Saturday, April 12, 2008

Growing Trend of Violence?

I hate it when the new tries to scare people with statements like this, "It is an alarming trend of rising violence."

To put things in perspective we used to fight with saber-tooth tigers for dinner.

Bludended each other with hand axes and then kidnapped and raped the survivors of villages.
Does anyone remember slavery? That was probably an alarming trend of rising violence for Africans.
The inquisition?
Witch hunts?
Crusades?
Sacking of Rome?
China at the hands of the Japaneses?
Holocaust?
Any world war?
The whole sale slaughter of the American Indians?
Rwanda?
Congo?
Pick an African Country?

I wonder what Fox News is using as their starting point to determine that the level of violence is on an alarming upward trend? From a historical point of view it seems to be quite the opposite...or at least par for course for a violent species.

That is unless you are an Iraqi civilian or get your news from Fox 9.

6 comments:

Erin said...

Very astute Brian!! I guess I never really thought of it that way... huh, but I guess you do always make me think don't ya, lol.

Rocketstar said...

We are a culture of FEAR

Dem Soldier said...

Just what Rocket said.

U see, the media's only goal is to make money...simple. To do that they have to have viewers to watch them and the only way we can pay attention from our daily activities is by fear, always remaining us dangers out there-college student missing, rape happening ever-where they say, put fear on parents that children are bing killed, U see they act like this is new...but surely what they don't tell us is that humans have killed each other and acted like and worse way than this for-ever..but telling us that will make them going...$less.

JLee said...

I hate those blanket statements too and think it can become self fulfilling prophecy.

Mitchie said...

You should look into George Gerbner... his cultivation theory is based on this exactly.

... and reinforces everything my mother ever said about television rotting my brain, in essence.

Although... Ted Turner (via Colbert segment) IS speculating cannibalism within our lifetime. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.

Jessica said...

I think I heard Meredith Viera use that very phrase "In a rising trend of violence..." on this morning's Today Show. As a former reporter it chaps my ass when news outlets forget they're not permitted an opinion.

(found you through JLee)