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Boy, 11, shot dead after playing doorbell-ringing prank in Houston, police say
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2025
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"Why don't kids play anymore"
Once saw a mother with kids in her car, drive past another group of kids playing soccer in the street. She's sped past them yelling, "next time I'll just run you idiots over!" (not a busy street at all!) maybe one car every 10 min. Those kids don't play soccer any more.
There was more violent deaths in children in the 70s, 80's, and early 90's, than there is today, even though there's over 100,000,000 more people in the US than there was in 1980. Kids are safer. People like you just think it's worse because now it's blasted all over the news and internet for you to see anytime something like this happens.
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.
You know nothing about me.
I'm aware that violent crime against children is down significantly over the last few decades. But have you considered that the same news reporting allowing us to see these stories, also allows parents and children to see them? Could that possibly have an effect on children's behavior? You're ignorant and overconfident. Blocked.
Yeah. I definitely mean people like you.
Not only was there more child murder back then, but they were less likely to be solved. Do you remember the whole missing kids on milk cartons? It started when a paperboy was abducted and never seen again. Also whoever did it completely disappeared, too. The police didn't have any leads or suspects.
In the 90s it was the same thing. You know the Amber alert? It was named after a girl who was kidnapped and murdered. Her killer was never found. Not a single suspect interrogated, either. Some DNA did surface in 2022 or so, but that didn't lead to any suspects either.