Violence decreasing for centuries

When our Ukrainian neighbors moved into a rundown trailer a decade ago, two large dogs started running loose on our property. Oh man, we thought, more people who move to the country and let their dogs run rampant.

So we grumbled, talked to other neighbors and stewed about it for a few days. Finally I decided to say something and armed myself with a jar of homemade grape juice to “welcome” them to the neighborhood — and also kindly ask them to keep their dogs under control.

Fast-forward several years.

About eight people of all ages met me with open arms in that old trailer, turned down the blaring Russian sub-titled TV, spread out all kinds of delectable treats on the table, and we chatted for an hour about the neighborhood. They did not own dogs.

When we just talk about crime and violence and don’t do a little fact finding, things can go sour. When we discover the truth, a very different picture is often painted.

Harvard professor Steven Pinker widely researched violence a decade ago and revisited the facts in 2015. He states: “Violence has been in decline for thousands of years, and today we may be living in the most peaceable era in the existence of our species. To any headline-clicker, that answer seems false.

“The year 2015 began with the Charlie Hebdo massacre and proceeded to a failed ceasefire in Ukraine, atrocities by Islamic State and a human catastrophe in Syria that has spilled over Europe’s borders. But headlines are a poor guide to history. There will always be enough violent deaths to fill the evening news, so people’s impressions of violence will be disconnected from its actual likelihood.”

Lesson? If you feel your neighborhood is dangerous, go visit your neighbors, don’t buy a gun.

Barb Brock

Cheney