What's Really Dangerous?

For anyone who knows me or has read my posts you already know this issue is one of my pet peeves. I don't know if it is because I have always watched the news, read a lot or if it is because of my training, career, and tendency to look at things logically. 

I find it funny or maybe I should say ironic how we view certain dangers in our society. A friend just posted a heartfelt story on Facebook about a child who fell off a riding lawn mower and had severe damage to his feet when the mower ran over them. I don't want to make light of that danger, although the story seemed manufactured to me, but exactly how many kids are injured each year when they fall off a lawn mower driven by an adult or older teen? People are horrified by this story, quick to blame the adults in the situation and agree that children should never be allowed anywhere near a riding mower let alone on it. Now, these same horrified people have no problem putting those same defenseless kids into their cars and driving 80 mph on the freeway, running a stop sign, failing to have proper child seats or using the ones we have. Let's think for just a minute, how many kids have their feet damaged in lawnmower accidents versus how many are injured or killed in automobile accidents? 

There are thousands of other examples of this kind of thinking. We are scared of our kids catching Ebola from someone miles away in a different state yet we don't see the danger in failing to immunize those same kids against all the diseases that are now preventable. We skip annual flu shots for them too. 

We are irate at GM for producing a faulty ignition switch that may have contributed to the deaths of a handful of people yet we will drive while impaired by alcohol, drugs or other conditions. Maybe we'll put off getting those new tires or new brakes. 

Many parents will blame a school or the authorities when an armed lunatic enters a school but have no problem letting their young kids go home after school to an empty house or apartment. There they are not only susceptible to a stranger walking in but all the other household dangers.

A bicycle rider recently killed a pedestrian in New York's Central Park. There was all kind of indignation in the media including recommending a ban on bike riding in the park. Fact is, this will probably be the only pedestrian killed by a cyclist in NYC in the next few years. Are these same people recommending the banning of cars in the park or the city? Nope, but many will be killed or injured by automobiles. In fact, cyclists in will also be killed in Central Park by automobiles.

People will get all in a huff about GMO foods, because the media told them to, but will eat at McDonald's five times a week. Remember the pink slime uproar? That's a travesty against the population but those McNuggets manufactured from chicken beaks, bones, claws, feathers and probably some rodent waste are delicious. 

I could go on and on. You probably have your own favorite false scare issues and stories. At one time in our history, these panics came about because of lack of information and lack of education for much of the population. Today we have too much information that is being interpreted and analyzed by too many talking head idiots that have an agenda and a forum. We supposedly have a better-educated populace but stupidity still abounds. I am always amazed that the TV reporter on the scene can find the most stupid, most uninformed person to interview. The media also tend to give as much coverage to the crackpots as to the real experts. 

I guess human nature will always be touched by the little guy vs the Goliath, the poor against the rich, the underdog vs favorite and the unusual vs the norm. I feel it is our responsibility to be truly informed about the issues that affect us, our families and society. That usually means taking everything you see, hear or read about an issue with a grain, pinch, pound or ton of salt. Find another source or two to verify the facts then form your own opinions. Don't take the interpretation of the so-called experts as gospel. Don't confuse opinion with fact. Try to learn the biases and agenda of the "expert". 

One of the advantages of being informed is that you can turn on Fox News Channel or MSNBC at almost any time of the day or night and enjoy some very funny unintentional comedy. Fact checking is not those network's strong point. 

We've become a society of hype and PR rather than substance. Opinions and prejudices are more important than facts.

We get used to certain behavior and events as normal and acceptable. Motor vehicle deaths are OK, plane accidents are not. It makes no difference what the real numbers are. The most annual aviation deaths ever, outside of war years, was 1972 with 2,429 worldwide. In 2010, there were 2,998 traffic deaths in Texas alone, 42% involved alcohol. Even our language evolves to mask the real dangers. We have "plane crashes" but "automobile accidents". A drunk driver speeding in the wrong direction on a freeway is not an accident, but I bet it will be reported as a "traffic accident". 

I have little hope that any of this will change. The unusual is news, normal stuff is just life. Humans are more apt to react on emotions rather than logic. They aren't willing to make the necessary changes to correct things if it may cause some inconvenience. We could probably drastically reduce traffic deaths by imposing harsh punishments for breaking traffic laws. Things like heavy fines, suspension of licenses, jail time, public service, removing unsafe vehicles, etc. But that would cause inconvenience, so we accept about 30,000 traffic deaths per year.    

I'm not advocating draconian traffic laws. As a mobile society, we are willing to pay the price for that mobility. Apparently the same is true of gun ownership. We accept approximately 30,000 gun related deaths per year. OK, but don't go crazy when a junior high football player drops dead on the practice field just because the news chooses to show the grieving parents on TV. Don't rally to ban bicycles from Central Park after one pedestrian death unless you also are willing to ban cars, which are far more deadly.  

TV news is now more show business than news business. They are going to hype stories then analyze them and basically tell us how we should feel and react. I promise you that bicyclists killing pedestrians is not an epidemic.

wjh