Be Afraid…Be VERRYY Afraid…(not) The Social Lens Originally posted at The Social Lens March 3, 2010 Posted by: Chad M. Gesser Twitter: @profgesser Email: chad.gesser@kctcs.edu Each semester I cover different aspects of deviance and crime with my Sociology students, and I’m always intrigued to hear their varying perceptions of crime and violence in our community, the nation, and the world. It is inevitable that the prevailing viewpoint is that we do indeed live in a violent society. In discussions this week, I had one particular student who is married to a local police officer share that her husband refuses to allow her to walk, jog, or run alone at night in her neighborhood and community for fear of violence. An argument can be made that he is just being safe, but it certainly does beckon the question: How safe is my community? My country? Society in general? Ten years ago Barry Glassner released his “ Culture of Fear “, which examined how various social forces from me