After reading an article on Fear (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~riin/culture/fear.htm) I responded with the following essay:
Fear? Or is it something else?
I think Riin Gill made a lot of good points in her (I'm assuming its a her) article on Fear. There are some things she talked about that I can totally relate to and can see why she feels how she does.
I don't know any of my neighbors and when I am tempted to reach out to them I have a hard time doing it. I am afraid, a little bit, but there are other reasons.
I am lazy. I am busy. I've been taught that anonymity is better. "Choose your friends wisely", "Don't go anywhere alone", "Meet strangers in public places." This is what I was taught growing up.
I've seen way too many movies. Lots of graphic movies. I don't feel that this has caused me to be afraid of strangers. I do follow certain rules of safety, but most of my reserve is simple laziness. If technology has cursed us, it is with ease and abundance. I can get to know strangers if I choose to take the time. I have, but not that often.
I disagree that we are becoming socially introvert simply because we're being scared into seclusion by exaggerated media content. Yes, the media does focus on sensational stories, but we're in denial if we think violence is uncommon. Riin says, "People are more afraid of violent crime than ever before, even though rates of violent crime are the lowest they've been in years." Violent crime rates are certainly down from what they were in the '70s and '80s, but they are FAR from low.
The US's population hasn't even doubled since 1960. Over the course of the 1950s computers and television were invented and by the '60s approximately 90% of Americans owned at least one television set. The first video game came out in 1962.
Between 1960 and 2009 homicides went from 4.6 (per 100,000 people) to 9.6 in 1975 and then back down to 4.5. Violent crimes and property violation went up also but did not decrease quite so well.
In 1960 the violent crime rate was 160.9. In 2009 it was 429.4. We have approximately 350% more crimes today than we did in 1960.
I lived in Spokane for a while and while staying there two of my closest friends had their car windows smashed and things stolen. Crime is not a televised illusion. It is very real.
I wonder if Riin Gill took into consideration the lack of statistical coverage in her younger years? Maybe there was more crime happening than she was aware of? Also, its important to look at statistics and not just assume that crime is caused by watching television or bad parenting. We shouldn't just assume that News Reports are making a big deal out of nothing. We shouldn't assume that people aren't connecting because they're afraid.
Technology is a tool of convenience for some of us, but for a criminal, technology is information, opportunity and equipment. Illegal substances are migrating across the globe. The internet has become a hideout for stalkers and scam artists. With every new advancement, we have to be able to deal with the consequences and learn new ways of surviving the present day world. Change happens. It isn't good or bad, it just is.
Back in the "good ol' days" we had to make certain efforts to reach out to each other. Efforts that we don't have to make now because we have so many new innovations. Maybe we're making excuses by calling our paralysis "fear". Maybe we're just lazy.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~riin/culture/fear.htm
http://www.fashion-era.com/1950s/1950s_9_timeline_chart.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960s
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_history_of_the_United_States)
