Sweden

[Arkady]

If you listen to conservative media, Europe has descended into a nightmare of violence as a result of being too hospitable to Muslims. This vision is offered up as a way to scare people into turning their backs on refugees, and in order to justify various policies like Muslim bans. The propaganda is supported by way of anecdotes: foreign news is filtered to select a handful of scary events for American consumption. But what does the bigger picture look like?

Well, the best statistic for comparison is the homicide rate, since it doesn't have as much of a definition issue as other stats like aggravated assault, meaning comparisons across countries tend to be meaningful. In 2015, the last year for which data is currently available, there were 103 murders in Sweden. That works out to a rate of 1.05/100k. Here in the US, our rate is 4.9. In fact, even the very best US state, New Hampshire, has a rate that's higher than the rate of Sweden.

Mother Jones put together some charts showing changes in Swedish crime rates. What you'll see is that the great Muslim conflagration just doesn't show up in the numbers:

There are, of course, going to be isolated incidents and regional crime waves and gang wars from which to cherry pick a scary story for American consumption. But looking at the big picture, Sweden is enviably peaceful, at least by US standards.

You'll also hear conservatives run the same rhetorical gambit on Germany, but the result is similar. In Germany, the murder rate is far below what it is in the US, and the overall trend has been of improvement:

https://de.statista.com/statistik/d...rdopfer-in-deutschland-entwicklung-seit-1987/

 

[ObamacareForever]

Republicans and data do not mix. Its like oil and water.

 

[Raoul_Luke]

Then why are the anti-immigrant political movements gaining such force?

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/767262/Sweden-EU-exit-immigration-concerns-nationalism

https://www.fxstreet.com/news/franc...ead-in-the-presidential-race-anz-201702210426

http://www.vox.com/2016/3/14/11223852/german-state-election-2016

http://www.vox.com/2016/5/31/11722994/european-far-right-cas-mudde

The fact is that it is a thinly disguised secret that European authorities have been "cooking" the crime statistics for the better part of the last decade.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog...rime_than_natives_a_dispatch_from_europe.html

 

[Colorforms]

If you listen to conservative media, Europe has descended into a nightmare of violence as a result of being too hospitable to Muslims. This vision is offered up as a way to scare people into turning their backs on refugees, and in order to justify various policies like Muslim bans. The propaganda is supported by way of anecdotes: foreign news is filtered to select a handful of scary events for American consumption. But what does the bigger picture look like?

Well, the best statistic for comparison is the homicide rate, since it doesn't have as much of a definition issue as other stats like aggravated assault, meaning comparisons across countries tend to be meaningful. In 2015, the last year for which data is currently available, there were 103 murders in Sweden. That works out to a rate of 1.05/100k. Here in the US, our rate is 4.9. In fact, even the very best US state, New Hampshire, has a rate that's higher than the rate of Sweden.

Mother Jones put together some charts showing changes in Swedish crime rates. What you'll see is that the great Muslim conflagration just doesn't show up in the numbers:

There are, of course, going to be isolated incidents and regional crime waves and gang wars from which to cherry pick a scary story for American consumption. But looking at the big picture, Sweden is enviably peaceful, at least by US standards.

You'll also hear conservatives run the same rhetorical gambit on Germany, but the result is similar. In Germany, the murder rate is far below what it is in the US, and the overall trend has been of improvement:

https://de.statista.com/statistik/d...rdopfer-in-deutschland-entwicklung-seit-1987/

So then I guess that if you can avoid being killed by a Muslim, everything is just hunkie dorie?

No "imposition of Sharia law" or sex trafficking? That would make Sweden the exception then.

 

[marvin martian]

Then why are the anti-immigrant political movements gaining such force?

Come on, you know why...

Even liberal white people are all racist, don'tcha know?

 

[Arkady]

No "imposition of Sharia law" or sex trafficking? That would make Sweden the exception then.

Sweden looks like Western Europe as a whole. Every nation in Western Europe has much lower murder rates than the US. Most of them also have better overall social statistics. For example, Swedes live 3.1 years longer than us, on average. Their kids are well under half as likely to die in early childhood as ours. Their kids outscore ours on tests of academic performance. Their people are less than a tenth as likely to be incarcerated as ours. Etc. That doesn't mean they have no problems. But they're sure not the nightmare-scapes that American conservatives are trying to dream up to justify their policies back home.

 

[Arkady]

Then why are the anti-immigrant political movements gaining such force?

Older societies tend to be fearful societies. Sweden is even older than the US, demographically. When people get older, their IQs decline and that makes novelty more overwhelming for them. As the Boomers push into their seventies and beyond, we should expect a growing discomfort with anything culturally challenging, in every country with large Boomer populations. The Swedish "Fox News demographic" may be watching different news than the old-as-dirt crowd here in the US, but they have the same mental tendencies.

 

[Colorforms]

Sweden looks like Western Europe as a whole. Every nation in Western Europe has much lower murder rates than the US. Most of them also have better overall social statistics. For example, Swedes live 3.1 years longer than us, on average. Their kids are well under half as likely to die in early childhood as ours. Their kids outscore ours on tests of academic performance. Their people are less than a tenth as likely to be incarcerated as ours. Etc. That doesn't mean they have no problems. But they're sure not the nightmare-scapes that American conservatives are trying to dream up to justify their policies back home.

Thank you for those uninteresting and irrelevant facts.

Everywhere that Muslims go enmass, you see upticks in civil unrest, child sex trafficking, and attempts by the immigrants to create Sharia neighborhoods. Germany is having a hell of a time with it right now. I doubt that Sweden got all of the well behaved Muslims.

 

[Raoul_Luke]

Older societies tend to be fearful societies. Sweden is even older than the US, demographically. When people get older, their IQs decline and that makes novelty more overwhelming for them. As the Boomers push into their seventies and beyond, we should expect a growing discomfort with anything culturally challenging, in every country with large Boomer populations. The Swedish "Fox News demographic" may be watching different news than the old-as-dirt crowd here in the US, but they have the same mental tendencies.

Nothing to see here folks, move along...

http://speisa.com/modules/articles/...nsidering-closing-the-border-with-sweden.html

 

[as seen on tv]

earth to arkady: "peaceful" muslim immigrants torched 6 more cars in Sweden last night.

evidently this is the outcome of not enough free prayer rooms?

http://www.vdare.com/posts/huge-immigrant-riots-break-out-in-perfectly-safe-sweden

 

[Arkady]

Thank you for those uninteresting and irrelevant facts.

I guess for someone who is only interested in facts that support his hatreds, that's just what they'd be. But for those of us who want to understand the big picutre, they're very interesting.

Germany is having a hell of a time with it right now

Is that what Fox News told you? Or was it Breitbart? WND.com? Free Republic? Or is it your extensive reading of the German news? Hehe, just kidding.

 

[Arkady]

earth to arkady: "peaceful" muslim immigrants torched 6 more cars in Sweden last night.

evidently this is the outcome of not enough free prayer rooms?

http://www.vdare.com/posts/huge-immigrant-riots-break-out-in-perfectly-safe-sweden

Do you see how you're playing along with the "argument by anecdote" strategy of the right-wing hatemongers? Yes, with millions upon millions of people, there will be incidents. And with enough resources thrown at it, there will be a successful operation to gather those incidents into a narrative for propaganda. But that doesn't show us the big picture. The big picture shows up in the statistics. And the statistics show Sweden remains FAR safer than the US, and that the overall trend since the early 90s, even as immigration has risen, has been for violent crime to fall.

 

[Colorforms]

I guess for someone who is only interested in facts that support his hatreds, that's just what they'd be. But for those of us who want to understand the big picutre, they're very interesting.

If I have to explain to you how general census data from who knows when is irrelevant when discussing the effects of recent Muslim immigration, then the cause is already lost and I am not in the mood to waste my time.

Is that what Fox News told you? Or was it Breitbart? WND.com? Free Republic? Or is it your extensive reading of the German news? Hehe, just kidding.

Actually, the stories are everywhere. Everything from YouTube to the alternative press is covering it. The only services seeming to not be interested are part of the MSM.

I've never been able to educate you, you're too closed-minded. Do feel free to Google "Muslim invasion of Germany" if you decide that you wish to exercise some intellectual curiosity.

 

[YouCantHandleDaTruth]

Republicans and data do not mix. Its like oil and water.

This is why they shouldn't be able to drive on open roads, they'll call a red light green no matter what

 

[Saladin2]

If I have to explain to you how general census data from who knows when is irrelevant when discussing the effects of recent Muslim immigration, then the cause is already lost and I am not in the mood to waste my time.





Actually, the stories are everywhere. Everything from YouTube to the alternative press is covering it. The only services seeming to not be interested are part of the MSM.

I've never been able to educate you, you're too closed-minded. Do feel free to Google "Muslim invasion of Germany" if you decide that you wish to exercise some intellectual curiosity.

Alternative press=Conspiracy fake news Bullshit

 

[YouCantHandleDaTruth]

Then why are the anti-immigrant political movements gaining such force?..l

Stupid racist people like Benedict Donald exist in Europe too?

tia

 

[YouCantHandleDaTruth]

Come on, you know why...

Even liberal white people are all racist, don'tcha know?

Nah, hate exist in Europe too because there are conservatives in Europe ... any questions?

 

[Saladin2]

Most people in Sweden are just laughing at trump and anybody stupid enough to believe his racist fear mongering

 

[Arkady]

I've never been able to educate you, you're too closed-minded. Do feel free to Google "Muslim invasion of Germany" if you decide that you wish to exercise some intellectual curiosity.

Feel free to Google "Frightened bigots obsess over Muslim crime".

 

[Colorforms]

Feel free to Google "Frightened bigots obsess over Muslim crime".

So the German people are nothing but frightened bigots?

Good to know.