The American Right seems keen to promote the notion of a serious crime wave and it's now taken for granted by those within the movement and among those who regularly digest its media. But is it true?
There was something of this when Obama was president and it was certainly revived under the Biden administration and has now reached a kind of frenzy. In my quiet rural area, I know of women afraid to walk down the road out of fear of immigrants and crime. We're talking about roads that sometimes might not see a passing car for hours and there are virtually no immigrants in this area. The whole thing is ridiculous and sad but it's what FOX et al. has done to them. They are in the grip of irrational fear.
The real picture of crime is somewhat complicated but it's safe to say the notion of a crime wave has been hyped.
Some metrics indicate an increase in crime but when compared to rates of just a couple of decades ago – crime is still way down and especially violent crimes. There was an uptick for a couple of years in conjunction with the Covid pandemic but even then compared to years past, the numbers were not extreme. While some violent crime statistics have remained high in certain sections, in others they've dropped. Interestingly burglary today is at but a fraction of what it was back in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
One could speak at this point about crime and violence in general in the United States compared to Western Europe, but for this discussion we can just speak of the US in self-referential terms.
I know people who visited New York City back in the 1980's and 1990's without fear and yet tremble at the thought of doing so today. But the statistics indicate it was much more dangerous back then – let alone back in the 1970's. But you didn't have FOX back then and the GOP wasn't pushing this issue so hard – and always in connection with both immigration and calls to reform the bail-bond system.
In terms of numbers, New York City averaged around 1500 murders a year in the 1970s and 80's – reaching over 2000 a year into the early 1990s.
By 2017 and 2018, New York was down to under 300 a year – still appalling to be sure, but by all accounts a dramatic drop, a process that began in the 1990's.
The fact that in the early 2020s it's gone back into the high 400s – does this really justify the present fear campaign? It's completely misleading – not to mention deliberate and self-serving.
Some cities have experienced an increase in things like shoplifting but at the same time some in the retail industry have admitted that they're using this as a justification, an excuse, to cut costs – decreasing hours, changing the nature of displays and like, all to cut back on the costs of labour. In other cases they're closing profitable stores but ones that were lagging behind – in order to boost stock prices and the numbers in quarterly reports. These stores weren't necessarily losing money but they weren't making enough to keep the people at the top happy. It's sheer greed. They don't care about lost jobs and hurt communities and they hide their greed behind the curtain of fear using bait and switch tactics. Blame it on the hooligans and riff-raff – not on the desire to line their pockets.
Inflation is certainly playing a part in the crime uptick and while the Right has condemned the inflation, the truth is the corporate sector has gotten used to low interest rates and lots of free money – and people have benefitted from this in their portfolios and 401k's. They complain about the day to day but they're actually making out. Those of us without portfolios and investment-retirement accounts are not. And any savings people might have are being reduced in value.
The Federal Reserve has attempted to bring some balance and the result is economic pain – largely passed on to the consumer of course. Without some room to work, the Fed will not be able to counter another downturn, which is why once inflation is under control – they may not cut interest rates simply to 'pump' the economy. The want to prepare for the next crisis which is inevitable and as bad as all this is, these tools are better than what was available in the past. One thinks of 1929 for example.
None of this is to suggest the fiscal system is sound or moral, nor would I want to endorse it for a moment, but it's the system that presently exists and as such (within its framework) the Fed's actions are not irrational. Rationality should not be equated with morality in this case. The rationality is internal to the system and its assumptions. The answer isn't to fix it (it's not possible) or to adopt the maxim – if you can't beat them, then join them. That also is not an option. The best course is to divest and live as pilgrims – as much as is possible in this capitalist economy that seeks to make us all debt slaves. I'll pay the criminals their usury but I'm not going to be one of them and thus justify their crimes – their sins.
The end result of all this has been inflation and we've all felt it. But what's not talked about is how the inflation has wiped out any gains made by the workforce in terms of wages. Pay has gone up to be sure, but the gains have been effectively canceled out by the inflation. In the meantime many other social disparities have increased. There are many people struggling and yet the Upper Middle Class and the tiers immediately above it, have more money than ever before. And, the working class and especially the working poor are at or beyond the breaking point.
When people have nothing to lose – they will turn to crime.
There is also a large underclass of people living on subsidies – welfare, disability, and the like. They have been crushed by inflation. None of this excuses a rise in crime but it shouldn't surprise us. While many of them cannot elaborate on their cynicism, they nevertheless sense the corruption by means of intuition and experience. Their cynicism is actually justified – even if their response is not.
The kind of 'Flash Mob' smash-and-grab shoplifting episodes are something new – a development made possible by the growth of social media.
It is safe to say there are serious problems in this society. Who can doubt it? There are issues with crime – many of which are related to larger and often complicated questions and dynamics.
A debate is needed. Laws and policies need to be reviewed. The bail system is corrupt and crushes the poor and yet it's clear that the kind of sweeping removal of it in some cases has been disastrous.
But the fear campaign of the Right and outlets like FOX is disingenuous and motivated far more by politics than anything to do with facts or a desire to really fix the problems. Political points are being scored – and the solutions offered are little more than ear-tickling slogans that have little to do with reality or genuine reform.
Fear is a powerful thing, and as astonishing as it is to say, the American public has not yet understood how it can be used and what it can lead to. One would think after the many wars, false alarms, and cyclical episodes within society people would reflect a little and learn something. But remember the system itself and the powerful media machine that serves it have sought to inhibit such thinking by means of slogan-safeguards and mass distraction. One need only pull up a news feed or watch the 'nightly news' info-tainment shows to understand that the public is far more interested in product marketing, pop culture, sports, and feel-good human interest stories than any kind of actual reporting or reflection on the fundamentals of the system. For others the diet is one of anger and fear – coupled with the product information, pop culture, sports, and maybe the occasional feel-good story.
Either way the gatekeepers atop the institutions of society do all they can to make sure no one of standing ever dares to challenge the system or plant questions in the heads of the public that might lead them to do so. And if you think someone like Bernie Sanders is challenging the system – then you've bought the line they're selling.
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