

5 Reasons to Expect Many More Public Shootings - simonsarris
http://www.danielmiessler.com/blog/expect-public-shootings

======
glenra
Reason #1 (of 5) given is _" We have violently increasing numbers of
uneducated people in our country."_

Is there any definition of "uneducated" given? Nope. Is there any _plausible_
definition under which being "uneducated" has been _increasing_ in the US?
Nope. (And what does it even mean for a number to be "violently" increasing?)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_United_States)

The post goes downhill from there. Three dubious sociological claims (also
unsourced and undefined) and then #5 is _" It’s really easy to get a gun in
the United States"_. Which isn't something that has _changed_ recently. Not to
mention that when it _has_ changed in the past (say with the growth of shall-
issue CCW permits) it often has done so accompanying _decreases_ in the
homicide rate and in public shootings.

Just an all-around poorly-thought-out blog post.

~~~
danielrm26
Author here: I thought it got better after the list, not worse. <shrug>

Anyway, the claims aren't sourced because they're obvious. Only someone
looking for conflict is going to ask for the claim that our country is loosing
access to quality education.

And if you can't make the jump on your own that this leads to more uneducated
people, well, then my powers to assist you have reached their limit.

~~~
glenra
> _Only someone looking to scrap is going to ask for a source for someone
> saying that our country is loosing access to quality education._

I am being completely serious here: I don't know what you're talking about
when you make your claim of "violently increasing numbers of uneducated
people". Here, from Wikipedia, is a plot of educational attainment levels in
the US:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Educational_Attainment_in...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Educational_Attainment_in_the_United_States_2009.png)

And here is a recent relevant NYT article titled "U.S. Bachelor Degree Rate
Passes Milestone":

[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/education/census-finds-
bac...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/education/census-finds-bachelors-
degrees-at-record-level.html)

Clearly, people have been graduating high school and graduating college in
record numbers. For as long as I've been alive people have _always_ been
complaining that schools aren't great and "kids these days aren't learning
like they used to" but most of that is nostalgic nonsense. There will always
be poor schools _somewhere_.

So when you lead off with a claim about "uneducated people", what do you mean?
People who don't graduate high school? People who don't graduate college?
People who do so but (by your unstated standards) somehow aren't considered
"educated"?

Nobody would doubt the claim if you had said we had more uneducated people in
the 1950s than we do today - THAT claim reflects common sense wisdom. Claiming
that it's gotten worse recently is something that needs a clear definition and
some supporting evidence.

------
gremlinsinc
I think a couple reasons this is accurate also includes the fact that w/ 5
million incarcerated americans a VERY large section of impoverished families
include a "Role Model" behind bars--this does NOT set a very good tone for the
family.

Some of these being non-violent offenders. Face it there are a lot of areas
where we need reform, Education, Criminal Punishment, Mental Health, Gun Laws,
etc...

Fact is it will probably get a lot worse before it gets better - if it ever
does get better.

\--- We need to go back to where prisons were only for hard criminals that
were dangerous to society--let everyone else be on home-arrest so they can
still provide for their families.

Non Violent/Non Sex-offender? Go-home be w/ your family, but still pay a
penalty, still pay your fines, still support your family, and do community
service....

