Phantoms and mirages

To the editor:

It is apparent that America has a perception problem. I am not talking about the world’s opinion of America; I am talking about Americans’ views of America. The FBI released its latest crime report showing that violent crime is down 8 percent and property crime is down 6.3 percent, to its lowest level since 1961, according to criminologist Jeff Asher. Yet, Gallup found that 77 percent of Americans believe crime rose in 2023 to its highest levels. When asked why facts and perceptions don’t jibe, Asher cited media coverage and partisanship. 

As an example, Asher wrote “My neighbors never post on NextDoor how many thousands of packages they successfully receive…. Only video of the one that randomly got swiped.” He also credits the tendency of the news to focus coverage on disturbing crimes. As for partisanship, the 77 percent poll figure is skewed because 95 percent of Republicans responded that crime is on the rise.

The same is true of the economy. Gallup polls indicate that 67 percent of Americans believe the economy is poor. I guess they forgot what poor looks like. In 2008, the stock market lost half its value, along with retirement plans and home values. Many mortgages were upside-down and foreclosures were commonplace. An estimated $13 trillion was lost by the American people and nearly a million lost their jobs each month. Today, employment and the market are at record levels.

Again, the media and partisanship play a factor into this disconnect; 72 percent of Democrats approve of Joe Biden’s handling of the economy, yet only 3 percent of Republicans do. As for the media, they talk nonstop about inflation, even though it fell precipitously, and they have been “predicting” a non-existent recession for over two years. So much for Thomas Jefferson’s “well informed” people that “can be trusted with their own government.”

Joseph Cannisi