The World is not Falling Apart: Article Review.

“The World is not Falling Apart” Article Review.

The article “The World is not Falling Apart” was written by Steven Pinker and Andrew Mack in 2014; it sought to explore the contrast between publicized crime rate news and evidence-based data. The authors postulate that contrary to the much-hyped report by the media on the increase in atrocities committed by terrorists, ravaging wars, and diseases, the data shows that the world has reduced crimes compared to earlier decades. They further demonstrate that most of the publicized violence, like mass killings, is random and has fewer casualties than in war zones. Proponents advancing the theory that the world is headed towards doomsday include Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Michael Ignatieff; the former is quoted as saying that the world is “more perilous than ever.”

According to the “The World is not Falling Apart” article, crime data tell the real story; for example, there has been a decline in homicide occurrences in 88 countries having reliable data, and the global average of reported cases has declined from 7.1% to 6.2%  between 2003 and 2007 (Pinker and Mack). Even the most perilous countries and cities in the world have reduced homicide-driven cases; places like São Paolo, Colombia, Juarez, South Africa, Colombia, and Rio de Janeiro have seen a drop ranging from 46% to 90% (Pinker and Mack). These statistics are not unique to homicide cases; the data extends to progress in human rights with a perceptible increase in more countries exhibiting a rise in a democracy than autocracy. Other changes observed by the authors include reducing violence against women, victimization of children, genocide and mass killings of non-combatants, number of armed conflicts, and rate of deaths in battles. The article concludes that if the authorities, media, and the world at large would adopt an evidence-based mindset rather than blowing up isolated cases out of proportion, criminals’ influence on the general public would be substantially limited.

The ” The World is Falling Apart” article presents convincing arguments with current statistics and past references. The media’s primary objective is to capitalize on the world’s events; this necessitates an underhand way of exploiting horrific news to encourage viewers to be glued to their news outlets. Consequently, the legislatures, mostly made up of politicians, find it crucial to exaggerate these occurrences with the ultimate goal of promising the masses better situations once they are in office rather than using data to assure the citizens that the society is embracing good values.  The authors succeed in explaining that even though tragic events should be broadcasted to aid in rectifying societal ills, the public should also be informed using an evidence-based mindset that the crime rate is on a decline; this will handicap the terrorist and criminal influence on the general public.

Work Cited

Pinker, Steven and Andrew Mack. “The World Is Not Falling Apart.” Slate Magazine, 22 Dec. 2014. www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2014/12/the_world_is_not_falling_apart_the_trend_lines_reveal_an_increasingly_peaceful.html. Accessed 19 May 2018.