I agree with Ant's position on guns and I don't know if this website is left/right leaning. The article basically says that the definition of a violent crime is very different in the UK than in the US, that's why there are more crimes considered violent in the UK.
When the article does attempt a calculation based on a broadly comparable definition of violent crimes, the UK has twice as much than the US (775 per 100,000 versus 383).
But 2:1 wasn't really enough for an article that did seem keen to keep the needle slammed hard against false, so it decides that no crime statistics anywhere are worth the paper they're written on, so even if you do find a difference somewhere in your research you've not to put any weight to it. Which is certainly one way of going about things, but if criminology and the social sciences do want to be regarded as real science, they're going to have to make a measurement at some point.
I cannot believe they said false. All of their own research supported truth. All they said is it's difficult to define some crimes, and some people don't report crimes, so false.
That's the trouble with exaggerating claims. The point is correct, but it gets thrown out with the bathwater because people want to make a bigger impact.
tl;dr- the claim as it is stated IS false, even though the point behind it is correct.
Did you read the whole article though, they found the claim to be true. Their independent research confirmed it, but to a slightly lesser extent. They have done everything they can with statistics and facts. Then they use their personal opinion/conjecture and say false. They are supposed to be the objective truth, but they basically just said it doesn't feel right in my gut.
8 comments
5 [deleted] 2013-10-17
I agree with Ant's position on guns and I don't know if this website is left/right leaning. The article basically says that the definition of a violent crime is very different in the UK than in the US, that's why there are more crimes considered violent in the UK.
3 creep_boot 2013-10-17
When the article does attempt a calculation based on a broadly comparable definition of violent crimes, the UK has twice as much than the US (775 per 100,000 versus 383).
But 2:1 wasn't really enough for an article that did seem keen to keep the needle slammed hard against false, so it decides that no crime statistics anywhere are worth the paper they're written on, so even if you do find a difference somewhere in your research you've not to put any weight to it. Which is certainly one way of going about things, but if criminology and the social sciences do want to be regarded as real science, they're going to have to make a measurement at some point.
3 whatisthishere 2013-10-17
I cannot believe they said false. All of their own research supported truth. All they said is it's difficult to define some crimes, and some people don't report crimes, so false.
1 nochinzilch 2013-10-17
That's the trouble with exaggerating claims. The point is correct, but it gets thrown out with the bathwater because people want to make a bigger impact.
tl;dr- the claim as it is stated IS false, even though the point behind it is correct.
1 whatisthishere 2013-10-17
Did you read the whole article though, they found the claim to be true. Their independent research confirmed it, but to a slightly lesser extent. They have done everything they can with statistics and facts. Then they use their personal opinion/conjecture and say false. They are supposed to be the objective truth, but they basically just said it doesn't feel right in my gut.
1 [deleted] 2013-10-17
Even if you only count the assaults that result in serious injury, Scotland and England are 1st and 3rd in the Western world, while the US 16th.
1 Danielson799 2013-10-17
"British newspapers". You get your info from the post?
1 LarryNozowitz 2013-10-17
Ant takes everything at face value & won't question it if it fits his world view. Loser.