A few weeks ago, the New York Times published a lengthy, front page article that generally portrayed returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as psychotic killers who should never be trusted with small children.
The story focused on "research" done by the newspaper that found 121 cases of returning veterans who had killed (murder, manslaughter and in some cases DUI).
The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war. In many of those cases, combat trauma and the stress of deployment — along with alcohol abuse, family discord and other attendant problems — appear to have set the stage for a tragedy that was part destruction, part self-destruction.
The article angered me. I wasn't surprised that military veterans commit murder, but that it NEVER crossed the "brilliant" literary minds of the New York Times to give statistical data to back up this "quiet phenomenon" as they describe it. You'll understand why in just a minute.
Nowhere in the article is it mentioned that these 121 killings came from a population of veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan of about 700,000. 121 acts of murder, out of 700,000 veterans spread over six years, yields a rate of 2.88 murders per 100,000 veterans, per year.
Interestingly enough, the Department of Justice publishes statistics on homicide offenders (general population). The US offender rate for homicide in the 18 - 24 year old range is 26.5/100,000. For 25 - 34 year olds, it is 13.5/100,000.
Do you see a problem here? Yes, that's right, your chances of being killed by a returning Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran are at least FOUR TIMES LOWER than your chances of being killed by someone who never served.
This story does nothing more than attempt to exploit the acts of troops who have committed crimes since they returned to the state and suggest that being a part of the military made these people do what they did. It is an insult to all the troops who serve honorably and act with honor and dignity when they return home - it is an insult to me.
They should stick to crossword puzzles.
17 comments:
I read that as well. All media outlets grasp at straws and then modify them to make their pre-determined point.
The worst thing about this type of reporting is that many people are too ill-informed or too lazy to find out the truth in what they read, see, or hear. Cheers Dana!!
Matt-Man, it's your second point that really concerns me ...
It's a sad world we live in when "shock and awe" media tactics reach an outlet such as the New York Times.
Leighann, I was just amazed at the what I saw as a blatant agenda!
"Figures don't lie, but liars can figure"! These kinds of news articles are irresponsible to say the least! Read a press and count the negative news articles vs. the positive, and/or impartial ones...They must think we're all idiots...
That's the wonder (or horror) of statistics. They can be anything you want them to be, if only you leave out selected criteria.
That is how propaganda works for the ill educated mind.
The media is always trying to isolate some group of people, celebrities, athletes, military or whoever, and then they try to show how much worse in some category. Either crime or drugs or whatever. But, if you really look at it, each of these groups are just a reflection of society in general and the media's statistics showing them worse never hold up.
I was going to write this post but I get far to angered when I do. The I add many profane words and atack the idiocy instead of making my point is a cohearant way. Excellent post.
This is the whole basis of the book "Freakonomics". The media, various pundits, talking heads, and too brilliant for their own good academics, frequently try to scare people to death with a statistic. It's easy, no thinking required.
When you take a moment to analyze the data you see that people are afraid of all the wrong things.
Excellent post Dana. To compund the problem, there are thousands of vets coming home that have a demonstrated need for mental health services. I suspect that some of those 'statistics' fall into that category. Yet, the wait list for these 19 year olds who have witnessed such horrible things is long and growing longer. It is despicable that the pages and minutes of news coverage is slanted toward the results - however skewed - instead of promoting or encouraging improved welfare for these returning brave men and women. Again....great post!
Buff, I think that's what I find so bothersome about the whole thing - do they really thing that highly of themselves?
R.E.H., I actually worked with statistics for a major corporation and was often asked if I could change the perspective just a bit - I never did
Jay, I agree but worry that the damage is done the first time the words are spoken.
Jamie, I think I need to pick up that book - as soon as I finish Glen Beck's An Inconvenient Book
Michael, thank you! And I agree, the focus needs to be on gratitude and recovery.
Great post. I missed the article. How positively lackadaisical of them. Do they not realize that this negatively affects people that PROTECT their freedom?
Very poor judgement.
It's sad...when we should be throwing parades as they return instead.
Dana, congrats on being Matt-man's COW! What a great post about the NYT and it's so intelligent article on returning veteran killers - thanks for doing the math and showing those journalists that they have to do their homework...
BTW I posted recently that the NYT endorsed Hillary and John McCain...got that?
Numbers can always be manipulated... this is an obvious example of that. Thank you for defending our guys.
Proud Navy wife
"Statistical hemorage"
Our media once again doing what they do so well.
RLL, I don't think it was a bad thing that you missed the article!
Martyr, I'd like to take credit for the innovative math, however it seems there are HUNDRES of folks who found the numbers before I did. I just did the leg work verifying both sides.
Laura, I was one of "the guys" for 5 years during Desert Storm - defending is in my blood.
Jeff, "Statistical Hemorage" *gigglesnort*
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