Steven Pinker wrote in Better Angels of our Nature that the world is becoming less violent over the last sixty-some years. This assertion is counter-intuitive given the if-it-bleeds-it-leads news reporting in newspapers and TV. Pinker is a scientist and offers strong evidence and statistical analysis to back his claim.
So why are we more afraid?
Parents won’t let their kids walk to school for fear they’d be kidnapped.
We have alarm systems and security cameras everywhere.
Our criminal justice system has responded with tougher sentencing like Three Strikes in California.
Thousands are in prison as a result of the “War on Drugs”.
Has it helped? Are we actually safer than we feel? Do we pay too high a price to combat what might be an illusion of greater danger? There is only so much money and could it be better spent on education and prevention programs?
What do you think?
