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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Subway sheep, facts/statistics
Message-ID: <512@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 08:48:58 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxl.512
Posted: Thu Mar  7 08:48:58 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Mar-85 04:02:43 EST
References: <3441@alice.UUCP>
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I agree with jj's attempt to consider various factors which affect
an individual's actual risk of being murdered on the subway in
a given year.  It would be interesting to compare this risk to that
in driving an auto and other activities.
*This* is the kind of analysis that the media *should* have engaged in
when discussing the Goetz case and the risks of riding the subways.
Unfortunately they have not considered the actual facts or the extent
of the problem whatsoever.  I have no idea how many people ride
the subway every day, which times murders tend to occur (tho it 
undoubtedly is *much* more likely at night: but how much?), how many
people report robberies, or estimates of how many robberies there are
that go unreported.  Nor do I know how many murders that do occur
in the subway involve robbery attempts and how many are between
husband and wife, drug gangs, etc. which are not really relevant
to most people.  If I am not involved in drug dealing then unless I
happen to get hit by a stray bullet I am much less concerned with killings
which revolve around drug dealing.  Certainly we all must be concerned
whenever anyone's life is taken but such murders probably do not put
my own life at risk.
 
Why are the media more concerned about whether one person ate a baloney
sandwich before shooting 4 alleged assailants than they are about
assessing the actual risk in the subway for the average citizen?
 
I think the media's coverage of this incident is typical of the way
they become obsessed with a narrow-minded peculiar incident rather
than intelligently analyzing or debating the broader issues involved.
By sensationalizing the incident they have only invoked people's
emotions and not really informed us whatsoever.
 
So far, this has been the only hard fact of general significance I
have seen in the media on the whole issue.
            
        "You may lie with statistics, but anecdotes are
             like consorting with Prostitution of the Truth!"
       tim sevener   whuxl!orb