I see I didn’t answer your actual question very well.
I would consider a significant increase in the incidence of such horrible incidents clear evidence of moral decay.
Let’s say they occurred at a rate of 100 per 100k population per year in 1950, 200 in 1980, and 400 in 2010.
The problem is that we’re unlikely to find such accurate statistics, for a host of reasons.
As I said, personally I believe we are in severe moral decline. It just isn’t possible to prove it by citing appalling anecdotes.
As countervailing evidence where we do have (fairly) good statistics, murder and other violent crime hit an all-time low about 1958, then climbed for 30 years. We have since been in a decline for about the last 25 years, and 2013 will probably come very close to being an all-time low year for murder.
That most Americans nevertheless believe crime is increasing proves my point about anecdotal evidence being an unreliable way to judge the truth.
I do thank you for your responses and insight. I can now appreciate where you are coming from and have a greater understanding of how you came to it. I know, bad grammar, sorry!
It is a bit discerning that I seem to have come at this from an emotional angle which is the hallmark of a dim lefty. Maybe it’s having children, or simply the added bonus of being female...your answers are one of the reasons I stay at this site, it gives me the opportunity to have an adult discussion and gain a broader perspective.
Aside the lack of statistics et al, I wonder, does the rise in support for gay unions indicate moral decay? I’m struggling to explain to some in my life, how this leads to something even more vile, and who is behind this desire to normalize this behavior.
Thank you again