Responding to the responses to my response

[andrewducker]

With advice from octopoid_horror, surliminal, random_redhead and others, here are some more questions. There seemed to be a feeling that I wasn't placing things into a wider context, getting the other side of the story, etc. and hopefully this will get it out of my head so I can stop annoying you with more thoughts on the subject and return to pictures of kittens snuggling up to squid.

[Poll #1223236]

Comments

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly sure that last time I saw statistics being bandied about in the news, it was 18-24 year old men who were most at risk of being mugged in the street, and as I was discussing with Andy today, the biggest group of people at risk of being stabbed are those who (on other days) are likely to be the ones doing the stabbing.

But those aren't the stories that make the news, as you say. Two teenagers in a gang stabbing each other is one story, or two drunk blokes having a fight is another but one teenager in a gang knifing an old lady for her pension or a drunken football hooligan beating up a father taking his son to the match are much more likely stories for a tabloid to make a fuss about.

There was an interesting article a while back in one of the broadsheets about just how likely people think some crimes are, compared to the reality (statistics on plane crashes and relative safety are probably a good analogy here)

But then, it's still uncomfortable for anyone getting abuse in the street, whether or not it's statistically likely to become an actual assault.