Comments on: Worried about stabbings? Don’t be

By: David Duff

David Duff — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:39:39 +0000

Precisely and exactly so, Ajay, and as an apparent expert in semantics perhaps you explain how the second quote could be construed as meaning ‘approval’. I could understand ‘complacent’, but then I would, wouldn’t I, because that is what I meant.

By: ajay

ajay — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:56:14 +0000

DD 1: Nowhere did I write, or even imply, that anyone here *approved* of these murders.

DD 2: The prevalent opinion seems to be that so long as it doesn’t happen to them, why worry?

By: David Duff

David Duff — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:44:19 +0000

Nowhere did I write, or even imply, that anyone here *approved* of these murders. What I indicated was that the arcane debate concerning statistics appeared to be more important than the fact that several people had had their lives snuffed out prematurely and that perhaps something should be done to rectify the situation without being accused of panic by smug, complacent, self-satisfied I’m-alright-Jacks!

By: ajay

ajay — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:05:38 +0000

Oh, whereas everyone knows that there’s no way violent unrest in Pakistan could have any effect on our streets, our society, or our personal safety, right?

To be honest, though, the point I was trying to make is that you are attempting to argue “because you have not mentioned $BADTHING you must therefore approve of it!” – an asinine line of bad-faith argument which I would love to be able to say was beneath you.

By: David Duff

David Duff — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:30:32 +0000

Oh dear, does this really need explaining?

They are on *our* streets, they exist as part of *our* social fabric and the murderers come under *our* criminal/justice jurisdiction and finally, they could murder you or me.

Now do stop trying to be clever, Ajay, and just stick to the topic in hand.

By: ajay

ajay — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:34:57 +0000

Well, most of the people being murdered in London are foreigners, so, on those grounds, I have a perfect excuse for not giving a stuff about their violent deaths, and you can’t criticise me for it.

By: David Duff

David Duff — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:33:56 +0000

“Are we to assume that you don’t really care about mass murder as long as it’s happening to foreigners?”

By and large, yes!

By: ajay

ajay — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:19:12 +0000

I notice, without surprise in this day and age, that neither our host nor any of the commenters remarked on the shocking fact of several lives a year being brought to a brutal and premature end. The prevalent opinion seems to be that so long as it doesn’t happen to them, why worry?

Well, David old fruit, I notice that you have remained silent for this entire thread on the continuing violent unrest in Pakistan. Are we to assume that you don’t really care about mass murder as long as it’s happening to foreigners?

By: David Duff

David Duff — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:03:24 +0000

Alex, whether or not multiple stabbings on one day is usual or unusual is only of arcane interest. What is of extreme interest, or at least, it should be, is how many stabbings occurred year by year from 1960 until today. If, as I suspect, it shows a huge rise then, notwithstanding our host’s apathy, I suggest that it is something about which we should all be alarmed.

By: Bishop Hill

Bishop Hill — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:25:12 +0000

I think your headline is a bit misleading here. The article seems to be saying that four murders in a day is not unexpected in statistical terms, based on the overall level of murders we are experiencing. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be worried about the possibility of being murdered.