The Myth of Increasing Violence

[Ozme52]

It's also been my perspective that what's been on the increase is information sharing (duh) and our fascination with "train wrecks" whether they be actual disasters or human misanthropy. There is more violence now because there are more of us in the world... but, as Ian pointed out, the rate is the same.

I make the same contention (anectdotally as I have no statistics) that the net is no more dangerous, per capita, than any other venue for meeting people. Just more of us here to prey on and therefore more predators... but no more than your local pick-up bar... and perhaps a better opportunity to weed out the wheat from the chaff because you don't have to make snap judgements.

btw... Thorne... most life expectancy figures include infant and childhood mortality dragging the numbers down for times past. I would suggest that those who made it to adulthood (13 y.o.?) lived a relatively long life.

[Thorne]

btw... Thorne... most life expectancy figures include infant and childhood mortality dragging the numbers down for times past. I would suggest that those who made it to adulthood (13 y.o.?) lived a relatively long life.

You're right, of course, in that childhood mortality would have made a big difference. But this table shows that the life expectancy at specific age groups has also increased. For example, at my age in 1904 I could have expected to live another 14 years. In 2004 that expectancy was almost 21 years. That's nearly a 10% increase!