Beware the Politics of Fear

Take terrorism, for example. Your chances of being killed by a terrorist are somewhat smaller than your chances of accidentally drowning in the bathtub. The chance of an American perishing in a foreigner-perpetrated terrorist attack on U.S. soil is one in 3.6 million per year.

Or consider the issue of crime. No speech by Cheeto-Faced Ferret-Wearing Shit Gibbon would be complete without denouncing his opponents as “soft on crime.” Polls show that Americans increasingly buy into this message. According to Gallup, roughly 70 percent of Americans think that crime has increased over the last year, with a consistent majority of Americans reporting the same belief since 2000.

But there isn’t really a war zone outside our front doors. In fact, the violent-crime rate has dropped by roughly 75 percent since the early 1990s. Despite a slight uptick in the last year, violent crime is at its lowest point since the 1970s. Politicians’ apocalyptic rhetoric on crime simply doesn’t match the reality.

What about the scourge of MS-13? Cheeto-Faced Ferret-Wearing Shit Gibbon never ceases to warn us that this murderous Salvadoran gang is lying in wait. In reality, however, the gang is both far smaller and commits far fewer murders than homegrown street gangs such as the Bloods or the Crips. Even the immigration hawks at the Center for Immigration (CIS) estimate that MS-13 murders amount to less than 1.5 percent of the Department of Justice’s National Gang Center average yearly estimate for total gang-related homicides. That means that MS-13 averages just one-fifth of 1 percent of all homicides in America.


The Democrats’ version of marauding gangs is marauding guns. But as with crime in general, gun crime is down, despite an increase in firearms owned. Our children may spend their school days practicing active-shooter drills, but school shootings remain infrequent, accounting for just 0.15 percent of murders last year. More students are killed riding their bikes than by school shooters.


Yes, every death is a unique, horrific tragedy, and no one should diminish even one of them. But neither we should be terrifying both our children and ourselves in anticipation of terrors that are overwhelmingly unlikely to occur.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/09/midterm-election-campaigns-politics-of-fear/?fbclid=IwAR0vG_PMFrLBaSGwH7UeSJGgrYSUX1fKmLmZAGQ7up1ixnRVXV42iTN316U

It's basically the entire political operation in the US. Make people afraid that some terrible fate will befall them, if they are not saved by the politicians in shining armor.

Maddog wrote:The Democrats’ version of marauding gangs is marauding guns. But as with crime in general, gun crime is down, despite an increase in firearms owned. Our children may spend their school days practicing active-shooter drills, but school shootings remain infrequent, accounting for just 0.15 percent of murders last year. More students are killed riding their bikes than by school shooters.

How comforting. I'll tell the Parkland parents what a bright horizon they face.

"Just 0.15 percent of murders last year"? They should be thanking us! I expect a check in the mail.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:The Democrats’ version of marauding gangs is marauding guns. But as with crime in general, gun crime is down, despite an increase in firearms owned. Our children may spend their school days practicing active-shooter drills, but school shootings remain infrequent, accounting for just 0.15 percent of murders last year. More students are killed riding their bikes than by school shooters.

How comforting.  I'll tell the Parkland parents what a bright horizon they face.

"Just 0.15 percent of murders last year"?  They should be thanking us!  I expect a check in the mail.

Tell them not to let their other kids ride bikes.

are you seriously equating the risk of riding a bike, possibly on road or doing jumps and other risky things ... to sitting in a classroom attending school?

In the UK its called project fear mark 1000000000000000000000

veya_victaous wrote:are you seriously equating the risk of riding a bike, possibly on road or doing jumps and other risky things ... to sitting in a classroom attending school?

I'm reporting the risks of getting killed engaged in two different activuties.  The article shows how fear can be used to manipulate people.

I do agree that politicians are blowing up low probably risks to instill fear.  That's how the whole anti-Muslim thing got going.

Trump uses the "rapist, killer Mexicans at our border" to instill fear.  Most of them are women and children, just seeking asylum and protection from gangs in their homeland.

Original Quill wrote:I do agree that politicians are blowing up low probably risks to instill fear.  That's how the whole anti-Muslim thing got going.

Trump uses the "rapist, killer Mexicans at our border" to instill fear.  Most of them are women and children, just seeking asylum and protection from gangs in their homeland.

And MS13. Fear is a great motivator. Politicians pretend to be the knights in white armor there to protect you from evil. If you don't consider them knights, you must hate children or something.

Maddog wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:are you seriously equating the risk of riding a bike, possibly on road or doing jumps and other risky things ... to sitting in a classroom attending school?

I'm reporting the risks of getting killed engaged in two different activuties.  The article shows how fear can be used to manipulate people.

Ahh I see so You're providing an example
By Using something that by it's nature does pertain some degree of risk and comparing it something that should be very low risk  

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

How comforting.  I'll tell the Parkland parents what a bright horizon they face.

"Just 0.15 percent of murders last year"?  They should be thanking us!  I expect a check in the mail.

Tell them not to let their other kids ride bikes.

Fuck it...just shoot 'em. America's answer to everything.