| The Imaginary Epidemic of Children's Violence | | | | declining. It can't do both at the same time |
| For the past few years, we have been | | | | in the same place. Of course, the above |
| endlessly hearing about the epidemic of | | | | paragraph states the truth, that the crime |
| children's violence. The series of random | | | | rate is dropping. However, if you want to |
| school shootings that has hit our nation has | | | | feel it is going up, then check the news |
| made this epidemic an indelible part of our | | | | frequently. You are bound to find a |
| consciousness. In this same period, | | | | satisfying fill of violent incidents |
| government statistics have been showing that | | | | funnelled from the wide world into the |
| contrary to the common perception, violence | | | | receptors of your TVs, radios, and computers. |
| has been on a steady decline. Amazingly, even | | | | With six billion people on the planet, there |
| with all the deaths and injuries resulting | | | | is no shortage of incidents to keep you |
| from the school shootings, there have been | | | | entertained all day long. That doesn't change |
| fewer casualties on school grounds from year | | | | the fact that your chance of actually |
| to year. The reason violence among children | | | | witnessing violence is negligible. Why, then, |
| seems like an epidemic is that the same | | | | the intellectual dishonesty? How can |
| incident, plastered for days-on-end on | | | | educated, intelligent people whose purported |
| billions of newspapers, radios, and TV | | | | goal is to enhance our well-being be |
| screens tremendously magnifies its effect. | | | | fostering hysteria about a non-existent |
| Despite this magnification, one murder, | | | | epidemic? Shouldn't the responsible thing be |
| tragic as it is, is still one murder. Though | | | | to calmly remind our citizens that there is |
| the "epidemic" of children's violence is only | | | | no epidemic of violence? Don't our citizens |
| an illusion, it is still being written about | | | | deserve to be told that that, at current |
| by intelligent people as though the epidemic | | | | shooting rates, a child can expect to have to |
| is a real one. Though most people can't | | | | go to school for fifteen thousand years in |
| recall the last time they actually witnessed | | | | order to be present during a random shooting? |
| a true fight, they are convinced that we are | | | | The answer, of course, is money. After |
| in the midst of an epidemic and that we | | | | Columbine, the Federal government alone gave |
| should be taking up arms against the causes | | | | grants of hundreds of millions of dollars to |
| of this epidemic. Books by the dozen are | | | | organizations that could claim they have |
| being published dealing with the epidemic of | | | | something to offer to combat the "epidemic" |
| violence, and our magazines and newspapers | | | | of school violence. With money like that |
| ceaselessly make mention of this epidemic. | | | | available, do you think people are going to |
| The following excerpt from a handout | | | | sit around with arms folded and think, "Sure, |
| distributed by an organization called | | | | that's a lot of money, but I'll let some |
| Prepare, Inc., is a typical example of the | | | | other people take it." Of course not! So, as |
| way this epidemic is written about: We live | | | | can be expected, organizations experienced in |
| in a society that grows ever more violent. | | | | filling out grant proposals got their share. |
| While it may be true that the overall crime | | | | The problem for the public is that the |
| rate in the United States on a nationwide | | | | organizations need to justify themselves by |
| basis has dropped in recent years, one need | | | | attacking the growing epidemic of school |
| only watch the news broadcasts or pickup a | | | | violence. There is no such epidemic? No |
| newspaper or log onto the Internet to hear of | | | | problem! We'll create an illusion. It's not |
| daily shootings, assaults or other violations | | | | exactly the truth? So what! It can't hurt |
| of our safety. Let's make up our minds. | | | | anybody. Back to Top You Can Help! |
| Either violence is growing, or it is | | | | |