π“π‘πž π…πžπšπ« 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱

-

 Are we living dangerously—or just thinking we are?

We’re told the world is drowning in violence. The truth? We’re swimming in data that proves the opposite.

In 2024, researchers stripped away the myth: homicide rates in Europe and the U.S. have nosedived since the 1970s. Yet headlines scream chaos, politicians peddle panic, and we’re left clutching our phones, convinced society is collapsing.

Why? Fear is the ultimate distraction—cheap to manufacture, priceless to control.

1. THE HIDDEN TRUTH: Violence Is Down, Fear Is Up

A. The Numbers Don’t Lie

  • Europe: Homicides halved since the 1990s (Eurostat).

  • USA: Murders dropped 50% since 1990—despite a booming population (FBI).

  • France: Still in Europe’s top 15% for homicide rates, but improved (1.8 per 100,000 in 1970 → 1.1 today, INSEE).

B. Why Violence Is Fading

  • Education: More classrooms = fewer gang recruits.

  • Demographics: Over-50s don’t brawl like teenagers.

  • Tech: Surveillance and ERs turn potential deaths into statistics.

→ We’re living in history’s safest era. So why does it feel like the opposite?

2. THE FEAR MACHINE: Who Fuels the Panic?

A. Media’s Addiction to Chaos

  • “Serial killer!” earns 10x the clicks of “Crime hits record low.”

  • Rule of TV news: If it bleeds, it leads—and bleeds ad revenue.

B. Political Opportunism

  • “Tough on crime” slogans win votes, even as crime vanishes.

  • Reality check: U.S. crime peaked in 1991—yet 60% of Americans believe it’s rising (Gallup).

C. France’s Anomaly

  • 2020–2023 saw a 25% homicide spike—but 70% tied to drug gang wars (estimated from national data).

  • Context: A localized surge ≠ societal collapse.

3. HOW TO RESIST

Violence is falling. Fear is a product. And the system depends on your panic.

Break the cycle:

  • πŸ” Fact-check the frenzy: Is that “crime wave” just 3 incidents in a city of millions?

  • 🌍 Celebrate progress: Safety isn’t sexy—but it’s real.

  • πŸ—³️ Vote for calm: Reject leaders who profit from dread.

“The greatest danger? Believing danger lurks everywhere.”


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Great Chef: Colby Garrelts

-
Image
One Great Chef: Colby Garrelts In doing a bit of research on Colby Garrelts, I found his recipe for chipped beef on toast with white gravy.   My navy guy dad called it s*** on a shingle, and my mom made it from packaged dry beef and cream of mushroom soup.   He wouldn’t eat it but we kids liked it though we couldn’t call it what he did. Colby’s recipe has 16 ingredients, and reading it, I immediately wanted to make it.   Or rather, I wanted to order it. But it did make me go buy his second cook book, Made in America .       You probably already know all of Chef Garrelts’ credentials: a 2013 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest award winner, 2005 Food & Wine’s Top 10 Best New Chefs, author of two cookbooks (with semi-finalist Outstanding Pastry Chef, wife and co-owner Megan), semi-finalist Outstanding Restaurant for Bluestem in 2018, the third time on this prestigious short list, and all kinds of showcases and awards in various mag...
Read more

Those Were the Days My Friends . . . or Wasn’t 1997 Just Yesterday?

-
Image
Let’s go back: Twenty years ago, the Kansas City restaurant world was a different place.  The Plaza had many local restaurants while downtown really wasn’t an eating destination other than daytime. The Power and Light District, the Sprint Center, the Kauffman weren’t around. The Crossroads basically didn’t exist either.  Zona Rosa wasn’t developed until 2004.  Prairiefire followed ten years later when 135th wasn’t too far South for many to even contemplate.  If you were asked back then about our restaurants, you’d probably mention only steak and barbeque – not sure we could be called a “restaurant town” like we are today. A restaurant town, according to Charles Ferruzza, acclaimed food critic here who is writing a book about “old” KC and its eateries, means that our metro area has “a lively, varied and interesting selection of independently-operated restaurants, upscale chain restaurants, and ethnic dining that go beyond the traditional.”  We did certainly ha...
Read more

Restaurants with a Past – The Back Story

-
Image
Behind the kitchen, beneath the dining room, before the present You sit down, perhaps at a white-garbed table, perhaps not.  Maybe the walls are old bricks, maybe they’re sheathed in drywall.   You enjoy the ambiance, whatever it is, and perhaps even remark on some of the accoutrements – the flowers on the table, say, an unusual picture, perhaps even the bar and its lighting. Sitting there, you’re probably unlikely to ponder the history of your location.  But, as you await your drink, take a moment to think about where you are eating.  You may be surprised to learn some of the history behind a few of our eateries.    Dining at Union Station Let’s start with one you may know about, Pierpont’s in Union Station.  You probably have admired their bar and the elegant dining room, but what you may not know  is that the restaurant’s three story structure originally housed the women’s smoking room (gasp!) and the women and children...
Read more