If you lose enough blood it doesn't matter where it's coming out of.
The present day is the least violent time in the history of mankind. It's just 24 media reports it much more.
Sorry to be pedantic, Dan, but all the statisticians agree on this one: the 20th Century was the most violent century on record (some estimates put it at around 240m violent deaths, but hardly anyone argues for less than 150m). I don't see much sign of a turnaround in the 21st Century, sadly.
I certainly hope Dav and his mum recover quickly, and that this man is brought to justice.
Sorry to out pedantise you but no one was conducting world wide surveys during the middle ages.
Well BC, what we do have are historians (in every period of history) who together give us a sense of what has happened. And in any given century (certainly over the last 2000 years), we *do* have a good idea of wars that were fought, plagues that were endured, and so on.
This is obviously straying from the sad news posted above, but just to say, if the history books are anything to go by at all, the bloodshed of the 20th Century simply dwarves the bloodshed in the previous 19 centuries put together. Take a look, for example, at:
http://democraticpeace.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/why-the-20th-century-was-the-bloodiest-of-all/
and the reason it's the most peaceful time of mankind is because the main "super powers" have developed planks of wood with nails in them so big, if one country takes a swipe at another it'll turn into nail-in-plank-holocaust and we'll all die.
Winner? No-one.
If there is going to be war, there has to be a point. If the war is futile then it's also suicidal and completely pointless. Nuclear weapons make war futile, hence the relatively small scale "skirmish" type combat situations we see now, and the massively reduced casualty rate.
At the battle of Waterloo, in only 4 days, over 25,000 men died. And not sniped from a distance died, blown into pieces died. Hit in the chest with a cannonball that went through you and killed the 5 men behind you kinda died. Bayonetted through the stomach whilst you stare into the eyes of the man who's doing it kinda died.
Even Americans can't beat them stats :up:
:lol: people arguing about how violent a time we lived in, i just wanted to throw out one of the few stats i know :lol:WTF? mg:
Well BC, what we do have are historians (in every period of history) who together give us a sense of what has happened. And in any given century (certainly over the last 2000 years), we *do* have a good idea of wars that were fought, plagues that were endured, and so on.
This is obviously straying from the sad news posted above, but just to say, if the history books are anything to go by at all, the bloodshed of the 20th Century simply dwarves the bloodshed in the previous 19 centuries put together. Take a look, for example, at:
http://democraticpeace.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/why-the-20th-century-was-the-bloodiest-of-all/