During my adult life in Britain I was exposed to a number of fables, much less enjoyable or wise than those of Aesop, to which I was introduced in childhood. Three, in particular, have lodged in my memory.
The death penalty is not a deterrent.
Is it an unconnected coincidence, then, that the once rare crime of murder is now almost a daily occurrence?
Physical punishment of children teaches them to use violence.
Since the clamp down on the parental smack, youth violence has grown to horrendous levels.
Banning hand-guns will make Britain safer.
Today, only criminals possess guns, and gun crime is at a record high.
Sadly, those who spouted these fables in the past, continue to do so, apparently oblivious to the frailty of their case.
Which of today’s fables have I overlooked, do you think?
Boadicea's Chariot 
Could not agree with you more though I suspect there are few that have been missed.
I came across this quote yesterday from Tacitus:
“The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government.”
The Blair/Brown government enacted more laws than any other. QED.
Our multicultural society enhances racial harmony…………………
I think you’ve pretty well covered it there Tom, I agree with you.
Christina, how could I have forgotten?
Masturbation makes you blind,
There are a great many w—–s around today, but the number of bllind is apparently the same ratio as ever.
blind – sorry.
Spot on, Tom. I would add ‘corporal, 9and capital,’ punishment is not a deterrent.’
bravo, that reminds me of another Fable, ‘Flogging marks will be used as a status badge of courage.’ That, like other fables was not based on evidence, so let’s test the hypothesis
Tom spot on I have to say.
Sipu I love the comment
Christina, my words
Zen how true
But one that is very true and growing “Give them an inch and they will take a mile” that now is our society I’m afraid.
Tom, I could not agree more with you
Well, most of these are certainly not fables.
1. The death penalty is not a deterrent. That is a known fact. I understand that murderers upset you, and that you want vengeance. That is a natural sentiment. But a dangerous one. Look at car crashes, for example: there is a death penalty for careless driving (you may crash and die). Why doesn’t it work to deter careless drivers? Simple: because the physical laws of nature do not enforce that rule very well. Your chances of dying in a car crash are rather small, even if you drive horrendously. It is enforcement that makes the difference, not the punishment. If you want to lower the homicide rate, make sure you catch ALL murderers. It doesn’t matter much what you do with them later. Killing a scapegoat doesn’t work.
2. You are confusing rule and exception. As a rule, if you need physical punishment to raise you child, then you are a lousy parent. It does not follow that a parent should NEVER use force against a child. The kid needs to know you (the parent, or other grownup) are tougher and stronger. And sometimes this calls for physical engagement. Let’s just say: if you find yourself slapping your child one a year, that’s probably OK. If you find yourself slapping him every other day, go seek professional help.
3. Here you are probably right. The difference between countries with high-crime-rate and low-crime rate is not in handgun ownership. Canada, as an example, has an enormous amount of handguns and a rather low homicide rate.