MetaChat - WTF?

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

08 October 2007

WTF? Another Monday, another killing spree story. →[More:]Another juicy steak for the press to sink their fangs into. It ticks all the boxes: gun crime, young lives cut short, the spurned lover, cops gone crazy, etc. Check out the last bit:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported last month that more than 1.4 million murders, rapes, robberies and assaults were committed around the United States last year, or a violent crime every 22 seconds.

The number of victims of violent crime in the United States last year was the equivalent of the entire population of European Union member Estonia or the African state of Gabon falling victim to murder, rape, robbery or assault.

The rate of violent crime was up by 1.9 percent compared with 2005, with murders climbing by 1.8 percent to nearly 15,000 cases last year.

They *have to* stick that in, you know. Just in case you forgot that the US is really violent.

***

I feel really bad for the families of these kids; they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the kids was only fourteen.

I am sadly reminded of an execution-style quadruple murder (with an Uzi, no less) at a prom party in my hometown shortly before we split [KOS link].

post by: chuckdarwin at: 04:02 | 13 comments

Yeah, awful. I want to know what a sheriff's deputy and a cop were doing at a party with teenagers, one of whom they were fighting over. Even if they were 20, and it's "legal", it's icky.

I guess cops have real lives, too. But sounds like there should have been more oversight.

Anyway, the Agence France-Presse writer says it's "near the Canadian border.". [map] Does he think that the UP is part of Canada? It's like 285 miles from Canada by land -- a six hour drive. Through endless pine forest, which makes it seem like nine.

Ah, a small point in the midst of tragedy.

posted by stilicho 08 October | 04:48

stilicho, maybe they were trying to paint Canada with the *Hey, North Americans love to shoot each other!* brush.

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 04:51

The number of victims of violent crime in the United States last year was the equivalent of the entire population of European Union member Estonia or the African state of Gabon falling victim to murder, rape, robbery or assault.

And the number of pregnant women in the U.S. last year was the equivalent of the entire population of Paraguay, every man, woman, and child, becoming pregnant. Or all the subscribers to World of Warcraft! All pregnant! All at once! Imagine it!

What does this mean? Nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, it's utterly meaningless and nonsensical.

I hate those weird, random "shock" statistics that are like, 'wow, this is a really big number - so big that you can't even imagine it unless we come up with some off the wall comparison that has nothing whatever to do with this subject!'

posted by taz 08 October | 05:29

Exactly, taz. This is just a WE'RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF HITS / SELL PAPERS story. "Let's caaaaaaaaaaash in on this killing. My editor said to throw in a bunch of vague/scary stats to beef it up, so I'm going to refer to another story of ours from last month!" (it's word for word, btw).

Fucking vultures.

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 06:00

Crandon is really close to my mom's hometown (and where some of my relatives live) plus my brother-in-law just got a teaching job near there.

posted by drezdn 08 October | 08:26

they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As Nick DePaolo put it: "Wrong place at the wrong time? What does that make the killer, Johnny-On-The-Spot? They were right where they were supposed to be, it's the killer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

posted by jonmc 08 October | 08:37

They were right where they were supposed to be, it's the killer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fair comment, but these old clichés always get trotted out when people die, don't they?

Here's my (probably insensitive) question: what was a 14-year-old kid doing at a party at three in the morning?

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 08:44

Here's my (probably insensitive) question: what was a 14-year-old kid doing at a party at three in the morning?

Staying out too late. It happens.

posted by jonmc 08 October | 08:45

That's some pretty bad parenting.

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 09:50

Maybe. Could be she was being disobedient and picked the wrong night to do it. Getting shot is a pretty harsh punishment for staying out late, though.

posted by jonmc 08 October | 09:55

Getting shot is a pretty harsh punishment for staying out late, though.

Yeah, I get you. I'm not trying to connect those dots. I'm saying that, as soon as I read it, I thought of the parents (for several reasons).

posted by chuckdarwin 08 October | 10:18

stilicho: I picked up on the UP/Canada thing too

posted by youngergirl44 08 October | 10:36

One thing I noticed a lot of the US news sources doing when this story came out was either ignoring the fact that the perp was an off-duty cop or couching it in language like "employee of the sheriff's office" as if they didn't want to besmirch the image of Law Enforcement. Lots of bias to go around. Every reporter/editor/publisher has a 'narrative' they try to serve, as if the News of the Day is a serialized novel.

posted by wendell 08 October | 14:18

← Back in the USA (some photos inside) || Serpent Tree →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN