The Superpredator Scare | Retro Report | The New York Times

After a surge of teen violence in the early 1990s, some social scientists predicted the future was going to be a whole lot worse. Reality proved otherwise.
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The Superpredator Scare | Retro Report | The New York Times
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[@de_mir]

This is what happens when you produce and consume poor quality research

[@linyenchin6773]

Nahh this is why ya shouldn't binge watch the predator facing Arnold on a tight loop while high on crack. Such action leads youto imagine predator as having an "S" on his chest and a flowing red cap, with lazer eyes...

[@DavidDaHedge]

Yep, shows you how much power academics actually yield. The sciences, and in this case the social sciences, can do much harm and therefore have a great amount of responsibility to do the right thing.

[@TacticalRick507]

Your not wrong there. And most systems work in a counter intuitive way.

[@James-gk8ip]

I think the point was the dangers of moral panic.

[@conor7154]

Yes it’s totally a myth! Ignore all of the news articles of black kids stabbing women to death or robbing banks! Just ignore them! Pretend it’s not happening!

[@Eight8888888812]

I don;t know, this guy gets a bunch of things wrong, then throws his hands up and declares that the world is impossible to predict and basically becomes a preacher. Ummm

[@andrewsciacca3016]

Murtaza Bijani David was the king of Israel. Not really a big figure in Christianity.

[@teamcrumb]

ain't that the way

[@twocentzzz]

Newt has looked 68 for 30 years

[@bsqwahlE]

He has also acted 68 for 30 years

[@ashleyswann9862]

It's how they age

[@vze21gwa]

Well yeah he's a vampire.

[@jatim9373]

This has me thinking of the Central Park Five and how those young boys of colour were wrongfully convicted partly due to this horrid super predator theory...

[@udhavvarma7097]

I am not American but I have heard trump had added fuel to the fire then

[@HorizonEyes]

@@udhavvarma7097 he did. He was almost entirely responsible for fueling the entire thing.

[@Biohazard1999]

They were not wrongfully convicted. There is a mountain of evidence proving that they have done it. Their release was purely political.

[@karolineCPH]

@@Biohazard1999 Yeah, I mean apart from anothers man's confession, his DNA matching that which was found on the victim, zero of the victim's DNA being found on the convicted kids, the coercing of the kids - sure, A MOUNTAIN of evidence. And btw, the central park five were not "released" - they all served their sentences in full before having their charges vacated. AND if this was a "political" decision, why would they charge another POC with the crime? Go away, troll.

[@Biohazard1999]

@@karolineCPH not sure why you calling me a troll, I'm really not. I don't believe at all they were coerced. Seen the interrogations in full as they were released and to me it looked like they confessed and gave specific details. It's not that none of their dna was found on the victim - it was inconclusive. The medical examiners agree that the amount of damage inflicted on the victim pointed to multiple attackers. The felon who took the blame for himself actually got a sweet deal on it. He was already imprisoned for life but was moved to a different facility for the confession. I truly believe that they are guilty but I guess only they know the truth.

[@RyanMayer]

I'm really appreciating these 'Retro Reports' at the end of 2018. Thanks for posting these and I hope you continue doing so!

[@kobold7763]

This really gives you the background to the inspiration of “The Boondocks.”

[@shannsimms9072]

Yeah I love these

[@freeyoutube6425]

Was not a myth

[@jamesmathews2858]

all those children like derrick hardaway tried as adults as teenagers... wow. people don't understand just how powerful words are

[@winterfall6953]

LOL

[@phyllisdevries546]

That's for sure and people are heartless in their comments

[@aaronhumphrey2009]

Trying children as adults is inherently oxmoronic. It's an admission of guilt by the institutions ( especially the court system, which would seem to be engaged in political overeaction to overcompensate for thier futility to positively affect society ) thatre responsible for raising them. Dad's in jail/ don't know who he is= big problems, especially with boys. Mom's on drugs = problems for her children. Mom's away, working as hard as she can at $ hit jobs= not enough supervision for " latchkey kids ", not enough money to get out of the " poverty cycle"... The actual problems are many, the key is getting to kids before they get jumped into gangs, sell drugs, commit gang crimes. It's hard to admit, but the end result of people treating kids like unwanted garbage is they're forced to find thier own way, and naturally seek out the lowest common denominator. The " war on drugs " has had numerous casualties, stuffed the prisons full, and is essentially a racewar on the poor.

[@smokeebluntz838]

Foo smoked yummy a lil boy

[@anahernandez4043]

Too bad their parents didn't raise them to be a successful contributing member of society. They just left them to be victims of the system.

[@phyllisdevries546]

We Americans are very gullible, and the press just feeds us

[@MickeyD2012]

Fancy a bit of the old ultra-violence, do we, now?

[@christopherwilson888]

I see what you did there. 😏

[@morgengabe1]

The descriptions of super predators bare a striking parallel to the behaviours of US troops overseas.

[@206guy5]

morgengabe1 They are using it to fight the bad though. These kids are killing others over $50.

[@KitKat_293]

Exactly, gangs can function extremely similarly to the military.

[@KitKat_293]

206 guy not always. We’ve done terrible things to innocent people for money and oil, not just bad guys.

[@TacticalRick507]

No, thats an apex predator who hunt 2 legged prey, while working on a two way firing range and being hunted. Get your head on straight. Embarrassing.

[@persebra]

I kind of remember this djuilio dude in the conservative mags talking about black crime. I had no idea he has repudiated his own findings! Good for him! That must have been a hard thing to do, it rarely happens.

[@bouncyshak]

Not good for all the kids-tried-as-adults still in jail though

[@tintinftww]

He has a lot to answer for.

[@uvuvwevwevweonyetenyevweug235]

godless...really!?...like that has anything to do with it...

[@jamesmathews2858]

dilulio is obviously a man of christian faith. historically christians have had an extra sense of superiority to those who aren't. the label "godless" is fatal

[@__-go9cj]

non-godfearing people r more easier to commit a crime. is what i think they meant. but lets not forget religous radicals.

[@Withbackpack]

What? That's stupid. Where do you see a wave of crimes committed by atheists?

[@victorrelmek2889]

He's referring to their lack of morality and the beginning of our nations cultural decline.

[@somethingsomething404]

Red Onion since when are non religious people more likely to commit crime?

[@JackieOwl94]

It’s really funny how the rise of video games, the internet, and other activities that keep kids occupied and connected to each other have led to a consistent general decline in youth violent crime, to the point where any sort of violent crime by a child is considered super insane now, which it is. I am so glad that the general trend is going in the right direction.

[@alexis9086]

i’m not trying to be political or anything, but it is interesting that even though children committing violent crimes is surprising now, they are now committing school shootings. the decrease in total violence (as you said) and increase of mass murders (school shootings) is strange. i wonder why

[@poffw2574]

THAT MAN SHOULD BE IN JAIL

[@carolechisum6582]

poff W puff W freedom of speech, remember

[@kenfortune1959]

love these reports!!! keep 'em coming!!!!

[@jakeneedsaccess6670]

Derrick Hardaway was released on parole in 2016 for anyone curious

[@pjamesbda]

To assert that a person can "kill - rape - maim, without a second thought" is a harbinger of the ignorance that both causes and perpetuates this condition. Methods of deprivation, and humiliation in both the work place and the judicial system foster inequality and makes fertile ground for a deeply bifurcated society - like we have today.

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

But that's exactly what they do. These predators are not "deprived and humiliated" in the work place and judicial system. They make their way to the judicial system because they are the ones doing the depriving and humiliating.

[@pjamesbda]

@@superpredatorsforbiden-har103 . It doesn't require power to do malice, but it does to elude justice for it. Eventually though, a larger justice will prevail...that has nothing to do with God. Brace yourselves...it's gonna be ugly.

[@kobold7763]

@@superpredatorsforbiden-har103 Nice profile pic of Ronnie O’ Neal III, is that who you’re gonna want for president come 2024?

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

@@kobold7763 Yes, I'm voting for Ronnie O'Neal for Prez. We won't have very far to fall, anyway, after Biden is done with us.

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

@@kobold7763 Yes, I'm voting for Ronnie O'Neal, 2024. After Biden is through with us, we won't have very far to fall, anyway.

[@madamluis2537]

Some of these boys belong in prison but most just need healthy environment and caring parents to steer them the right way.

[@HorizonEyes]

Not in America. America produces criminals by sending them to prison. In Germany we actually rehabilitate, instead of making the problems worse. There’s issues with lack of prosecution(for hexual offenses) in Germany, but our prison system itself works much better. Just a side note: I live in America & my wife is American, but I am German.

[@jasonhill2348]

@@HorizonEyes why do you live in America?

[@kobold7763]

Of course neighborhoods ripe with inner city gangs will have an excess of youth violence. Giving a machine gun to Beavis & Butthead and manipulating them is easy for older mature 25+ guys. The focus should be the enablers not the kids, the very old men at the top and crooked government agents who bring drugs in.

[@LinDa-vx3ly]

They needed a caring environment BEFORE they did any of that. Once they’ve done it, why should I trust them to behave once they’re back in society. What’s been going on in the States for decades now is proof of the fact superpredators are a thing.

[@jessyjulie5506]

They call them "thugs" now.

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

Don't be a thug if you can't take the slug.

[@JK-pu8jt]

1990s: Superpredators 2020s: Superenablers

[@26michaeluk]

Yup.

[@Rose_1549]

Every time I watch one of these retro reports it’s always someone who causes huge hysteria then once they are confronted with being wrong they try to find every way justify being wrong. Just say “I was wrong and I messed up”

[@kso321]

I think they were right but just at the wrong time look at Chicago now

[@TheIntJuggler]

The background talking is too loud and is drounding out the music.

[@TheLDG1981]

I see they conveniently skipped over Hillary Clinton using the term. What a surprise!

[@donaldjnixon-rl3zt]

TheLDG1981 and theh skipped the part were trump was looking for a death sentence to innocent kids he was accusing for murder?

[@evqa06]

the dark love of yoda and darth vader link me a clip of that on KZbin.

[@kazunabe4288]

Trump had his own opinions on the subject and they skipped that as well. Was that “””””convenient””””” too? Nah probably not right! Persecution complexes are annoying.

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

They walk among us. And push our women onto on coming subway trains, and punch our women in the head in subway trains. The August, 1995 edition of Reader's Digest cover reads, "CRIME IN AMERICA It's going to get worse." (08:30) Guess what? They were right! The data shows 21,570 homicides in the U.S. in 2020, 4,901 more than in 2019. "A historic rise in homicides in 2020-and continued bloodshed in 2021-has incited fears that after years of plummeting crime rates, the U.S. could be headed back to the bad old days, when a crime wave gripped the country from the 1970s to the 1990s." - The Atlantic, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

[@ladyreverie7027]

The decline in youth violence was also correlated with the uptake of unleaded petrol. Also correlated with the legalisation of abortion. Just saying.

[@emmacarroll12]

just curious.... how are these related?

[@TheBishop12]

7:10 ish when they say "at the same time the laws were enacted youth crime plummeted." I really suspect that the laws pushed were a way for politicians like newt Gingrich to push for office and further their agenda. I mean, what better way to run for office and Public relations than to say you are tough on crime and then show that you put away people for life (for non-violent offenses!). Politics at play.

[@hephaestus6365]

If a kid kills, superpredator or not, they should be dealt with accordingly.

[@TheCristallo83]

Only the language has changed. Yesterday's superpredator is today's thug.

[@somethingsomething404]

TheCristallo83 it seems like they prefer just to say "inner city" now when being racist

[@ricktandron3669]

The Catholic Church was complicit in all these superpredator crimes. Sad.

[@Tony-md7dr]

Roe v Wade explains more of the drop in juvenile delinquency in the mid-90's than any other single factor.

[@wessywes24]

Was looking for someone to say this, totally agree.

[@PorcupineGirl]

Accurate 💯

[@JeantheSecond]

Guess red states are going to see a rise in violence in 18 years.

[@chadthurs8078]

According to Donohue and Levitt crime theory the drop in youth crime corresponds with the legalization of abortion. The data is there.

[@RealLargeManTheGiantOne]

It shouldn't be a surprise that when people can avoid having a child when their situation doesn't allow for it, you get fewer issues with youths growing up in bad environments that push them towards crime.

[@superpredatorsforbiden-har103]

@@RealLargeManTheGiantOne So, the solution is to murder people, born and unborn, when it inconveniences your "situation"?

[@Floridaman360]

I like these retro reports you should make more of them

[@victorsoto4593]

Well this is aging well

[@Lordmaster135]

Yup

[@berenicemarchese1593]

we need to stop trying children as adults. children are not adults, whatever they do. crime isn't adult behaviour, it's human behaviour. we need to take into account children's less developed brains, lack of experience, incompletion of the part of the brain that controls impulse. if a child commits a serious crime, that's a symbol something is wrong with the family, society and support system, not the individual.

[@simon4521]

How come they didn’t show Hillary Clinton saying super predator?

[@moviedude22]

Right

[@Medic_312]

I hate that these retro reports are so good but come from such a terrible disgusting news source.

[@takabrak2542]

because hillary clinton doesnt have anything to do with this story?

[@malcolmobrien8375]

What is the software he uses at @5:22?

[@robertmoore7814]

cant believe i gotta do i paragraph on this vid for school

[@claucemicro1080]

“The Superpredator...” Enter Catholic priests who’ve been changed from one church/school to another.

[@jaeisacat233]

this is pretty racist

[@JDChicago]

+Goutfoot It has a lot less to do with race. 80% of crime are committed by gangs. The reality is that in gangs currently over 40% are Latino and over 30% are black. whereas 12% is white. The narrative will change once gangs are defeated. Clearly the youth in urban area's have been turning to gangs. That will need to change to change the prison rates. I think we can all help ....but I would agree with most people in saying economically it has been horrible unfair. We need to rebuild the urban communities.

[@JDChicago]

+Craig Beal Gangs used to be white (aka the Gangs of NY movie....) They were white thugs basically. The narrative is not going to change calling people who commit crimes anything other than 'criminals'. I suppose you are just a big Trump supporter, correct?

[@abelromero8967]

Yeah the initial opening images almost exclusively showed young Black men, especially when they kept repeating "Super Predators"

[@septillion2501]

I find your comment racist and don't even get me started on your avatar and username, are you even Japanese or are just appropriating Asian culture?

[@hemoglobininspector4749]

septillion2501 omg?? appropriation of culture doesn't exist you sjw fuckwad.

[@26michaeluk]

This actually happened now though and is happening.

[@rogerszmodis]

Dude should have predicted that ring of blubber around his neck and stopped that from happening.

[@princeoffduty6994]

This is the (possibly?) inspiration behind the “Beyond Scared Straight” reality TV show

[@patrickgordon7035]

I don’t know how you make a video about this without using a clip of hillary clinton talking about minority super predators.

[@beans7768]

When I hear predator I think of child predators. Thats kinda sad

[@ManneredRace089]

Can someone tell me who this is over here 0:36 just asking out of curiosity

[@sarahbarisas9865]

Superpredators are bullies that simply don't hold back. Think about it.

[@leslie7872]

see. youth violence was at a high in the 90's with very little video games, while youth violence has been decreasing while violence video games are at a all time high

[@sharonrigs7999]

What??? Mortal Kombat Postal, Doom ect

[@jonbon4047]

8:00 That dudes second chin took over to make new conspiracy theories

[@dawndeather9553]

Huh. I wonder if that guy Derrick Hardaway got parole. He seems like he regrets it, and who wouldn't be after spending more than half your life in prison. I hope he did and he turned his life around.

[@laurasherwood4771]

If you make an adult decision, you should face adult consequences, good or bad.

[@Mohamed-jb9yx]

Yes,,,,,,, I would have no problem execution of 16 years old if they commit murder

[@Zeldarw104]

@@Mohamed-jb9yx or even a 14 year old, okay, you black hearted buzzard!

[@Mohamed-jb9yx]

Zelda Williams Sure I am a black hearted against bad criminals

[@berenicemarchese1593]

but crime is not an adult decision. it's something even small children are capable of.

[@NolaGal2601]

So we're now in 2018. Can't find anything online about Derrick Hardaway's parole - either accepted or rejected. Hmmmm.

[@outside8312]

Well America does have the most serial killers so...

[@LBrownoffical]

Wheres hilary? Why is she not the face of this. Shes been the single most influential person out of the superpredators rhetoric

[@nardo218]

ok but ..... 5 years later ... boy bands. everywhere you look, boy bands.

[@sharonrigs7999]

To catch a Super Predator you will need Mega-Hansen.

[@davidlewis3072]

the more violent adults get and get away with the more kids act out....

[@YooTuba]

I must have been busy living my life or something whenever this Robert Sandifer business happened because I never heard of the guy till now.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

This goes to show you, the government is the real Super Predator

[@calvinnewborn8452]

Media doing the same thing today

[@kamiyabritton7098]

Its 20x worse now

[@Sarah.Riedel]

James Fox: and this is why I turned down a full ride at Northeastern.

[@kathrineprescott]

11 years old murdered by gang violence.. he was in a gang at 11!! What’s wrong with this world..

[@anahernandez4043]

Younger than 11 because by 11 he already had a reputation

[@kathrineprescott]

@@anahernandez4043 heartbreaking :(

[@satanicgrizzlypuss8737]

Lol did dude really have to break down superpredatores for us

[@jaridkeen123]

The more you put rules on kids the more they act out. Let them make mistakes when young so they dont do it later

[@maxpoggerman7396]

yeah - but not murder

[@bogdangoncharuck5307]

I read that abort legalization stop it. In the book "Freakonomics".

[@HechoEnCalifornia]

These people should be ashamed. Our justice system is broken and these people made things worse. I hope they can't sleep at night

[@colaptesauratus]

this chump, doing bad criminology and eventually coming to the conclusion that "criminology is not pure science" instead of the obvious right answer of "whoops, i did science badly"

[@kathrineprescott]

I remember when this was being talked about… so much nuance it’s sad..

[@StreakyBaconMan]

So why does this guy think religion is the answer? Last time I checked people are getting less religious over time, yet violent crime still goes down.

[@calvinnewborn8452]

Where are the inner city programs

[@xoxsosa827]

how can I cite this video ?

[@chadthurs8078]

Does this discredit Freakeconomics?

[@trentblume5998]

Blah blah blah. Going on thirty years later, we haven't cleaned this problem up

[@BernardLimpet-qd8bk]

2023! You should revisit this 👍

[@Lordmaster135]

Sup I'm in 2024

[@cristerowarrior1450]

It was Hilary Clinton that used the word the most. Why not show that?

[@UnitedSchemerCA]

The government overdid it with the laws and crime bills but they weren’t doing it for nothing the youth has always been wild but back then the laws couldn’t convict them to harsher sentences for there crimes so the general public was actually scared they just reacted towards the citizens at the time

[@barrymcdougal4816]

THE EGGSPERTS NOT WORTH DOG DROPPINGS ----- COPS ARE THE REAL PROBLEM.

[@fajarsetiawan8665]

Maybe people would blame Diulio solely on this. But this is not about the fault. The research trend that too sanctifies numbers without looking back and forward temporally and spatially would cause a misleading conclusion. Diulio was, indeed, wrong. And he has learned a dire consequence of it. But please, people, don't be a vigilante judge.

[@wokejesus6501]

The point was always arbitrary social control, you're deluding yourself if you believe otherwise.

[@ST-gd4go]

Anyone know who the kid is at 0:36

[@robertmoore7814]

probably some kid who they asked hey kid want to be on tv famous huh kid ite cmon

[@gamf5996]

Still waiting for alien vs super predator

[@marktweet7395]

Could be? Are u kidding

[@marktweet7395]

No consequences

[@oodhamman]

They were right but they targeted the wrong group. They were talking about organize crime.

[@donnydvoi2538]

Uhhhh... they were kinda right. Look at crime now and tell me they weren't.

[@Will_Moffett]

What happened here is a case of academics stepping up to justify what are essentially economic policies of class warfare. The result should be that every academic who participated in this should be stripped of their credentials and barred from teaching at universities. But if I know my society what happened to them is that they were all promoted.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

Public school check:

[@Shairony]

Didn't even acknowledge the prejudice/political motivation behind this...

[@nopenopenopenope4076]

Makes one think if KND was on to something.

[@paulwolinsky1538]

It's like I say, here in America, we've got a "get tough on Black people" approach to crime.

[@55commander]

Does MS-13 come to mind?

[@brianjonker510]

Having a psychopath in prison for decades prevents him from being a repeat offender. Certainly that doesnt impact the data at all?

[@RealityCheck1993]

Probably not. And even if it did, it might not even be statistically significant. Even without a moral panic, those kids would have been jailed for at least a few years, especially in the case of murder. If a 14 year old is jailed 4 years, they'd stop counting in the juvenile crime rate anyway. Moreover, the study suggests that NEW generations of 14-17 year olds would be more violent. But even as the panic was just starting, they were already seeing a decline. So it couldn't have been a direct result of any measures taken by the states.

[@Flint_Ironstagg]

chris hansen's to catch a superpredator

[@olympiaelda1121]

What is his new idea again? .... Run, America, run...

[@spikefivefivefive]

When your baby-daddy is Uncle Sam

[@eldandi6086]

You call yourself a college professor? You predicted wrong

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

Statistics can be misinterpreted, sadly. It's a tragic thing. Humans are flawed, and that flawed resulting causes issues. This was horrific.

[@kcrum7438]

STREETSMARTS

[@seanmccoy1047]

I'm certainly no Hillary fan, but she's getting a raw deal on this. She wasn't singling out young blacks with her 'Super Predator' statement. Factual statistics showed a rapid rise in teenage crime across the board, and 'experts' predicted it would get worse. Dems and Republicans alike saw a need for change, and acted on it. Many who supported this have since expressed regret because of the out-of-proportion black incarceration-welfare state it created, but given the circumstances at the time it's unfair to accuse them of racism.

[@seanmccoy1047]

+Shena Johnson If you watch the documentary or read any of the ample information about it, you'll see that no group in particular was "targeted." There were, statistically, more blacks who would have been affected because the youth crime increases were most severe in inner cities. But any attempt to claim that Hillary was specifically singling out black kids as 'super predators' is contrived.

[@seanmccoy1047]

+Shena Johnson If we were talking about some slick-talking white southern Republican I could buy the coded language idea, but do you really think Hillary Clinton had 21st century post-incarceration slavery on her mind in 1996? If you see racism in every word that comes out of a white mouth then it will be hard for you to acknowledge that progress is even possible.

[@seanmccoy1047]

+Noelle Crowner Not that I don't believe the Clintons don't seize every opportunity to benefit themselves, but I'm not clear on how they made money by putting so many blacks in prison. And given their records in other areas of race, including expressing outright regret over the damage to the black family their anti-crime efforts directly or indirectly caused, I just don't see that 'institutional racist' label fitting them. I know there have always been a lot of do-gooder white liberals who harbor racism under the surface and fail to live up to their own lip service, but I'd need to see more convincing evidence than Hillary's single mention of the term 'super-predator' to believe she's really got it in for blacks.

[@seanmccoy1047]

+Noelle Crowner It's so weird to be defending the Clintons, but can you site specific evidence of Hillary receiving financial support from the 'prison industrial complex'? If the Clintons are really racists, and if every single person who may have inadvertently benefited from any form of racism is racist, then I fear there is no hope. What solutions do you envision?

[@seanmccoy1047]

+Noelle Crowner Okay, I was able to find several references to the prison lobby and its support of Hillary. While it contributes to many politicians' campaigns, it is telling that during this campaign cycle they've given equal amounts to Hillary and Marco Rubio. To be honest, I didn't even know there were private prisons, the whole concept if which I find disturbing.

[@yvonnejohnson1234]

this need to be correct

[@guestaccesslaptopguestacce5198]

At least he is not like Al Sharpton