It Was Bound to Get the Blame Sooner or Later

Everyone out there is always seeking a reason as to 'why' something happens. One of the big questions out there is about why there is so much violence in society? What is the causing factor or the catalyst that causes it all to happen? Well, a study by the Washington-based Urban Institute has reached the conclusion that the influx of iPods into society have led to increasing levels of violence. Now before you shake your head in dismay at this latest finding and disconnect your iPod and put it away, take a moment to understand their rationale. The study indicates that robbery figures have increased over a two-year period in comparison to other similar crimes such as theft and burglary. Secondly, the number of thefts has increased among juveniles who are most likely to see the iPod as a 'status symbol'. And thirdly, this jump occured in the period in which the study was conducted.

Now given all those factors, isn't it logical to assume that perhaps the finding is right and that we should all stop using our iPods? Well, in my opinion, no we shouldn't. When I was in middle school, Starter Jackets were all the rage. I remember guys in my middle school were crazy about those jackets and if they could get their hands on one they would. They were considered the envy of the school because they had something that everyone else wanted. At that time, there were numerous reports that parents shouldn't get their kids these jackets because they were being beaten up and robbed for these jackets. Same thing with Air Jordan snearkers. I remember a friend of mine whose mom refused to get him the shoes on the grounds that they were likely to lead to an attempted robbery.

Some of those trends and others like them have come and gone and in that time, crime has more or less fluctuated. In that time, I don't think I have ever seen a decrease in the possession of these items with people. On the contrary, I think it stirs the market and ensures that more and more people purchase the item in question until it becomes something so common place that no one pays much attention. Remember when (and I'm dating myself here) the walkman was new? I'm not talking about the discman that played CDs but the Walkman that played cassette tapes? Refer to it on Wikipedia if you don't remember. In any case, it was one of those items and initially it was costly beyond the budget of many people. Had there been a study at that time, I'm sure there would have been conclusions that Walkmen are to blame for any peaks in violence in society.

It's convenient to lay the blame for crime on a luxury item like an iPod but it just doesn't make sense. Robbery generally occurs when the victim has something that the criminal wants. Now the iPod is still quite expensive but it is so common these days that I think within a few more years, it will be very common and then the blame for robbery peaks will be blamed on something else. There's a difference between a coincidental timeframe and an actual causation. I think that iPod saturation of the market is maybe partially to blame for increases in robberies, but I don't think it is the sole reason.