While there was more violence and crime then, normal people seem entirely unhinged now. Maybe it’s just the news but back then I would have trusted neighbors and feared crime whereas today the neighbors seem scary (at least in certain parts of the country. That doesn’t generally happen here)
Didnt the media report on crime in the 80s and 90s, too? I mean with the incredible amount of crime happening back then (at one point New York City had 2000 murders a year, while today it is closer to 200 or 250) they could have made it a fuckload more sensational. How the fuck did greatly reduced crime translate to more media sensation?
In the 80s, most people got their news from broadcast network news shows or newspapers. CNN only just started in 1980. The Fairness Doctrine wasn’t eliminated until 1987. Fox News didn’t start until 1996.
There wasn’t ever a need for a 24x7 news channel. There still isn’t, but we have multiple 24x7 news networks. They have to blow things out of proportion like never before to try to get viewers.
While there was more violence and crime then, normal people seem entirely unhinged now. Maybe it’s just the news but back then I would have trusted neighbors and feared crime whereas today the neighbors seem scary (at least in certain parts of the country. That doesn’t generally happen here)
Statistically, it is just being blown out of proportion by the media. No one sells ad space by reporting that nothing terrible happened again today.
Ignore the stories you’ve heard about things happening “somewhere”, and think about what’s happened on your street.
Your neighborhood may be a cesspool of violence and death, but the smart bet is that it’s just as peaceful and boring as mine.
Didnt the media report on crime in the 80s and 90s, too? I mean with the incredible amount of crime happening back then (at one point New York City had 2000 murders a year, while today it is closer to 200 or 250) they could have made it a fuckload more sensational. How the fuck did greatly reduced crime translate to more media sensation?
News reporting was different then.
In the 80s, most people got their news from broadcast network news shows or newspapers. CNN only just started in 1980. The Fairness Doctrine wasn’t eliminated until 1987. Fox News didn’t start until 1996.
There wasn’t ever a need for a 24x7 news channel. There still isn’t, but we have multiple 24x7 news networks. They have to blow things out of proportion like never before to try to get viewers.
You answered your own question with your last sentence.