Saturday, April 29, 2006
The New York Crime Fantasy
For the second time this month I was told of New York City's terrible crime rate; its "murders, rapes, and muggings," and for the second time it was from someone who had never even been to N.Y. (Although this time the messenger was a more likeable chap and probably didn’t have a political axe to grind – as the previous critic did).
The anti-American left has got to hate it, but NY's crime has dropped significantly over the last decade and the city is now substantially safer than many of the world's other big cites – Paris, France being a noteworthy example. I lived in New York when crime was much higher (for two and a half years) and never experienced or even seen any crime. That, of course, doesn't mean it wasn't occurring, but considering the places (not always the nicest) and late night hours I often walked about, I just didn’t see or experience the horrid conditions that are spoken of regularly by naïve Euro-audiences and the like when their only connection to events in America is Hollywood and a hoard of international left-wing media commentators.
I was back visiting New York for a couple of days last year. It looked better than ever. I walked around at night in a variety of neighborhoods. It's one of the coolest places on the planet. It's full of energy and excitement and the diversity of the people there is a joy to experience. I would dare even say that many people are downright friendly, noteworthy considering their urban context.
A lot of people would like to think that crime and particularly excess crime are somehow American things. Anything to keeps the Jacobin template going. One very intelligent and likeable character I know once noted that America has no unemployment insurance and no safety net. Where are theses people getting such phony and skewed views?
The next time anyone notes the terrible crime or conditions of America, ask them if they’ve even been there. Chances are better than not that they haven't.
If America, or New York specifically, are anything like the media and entertainment have portrayed them, they're probably more like a sit-com then a crime drama.
Reality often looks very different than a bunch of arrogant movie directors or journalists would have us believe. Many European cities are in a serious state of decay and rampant with crime (and, yes I've been to some of them). New York, on the other hand, is a rather nice place…of course you wouldn't know that unless you've been there.
