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> My thesis has been that America is characterized by low levels of violence but also low social trust. Low levels of violence? Compared to whom? US ranks high
by atmosx 2y ago
> My thesis has been that America is characterized by low levels of violence but also low social trust.
Low levels of violence? Compared to whom? US ranks high in number of incarcerated citizens per 100k[^1]. There is no other "western" country in that list, for example.
[^1]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/262962/countries-with-the-most-prisoners-per-100-000-inhabitants/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/262962/countries-with-th...
- nradov 2y agoThe US is kind of like two separate countries overlaid on the same geography. Violent crime is heavily concentrated in a small number of cities. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/ https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-ci... Outside those cities, violent crime is very low and comparable to other "western" countries. It's something that people see on the news but don't personally experience. In my relatively affluent city, the homicide rate most years is zero.