Is Canada a cesspool filled with violent criminals?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around perceptions of crime rates in Canada compared to the United States, particularly focusing on violent crime, murder rates, and cultural attitudes towards crime. Participants explore statistical claims, societal implications, and anecdotal observations regarding crime in urban areas.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the assumption that Canada has a lower crime rate than the US, citing statistics that suggest Canadians may have higher rates of violent crime.
  • Others highlight the importance of considering unreported crimes and differences in definitions of "violent crimes" between the two countries.
  • There is mention of the focus on murder rates, particularly gun-related murders, as a significant point of comparison, though specific statistics are not consistently provided.
  • Some participants express concerns about a perceived "inferiority complex" in Canada leading to an increase in violent crime, particularly related to gangs and drug culture.
  • A few contributions reflect on the cultural dynamics of competition among youth, suggesting that there is a trend of trying to outdo each other in terms of toughness or non-conformity.
  • Participants share anecdotal experiences and humorous observations about cultural stereotypes, particularly regarding Scots and their perceived aggression.
  • There are calls for more specific statistics regarding crime rates in different Canadian cities, with some participants expressing skepticism about media portrayals of crime levels.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the crime rates or the implications of cultural attitudes towards crime. Multiple competing views remain regarding the nature and extent of crime in Canada versus the US.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the reliance on varying definitions of crime, potential biases in reporting, and the lack of comprehensive statistics for specific cities in Canada.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in crime statistics, cultural studies, and comparative sociology may find the discussion relevant.

ShawnD
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There seems to be this assumption that Canada has a lower crime rate than the US, but I can't find any statistics to support that assumption.

In http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050721/d050721a.htm , Canada had 946 violent crimes per 100k.

In that same year of 2004, USA had http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/4meastab.htm violent crimes per 100k (divide 1,648,100 by 301 million then multiply by 100k).

Canadians are twice as violent as Americans? Did I take the wrong stats or did I miscalculate something?
 
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Take into account the number of crimes that go unreported (a greater percentage in denser inner cities) plus a difference in what constitutes "violet crimes," and I think you will find that Canada, like the US, is full of humans.
 
I thought the major difference touted was between murder rates, or at least gun-related murder rates.

Of course, I have no idea what those rates are for the respective countries and make no personal claim as to which is higher.
 
loseyourname said:
I thought the major difference touted was between murder rates, or at least gun-related murder rates.

Of course, I have no idea what those rates are for the respective countries and make no personal claim as to which is higher.

Well I guess that one makes sense. That first link says Canada's rate is 2 per 100k. In 2002 the murder rate in USA was http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/hmrttab.htm
 
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Chi Meson said:
Still, it's nothing like Scotland, evidently.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4257966.stm

Too funny! There was an old SNL skit in which two Scotsmen would come to blows at the drop of a hat. And beyond that, we knew two Scotsmen who were twin brothers who would in fact fight over just about anything. Even at age sixty+ they were known to duke it out while rolling around in the dirt.

Aside: They were both sheep farmers, and one was well known as one of the nation's leading Border Collie trainers. He was absolutely amazing to watch working his dogs.
 
I fear more and more that Canada's "inferiority complex" will eventually cause an explosion of violent crime. I'm talking specifically about gangs and drug-dealing and skinheads and all these stupid "scenes."

Some of my friends are into these things and there seems to be this tacit "we can be harder and tougher" or "our ghettos can be just as bad" thing going on, which I find stupid and childish, but there it is.
 
moe darklight said:
I fear more and more that Canada's "inferiority complex" will eventually cause an explosion of violent crime. I'm talking specifically about gangs and drug-dealing and skinheads and all these stupid "scenes."

Some of my friends are into these things and there seems to be this tacit "we can be harder and tougher" or "our ghettos can be just as bad" thing going on, which I find stupid and childish, but there it is.

I don't get competition mentalities like these. Who would WANT the award for worst ghettos, seriously? It's like being proud you got the award for worst smelling individual. No one wants that!
 
G01 said:
I don't get competition mentalities like these. Who would WANT the award for worst ghettos, seriously? It's like being proud you got the award for worst smelling individual. No one wants that!

I think it's a natural progression from counterculture that started with hippies in the 60s. They're just trying to out-non-conform each other.
 
  • #10
Ivan Seeking said:
Too funny! There was an old SNL skit in which two Scotsmen would come to blows at the drop of a hat. And beyond that, we knew two Scotsmen who were twin brothers who would in fact fight over just about anything. Even at age sixty+ they were known to duke it out while rolling around in the dirt.
It's simply evolution at work. It's so bloody cold in Scotland they fight to keep warm. This has made aggression a desirable gene.

Plus of course they have to keep in practice for their next tilt at the English :biggrin:
 
  • #11
If it's not Scottish it's crap!

http://farm.tucows.com/2004/11/angry_scotsmen.jpg
 
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  • #12
it seems to only happen in T.O and maybe van(via TOstar anyways)
I wonder if there are stats posted that shows percentage by city
 
  • #13
Smurf said:
I think it's a natural progression from counterculture that started with hippies in the 60s. They're just trying to out-non-conform each other.
Yep. It sounds ridiculous but it's just like that. Constantly trying to prove that you're more punk/ghetto/hardcore or whatever. It's funny when it's harmlessly ironic (like the goth kids from "Southpark" say: "If you want to be a non-conformist, you have to look like us, think like us, and listen to the same music we do" :biggrin:), but it's not so funny when it's dangerous.

neurocomp2003 said:
it seems to only happen in T.O and maybe van
I'm from hamilton and it's felt here. It's not as bad as the TV and newspapers say it is. I'm not concerned about how it is now, I'm concerned about where it could (and knowing human nature, probably will) end up. ... but Hamilton is in the TO area so I don't know about the rest of Canada.

Of course, being from Ontario, I just found out recently about the existence of this mysterious "rest of Canada" :biggrin:
 
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  • #14
moe darklight said:
Of course, being from Ontario, I just found out recently about the existence of this mysterious "rest of Canada" :biggrin:

Where's Ontario? Is that one of the American states or something?
 

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