Posted on 08/06/2005 4:13:41 PM PDT by neverdem
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rate of family violence in this country has dropped by more than half since 1993. I've been trying to figure out why.
A lot of the credit has to go to the people who have been quietly working in this field: to social workers who provide victims with counseling and support; to women's crisis centers, which help women trapped in violent relationships find other places to live; to police forces and prosecutors, who are arresting more spouse-beaters and putting them away.
The Violence Against Women Act, which was passed in 1994, must have also played a role, focusing federal money and attention.
But all of these efforts are part of a larger story. The decline in family violence is part of a whole web of positive, mutually reinforcing social trends. To put it in old-fashioned terms, America is becoming more virtuous. Americans today hurt each other less than they did 13 years ago. They are more likely to resist selfish and shortsighted impulses. They are leading more responsible, more organized lives. A result is an improvement in social order across a range of behaviors.
The decline in domestic violence is of a piece with the decline in violent crime over all. Violent crime over all is down by 55 percent since 1993 and violence by teenagers has dropped an astonishing 71 percent, according to the Department of Justice.
The number of drunken driving fatalities has declined by 38 percent since 1982, according to the Department of Transportation, even though the number of vehicle miles traveled is up 81 percent. The total consumption of hard liquor by Americans over that time has declined by over 30 percent.
Teenage pregnancy has declined by 28 percent since its peak in 1990. Teenage births are down...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Virtue is its own reward.
the Times does not seem to include general criminal incarceration in its calculus.
#7: Make love not war?
Bury the dead.
Thank you!
You're welcome. The technical term is "the corporal works of mercy."
No, a lot of the credit DOESN'T have to go to any of these feel-good, do-nothing agencies.
The Violence Against Women Act, which was passed in 1994, must have also played a role
No, it needn't have played ANY role.
But all of these efforts are part of a larger story. The decline in family violence is part of a whole web of positive, mutually reinforcing social trends. To put it in old-fashioned terms, America is becoming more virtuous.
If -- and that's highly debatable -- this is true, it is due in no part whatsoever to the corrosive amorality of the Left. Any scintilla of virtue Americans are finding today comes from the hard-hearted, old-fashioned, "mean-spirited" Right. You know, the group that has ALWAYS preached virtue, honesty, and integrity, then actually made an effort to live up to its ideals?
The median age for Americans continues to creep upward. As we age we get less rebellious and less violent and crimes diminish. We also are becoming more affluent, and with rising living standards crime goes down. Don't expect the Slimes or their stable of feverish "social scientists" to notice, however.
in other words this country is trending to the values of conservatism instead of liberalism and it is making for a better society
God is the author of virtue. In God We Trust.
Doesn't play into the media template.
No, only to government waste.
Would it be to care for orphans and widows?
Just a guess.
What is virtue? The question comes up in philosophy classes and they never seem to get around to an answer. The word in Greek is arete, which has come down to modern English as arighty, or aright. Virtue is virility in the sense of manly strength, skill, and courage. Aright.
bury the dead
OTOH, why bother writing a story if you're just guessing? My guess: Less tolerance for domestic violence leads to locking up more offenders. They can't repeat from jail.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.