I have some idea why your friends have survived. And your statement:
"… current ‘environmental concerns’ aren’t a little over
reaction… " is proposterous. If you’re about the same age as the
friends you allude to. have you asked yourself why or how autism has
become epidemic? I could go on but I won’t since this is a forum for
metalwork, etc. I just couldn’t let that statement about
environmental concerns pass.
KPK
At work I was surrounded by lead containing things and, for a time at least, worked on repairing lead water and gas pipes involving blowlamps and lead fumes as did the amusement I had in the 50's and 60's of casting lead toys from old molds I was given.... has lead changed - or maybe the human physiology??
No, Ian, nothing has changed, least of all chemistry and physiology.
One theory postulates that the use of lead piping was a major factor
in the fall of the Roman Empire - you call your pipes “lead”, but
it’s unlikely they are, really. Even in Europe they haven’t been used
in a century or so - but maybe you do have them. There’s another
theory that the IQ of children in America is lower by some 10% than
it might be because of leaded gas and a generally casual attitude
towards lead. I agree with you that chemical paranoia is always
unhealthy - lead is bad but it’s not cyanide or anything. But there
are things that have changed for the better, and an awareness of the
insidious effects of lead, mercury, and cadmium especially are good
for us all. I once knew a career painter who’s nervous system was
shot, and who was on permanent disability, from painting navy ships
with lead paint for years and years. Not a pretty sight, though he
could still function pretty well. Awareness, yes. Running screaming
from anything lead, no, not really.
But it seems much more likely to me that the sudden, widespread drop in violent crime all around the US is being caused by a sudden widespread drop in environmental lead contamination a generation ago
This is way far from rolling mills now, obviously. There was a time
when abortion was happening, tilll the zealots got so active. There
was a direct an obvious drop in violent crime then, too. Neglected,
unwanted children and all that.
a direct correlation between the removal of lead from paint and gasoline and the drop in violent crime
I didn’t intend to take this discussion any further but I think the
above statement needs some comment.
Firstly, I would question that violent crime has, in fact, fallen -
how many times before 10 - 15 years ago would you hear of a child
running into a school with a gun and massacring many people? In my
youth and before, violent crime was much rarer than it is now - so
rare in, for example, the 19th century that songs and ballads were
made up about the few notable transgressors such as, in my area,
Charlie Peace who murdered two people and then went on the run until
he was caught and hanged a few weeks later (his second murder was
committed less than 1/2 mile from my house) - compare that with
todays crimes! http://tinyurl.com/2a4rg2 Most of todays criminals
were brought up in an age where lead levels were already being
drastically reduced and that contamination was being replaced with
contamination from copper and Polyphenols in plastics !
The increase in violent crime - and other types of crime - were more
the result of two main factors.
The first of these was the economic and social pressure which
persuaded women that it was appropriate for them to take full time
jobs. This lead to the generation of ‘latchkey kids’ who lacked the
home supervision, control and the teaching of respect that earlier
generations enjoyed. These kids also learned the true meaning of
boredom and frustration as they were not taught how to occupy their
minds in handicrafts, youth clubs etc. and it is probably this
factor more than any other that pushed the more impressionable kids
into the ‘macho’ world of crime. Not only that but the deterrent of
corporal punishment was removed so that they knew that simply saying
‘sorry’ coupled with a bit of good acting would get them out of 90%
of the trouble they got themselves into. The second likely cause was
the large amount of immigration in the 1960 - 70’s from nations in
which violence was considered a normal way of settling disputes. What
percentage of current crime centres about these former immigrant
communities? Thankfully, due to the hard work of community leaders,
this crime does seem to be reducing but, in my area at least, it is
still the biggest percentage of all crime committed.
Unfortunately our politicians like to base their decisions and
policies on ‘studies’ rather than on common sense - this is why they
are currently targetting CO2 emissions of industry rather than the
methane emissions of termites, ants and, to a lesser extent, cattle
which have a bigger effect on global warming (methane is up to 60
times more damaging to the ozone layer than CO2) - no one has yet
thought to ‘study’ these and there might not be an easily visible
solution but how many termites do you think you have in the US
constantly belching out methane??
Best wishes,
Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK
Ian,
The first of these was the economic and social pressure which persuaded women that it was appropriate for them to take full time jobs. This lead to the generation of 'latchkey kids' who lacked the home supervision, control and the teaching of respect that earlier generations enjoyed.
I’m one of those women who has a full time job. Good thing, too,
since I didn’t get married until I was 32. My husband is disabled,
and I’m the only one working in our family. I’ve never wanted
children, and didn’t have any.
Women took jobs because they were sick of men controlling them
through money. And women actually like to do things in life, not
just look after kids and the house. Have you not learned that by
listening to the women on this forum? And who says it’s the women
who have to stay home, anyway?
You don’t mention in your post that men and boys commit most of the
crimes in this world. Your own country’s crime statistics
(statistics.gov.uk) say:
"Men outnumber women in all major crime categories. Between 85
and 95 per cent of offenders found guilty of burglary, robbery,
drug offences, criminal damage or violence against the person are
male."
I agree that the increase in crime is mostly due to bad parenting.
But it does not mean that Mom has to be there when Johnny get home.
It means that parents have to enforce rules. It’s hard work raising a
child, and it seems that a lot of people are just lazy about the
effort it takes to enforce those rules. I also agree that corporal
punishment is appropriate at times. My parents divorced when I was
young. I and my two younger sisters have not felt the urge to commit
crimes, because we valued the respect of our parents, and didn’t want
to disappoint them.
I also agree sometimes we go overboard with trying to protecting
people from things. But the government can’t regulate the methane
from termites, now can it? To suggest that we allow all pollution
because nature has it’s own, is ridiculous. We should try to
regulate what we humans do that is unecessary. Just be glad they’re
not trying to regulate YOUR methane…
Lauren