Analysis: Crime is more of an "issue" because Fox/right wing media is making it one

[Joe Republic]

I think the media has just tapped into the general sense nationwide that things are so much more crazy right now than they used to be. It's something that I've felt. I don't feel safe going for a walk at night anymore, which is something that I used to do all the time, alone, and without a second thought.

100% agree with this. I and many other people I know consume literally zero right-wing media and still feel much less safe out and about than we did 2-3 years ago (not to defend right-wing media in any way).

Equally anecdotally, I too have noticed a marked increase in paranoia about personal safety in other people as well.  All based on feelings too, of course.

[Joe Republic]

I think the media has just tapped into the general sense nationwide that things are so much more crazy right now than they used to be. It's something that I've felt. I don't feel safe going for a walk at night anymore, which is something that I used to do all the time, alone, and without a second thought.

100% agree with this. I and many other people I know consume literally zero right-wing media and still feel much less safe out and about than we did 2-3 years ago (not to defend right-wing media in any way).

Equally anecdotally, I too have noticed a marked increase in paranoia about personal safety in other people as well.  All based on feelings too, of course.

And what are those feelings based on? Surely it's not all based on Fox News agonizing about Portland.

You tell me!  I don't know where you're getting this stuff from.  I feel just fine.

[Joe Republic]

That must have been my paranoia that saw a random person smash the glass door of the midtown bar I was in with a pipe for no apparent reason.

I'm not exactly scared for my personal safety (more so in NYC than other cities) except when I am in the subway, but there seems to be an exponential rise in mental illness that may not even lead to me being personally victimized but is just unpleasant to be around.

Crime in NYC is overrated, but certainly not in Philadelphia where school closures did immense damage, reversing decades of progress. A relief that media finally starts recognizing it.

"I saw a crime happen once!  But it happens, and I don't feel scared about crime."

Very cool, thanks! 👍

[Joe Republic]

According to the FBI UCR, the national crime rate plummeted from 1993 to 2000 (the Clinton years), dropped again from 2006 to 2014, increased from 2014-2016 [ but only back to 2010 levels ], and have stayed relatively steady since then, with minor drops in 2018-19 and a minor uptick in 2020.

Crime is no longer dropping but it's no longer the crisis it once was a generation ago.

Why bother with data and statistics when anecdotes and gut feelings that crime has surely been rising exponentially make a far more compelling case.

It's no wonder Americans have been flocking to buy guns hand over fist, when they're using the same logical reasoning that helped them conclude that "more guns = more safety".

[Joe Republic]

A lot of left-wingers need to stop downplaying the recent crime surge. It literally helps NO ONE to downplay this issue.

Crime may not be as high 30-40 years ago but that's irrelevant. That doesn't mean the current crime wave is acceptable.

Stop letting Republicans/conservatives win on this issue!

Once again, what recent crime surge?

It's possible to maintain an anti-crime standpoint without pretending we're in some kind of unprecedented crime crisis.  It's truly a shame how many Americans (of all political stripes, notably) have fallen for this hysteria.

[Joe Republic]

Are we trying to act like crime isn't a problem?

It's the same problem it was about ten years ago, just looking at the statistics.

It's rising and we should do something about that.

Source: trust me bro