Has Violence Declined?

Friday
2/3/2012
9:00 AM

Veronica Rueckert - 120203D After nine, psychologist Steven Pinker joins Veronica Rueckert to discuss his claim that we're actually living in the most nonviolent time in human history. (Rebroadcast from 10/7/2011)

Guest: Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University. Author, "The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature," and most recently, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

The WTS won't quote this guy.................

Londo111

Violence has Declined? Peace and Security!

ScenicViewer

He says,

"People confuse a data point with a trend," in reference to the 20th Century violence of WWI and WWII.

He goes on to explain that those two spikes in violence were temporary and did not lead to a trend in violence. He makes sense.

Watchtower will always look at isolated episodes of violence to try to makes it's case that it is on the increase.

Also significnat is the fact that when there is an episode of violence it is replayed over and over in the media, giving the impression that there is more violence than there really is.

james_woods

Watchtower will always look at isolated episodes of violence to try to makes it's case that it is on the increase.

Same with earthquakes - which have been going on for eons, but without 24hr video of them.

No Room For George

The Watchtower is always looking for the worst in everything, including their own followers. Heck one might even say they scrutinize with more intent than usual, when looking for some percieved flaw in their pew. Sad to say that same outlook gets passed on to JWs so that all they look for is the bad in life. Classic case of forcing one's perception to fit their belief system no matter how antiquated or backwards it may be.

There's an older sister in my field service group that resides in a High Rise located within not the greatest of neighborhoods. Every time I visit to check in on her and drop off her magazines/KM/etc, all she does is talk about the violence. She even goes so far as to tell me which way I should drive home because the way I go is too violent. The best part about it to me is, when I was younger I used to hang in this same neighborhood as I had some JW and nonJW friends there, and it was without any doubt more violent then. The gang that was running things in that neighborhood during those days, terrorized that community and flooded it with dope and guns. They got too big for their britches and got hit with RICO charges. As a result, the neighborhood while still not being the ideal place to live, is not remotely as bad it was during my teens and early twenties. Yet let this woman tell it, it's Beirut.

My dad is the same way, and lately its to the point where I hate to even call him because all he wants to talk about is the violence and how its everywhere. He's like a broken record anymore.

Has Violence Declined?

blondie

Londo111

ScenicViewer

james_woods

No Room For George

darthfader

Flat_Accent

Joliette

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