Bowling for Columbine (Here we go again)

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-29 08:45pm

As I said before, the worst towns in the country are all low-pop towns. There are a lot of sleepy little communities where nothing ever happens, to be sure, but that doesn't change the fact that the assumption that one must be safer in the country than in the city is an illusion. Just as there are bad small towns and good ones, there are bad and good parts of cities, and if you stay out of the bad parts, you really have nothing to worry about. Just like staying away from Fairfield, Alabama.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-09-29 09:11pm

I'm surprised the figures for Minneapolis, MN are so high, but the figures I'm looking at are from the late 90s, and Minneapolis had an influx of gang violence during that period. The murder rate in particular (the page shows average rate 1994-99) is affected by the "Murderapolis" spike in 1995, when the city had a record-shattering 96 murders - a record not seen before, nor approached since (if the present rate holds, it should be 9.69 per hundred thousand residents this year).

Minneapolis, it should be mentioned, is a Group I city with a population of 382,000.

Post by **Coyote** » 2003-09-29 11:08pm

Actually, if I may butt in a bit here, I have become increasingly of the opinion that America does not actually have as big a race problem as we think we do-- what we have is more of a class or economic problem, and it happens that certain races tend to be more or less prevalent within those classes. Poor, inner-city whites are as likely to turn to crime as blacks or Hipanics.

And of course all races have affluent 'thrill-seeker' gangs of violent youth who are just bored rich kids looking for trouble.

And in regards to the armed citizentry being a deterrenbt against government, take lessons from Mao-- the guerrilla can only survive it he (or she these days) is supported within the sea of the people-- ie, if the guerrilla represents a popular idea among the people. If the US government were to become some Nazi or Soviet style totalist government, then yes, the NRA and other citizens would fight and that would be recognized as a righteous fight by many.

OTOH, nutcase citizens who try to defy a valid government that (while flawed) has the backing of the average people will be viewed as terrorists. The American people have not yet been pressed so hard that they feel armed revolution is the only answer-- right now, only whack groups seek armed conflict with the gov't.

I personally feel that the NRA's rhetoric about an armed populace being a safeguard for the nation is believble only in the event of a US totalitarian regime. If that is indeed the case much of the military structure would conceivbly join in resistance against an evil totalist despot in the White House. But armed citizens equipped with far fewer and worse weapons have created deep grief for powerful, standing armies, such as in Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Lebanon. It cannot stop an occupation, but it can make life miserable for the occupiers-- and dead soldiers can be looted for more effective weapons.

The comparison between American NRA members and Iraqi weapon owners is not exactly a valid comparison, since both groups come from radically different cultures that interpret their 'rights' differently, and come from various historical contexts. Arabs are not 'just like us' in their ways of looking at things.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-29 11:15pm

Coyote wrote:I personally feel that the NRA's rhetoric about an armed populace being a safeguard for the nation is believble only in the event of a US totalitarian regime. If that is indeed the case much of the military structure would conceivbly join in resistance against an evil totalist despot in the White House. But armed citizens equipped with far fewer and worse weapons have created deep grief for powerful, standing armies, such as in Afghanistan, Vietnam, and Lebanon. It cannot stop an occupation, but it can make life miserable for the occupiers-- and dead soldiers can be looted for more effective weapons.

The comparison between American NRA members and Iraqi weapon owners is not exactly a valid comparison, since both groups come from radically different cultures that interpret their 'rights' differently, and come from various historical contexts. Arabs are not 'just like us' in their ways of looking at things.

The analogy is still better than comparing the uncontested erosion of personal rights in the USA (under the guise of "national security") with examples of foreign armies invading and occupying a sovereign nation's land.

aronkerkhof · Post by **aronkerkhof** » 2003-09-30 12:02am

There are a lot of sleepy little communities where nothing ever happens, to be sure, but that doesn't change the fact that the assumption that one must be safer in the country than in the city is an illusion.

If only someone had told Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and Ned Beatty all this before they planned that boating trip.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-30 12:10am

aronkerkhof wrote:
There are a lot of sleepy little communities where nothing ever happens, to be sure, but that doesn't change the fact that the assumption that one must be safer in the country than in the city is an illusion.
If only someone had told Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and Ned Beatty all this before they planned that boating trip.

AAAUUUGGHHHH!!! Bad mental images!!! BAD! BAD! GO AWAY!!!!!!

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-09-30 12:12am

Darth Wong wrote:
aronkerkhof wrote:
There are a lot of sleepy little communities where nothing ever happens, to be sure, but that doesn't change the fact that the assumption that one must be safer in the country than in the city is an illusion.
If only someone had told Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and Ned Beatty all this before they planned that boating trip.
AAAUUUGGHHHH!!! Bad mental images!!! BAD! BAD! GO AWAY!!!!!!

Mike quick!! Squeal like a pig!! It makes it go away.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2003-09-30 08:14am

I live outside a small town, far out from any real civilization, there's 12 houses in this "village", it's very safe here, the nearest population centre would be about 15km away where there might be 7-900 people something.
I find this place to be exceedingly safe compared to the Vasa(a 50k city) for example, your more likely to meet an Elk than a criminal.

Symmetry · Post by **Symmetry** » 2003-09-30 09:20pm

SirNitram wrote:Wow! Did you know, you're also statistically more likely to roll five 6's in a row if you throw the dice 20 times instead of just five?!

Not if you roll 10 sided dice the first time and 40 sided dice the second.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2003-10-01 12:07am

His Divine Shadow wrote:I live outside a small town, far out from any real civilization, there's 12 houses in this "village", it's very safe here, the nearest population centre would be about 15km away where there might be 7-900 people something.
I find this place to be exceedingly safe compared to the Vasa(a 50k city) for example, your more likely to meet an Elk than a criminal.

But, then again, you live in Finland, one of the coolest countries in the world.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-10-01 12:19pm

Stravo wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:
aronkerkhof wrote: If only someone had told Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, and Ned Beatty all this before they planned that boating trip.
AAAUUUGGHHHH!!! Bad mental images!!! BAD! BAD! GO AWAY!!!!!!

Mike quick!! Squeal like a pig!! It makes it go away.

I don't know anyone who has seen that and not come away mentally scarred from seeing Ned Beatty in whitey-tighties