death with that amount of vigor? Cancer deaths? Deaths from heart disease? Deaths from deliberate poisoning? Not a chance. Firearm deaths are sensational.

 

[L Gilbert]

Culture of Fear? Perhaps... I mean, it wouldn't be all that suprising, considdering the level of fearmongering over 9/11 and afterwards... maybe it's just conditioning....

Then again... perhaps overall crime is dropping, but are the crimes that are being commited becoming worse and more violent?

I don't think crime in general varies much. I think violent crime is up though. When my kids were in school we never heard of kids ganging up on and beating other kids to death. Same with my cousin's kids' schools in Vancouver.

 

[talloola]

Lots of 'feel good' stories are just that, they make one feel good.

Maybe the media should be controlled to the point that, they 'have' to show a positive
and good happening for the day, along with their miserable stories, which they thrive on,
and we are fed a diet which contains so much bad stuff, that we can often begin to
believe that not much good happens at all.

It would be nice to know that the media are crawling all over each other to find out
great events that go on each and every day, as they practically kill each other to be 'first' to show 'vicious violence', the worse it is, the more they fight for it.

They say they show us 'what' we want to see, how do they know that, when they
don't show positive events.

They show up on occasion with a 'cute' puppy story, or something similar, but not often,
would like to see good stories, that show the goodness of people in general.

 

[L Gilbert]

.......

You might be true about the "Youth's gone bad" theory..... but why all of a sudden when I was young it was always murder and assult cases involving adults, and now it's mostly youths?
What reason can you think of that would have suddenly switched the two? Because the media wants rating and they feel youth criminals are the ticket?

Lack of parental guidance maybe? After the kid is out of the house, parents have no say basically, but when the kids are still in the house and are beating & killing other kids, then I think there must be a connection.

..........
And if you feel they are being bias, then you can always report them to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

There always is that but how do you plead bias when the newsmedia is so selective about which reports they cover and which they don't? It's freedom of speech, remember? They have the right to editorialize their content and which articles they air or don't. I found the best reporting are usually from indies. (Um, independent news sources). A lot of them have stuck to proper journalism rather than editorializing.

 

[L Gilbert]

Side note: I think the jokers are the ones reacting right

I think alot of it is sensationalisation of the present,

but alot of it is also sanitization of the past. There is this rose coloured view that the past was full of polite victorian gentlemen and ladies with little violence, the worst of which was 2 gentlemen resorting to civilized fisticuffs.

But gorey serial killers, rapists, violent crime sprees, robberies used to be far worse in the past.

The further back you go the worse it was. I mean, in terms of violent crime and robberies, for most of human history, if you went between cities you had to travel in a well armed and armoured convoy because the wilderness were full of roving bandits who raped and pillaged everything that moved.

When was the last time you were going down a 400 series highway and were keeping a fearful eye out for roving bands of brigands out to desend upon your minivan?

Go back 100 to 150 years and that was the case.

As time goes by technology is dropping crime like a stone, from phones, to street lights, to CCTV and now camera cellphones and Interac (how many people carry wads of cash worth robbing anymore?)

Good point ... in the good ol days we didn't hear as much. Today we have the age of info. Also, it is a bit harder to perpetrate a lot of the stuff that used to happen.

 

[Kreskin]

Over the last few days the bus incident has been the most viewed content on CNN. If you were in CNN's shoes why wouldn't you publish and push the worst that people can be? It's what viewers want to read/see and it makes money.