Sunday, November 04, 2012

The "Poverty Causes Crime" Lie

More than a few good points in The Captain's post.

...I took this last weekend to Jocassee Gorges.  We passed all manner of poor, impoverished folk on our way, and homes that would hardly have qualified to be in the inner city of Chicago.  They would have been condemned.  But the people weren’t uninitiated or killing each other.  They all had guns, and it was bear season (with dogs), and in Greenville, Pickens and Oconee county there were more than 800 bear hunters active in the area....

And something else we've noticed:

...The recession of 2008-09 has undercut one of the most destructive social theories that came out of the 1960s: the idea that the root cause of crime lies in income inequality and social injustice. As the economy started shedding jobs in 2008, criminologists and pundits predicted that crime would shoot up, since poverty, as the “root causes” theory holds, begets criminals. Instead, the opposite happened. Over seven million lost jobs later, crime has plummeted to its lowest level since the early 1960s.  --quoting WSJ

It is noteworthy that the "poverty causes crime" thesis was propounded by a guy named Cloward.  Yes, THAT Cloward.

5 comments:

jimspice said...

So what are you suggesting DOES cause crime. Please. Be specific.

Dad29 said...

Original Sin.

Criminals cause crime. They're imperfect, just like we are. That's the result of Original Sin.

But--given the evidence at hand--it certainly ain't "poverty." That's just another excuse.

Anonymous said...

From a RELIGIOUS point view, one rooted in faith, of course it's original sin.

From a SOCIO-CULTURAL perspective, one rooted in pedagogy, science, and fact, it's poverty.

One's tribalism will dictate the position.

Dad29 said...

Actually, from a perspective rooted in historical experience and common sense, Original Sin is the only answer.

Social Science Voodoo ignores history, common sense, and evidence.

So yes, it's "tribal."

Anonymous said...

Jim Spice does not honor his debts.