Everyday Statistics Should Disturb Us
Posted: Monday, October 05, 2009
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
This article is not to try and place blame on anyone, any group, or any area. It deals with my home area, simply because we live here. I wasn't born here in Calhoun County, Alabama but I was raised in an adjoining county. My wife and I, with our children, moved about as I followed my business career. We lived, at least briefly, and some places for years, beside Alabama... Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, South Carolina and North Carolina. We enjoyed living in each one of those places and met wonderful people in each location. We have friends who still correspond with us, on occasion. But of all the locations, we still chose to return to this area for retirement. Mainly because of the people. Things are certainly not as they were when we first began our ramblings, but as far as hospitable people, morality, ethics, etc., I believe this to be one of the very best in the entire world.
I read an awful lot of statistics in my daily research for article materials. So, I am used to it,to a certain degree, but I picked up this mornings paper, the Anniston Star, from Anniston, Alabama.
Anniston is the county seat here in Calhoun County. The population for Calhoun is estimated (for 2008) at 113,419 and the county seat has approximately 25,000 within the city proper. It is adjacent to Oxford, Alabama (you can't discern the line as you move from one city to the other) and that adds another 14,500 to the metropolitan area. This entire setting is a normal southern area where hospitality still exists although not as avidly as it was sixty years ago.
Now I have explained all of this to set you for the stats I read. One would expect very little crime and mischief from such an area, and actually it is much less than you will find in the larger concentrations of people. But, each Monday, the Star has a section called the record, listing the public records of occurrences for the preceding week. And some of them are quite startling to me, although possibly not to most people. Let me list a few of them to see what you think. The names are listed with these stats, but I am not going to include them here:Anniston is the county seat here in Calhoun County. The population for Calhoun is estimated (for 2008) at 113,419 and the county seat has approximately 25,000 within the city proper. It is adjacent to Oxford, Alabama (you can't discern the line as you move from one city to the other) and that adds another 14,500 to the metropolitan area. This entire setting is a normal southern area where hospitality still exists although not as avidly as it was sixty years ago.
Number of marriages: Eleven
Number of divorces: Twenty-five
Ch. 7 Bankruptcies: Five
Ch. 13 Bankruptcies: Six
Burglaries (City): Six
Burglaries (County): Five
Thefts (City): Ten
Thefts (County): Two
Auto related thefts: (City) Four
Auto related thefts: (Co.) Three
Arrests (City): Seven
Arrests (County): Nine
These numbers may look small to some, but for this area, it is rather surprising to me. Especially surprising to me was the dreadful number of divorces vs. Marriages. Good grief: At a rate like that the county will soon be all singles. Of course, this isn't June, so maybe we'll make that back up next June. Come to think of it, this is four months after June, it is probably those who got starry-eyed for a June wedding. I don't think I would have been so surprised at these, had they been for a full month, but for one week...that's a right smart (old southern exclamation).
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)64% of all statistics are just fabricated,on the spot!I've heard that one before, but it is really 59%.
I think that it was Mark Twain who said;"there are lies,damn lies and then,there are statistics!"
An eye opener, Joel. We tend to think smaller towns are sheltered or immune from negative things. You are probably right...June marriage numbers will increase. Thanks for writing.A belated thanks, Lorrie, for your comments. I always appreciate your input.
It always amazes me about how blind I can sometimes be to the things going on around me. Thanks for sharing.Linda DThanks Linda for your comments. I agree, I had no idea there were so many divorces going on in this little county. nor all the burglaries, etc.
I always find it ironic when christians are surprised that the world is worldly, that sinners sin. They are lost, that's just what they do. Why would we expect them to act otherwise? It's like blaming darkness for being dark. Darkness is dark because of the lack of light. That's what Jesus said. It's the fault of the light that darkness is dark.This is not hard for me to understand given that lately, christians seem to be hanging their reputations on political issues. When they should be shining examples of morality they are instead protesting taxes, rallying for gun ownership rights, shouting down healthcare, or perpetuating conspiracy theories. If this is morality, then what chance does the darkness have of seeing the light?One of the most powerful examples we have in America today of a strong, caring and responsible marriage is derided by christians when the loving couple goes on a world-class date. What a wonderful opportunity to show the world the benefits of strong family values. Instead christians publicly complain about it.That's what I find that disturbing.
Great article. Well done.Very intersting. I see what you are saying with the statistics - best nip of and lock the door - eh?Thanks for reading aned commenting Connor.
Joel, interesting article. I like to hear the perspectives of people who have lived to see changes over the years. Thank you.Thank you Deana for your kind words. Memories collected over the years and comparative perspectives are some of the blessings that do come with age.
Coming from Africa, one becomes blunt to daily crime statistics. A friend of mine, a police officer in Johannesburg South Africa, was showing a daily crime report to a visiting Belgium crime fighter. "That's a lot of officers to lose in one year!" the Belguim policeman said. He was even more shocked when he was told that he's looking at a daily report!Indeed. Thank you Leon for your comments. The last phrase probably did shock the man. That was kindly what disturbed me with ours in this rather lightly populated area. The stats for the week would have been a little more acceptable if it were for a month.
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