The image of Faldage as a callow yoot in another thread prompted me to ask about something that's been bugging me.

My local grocer has emblazoned their bags with anti-violence statistics, including this:

80% of violent crimes are committed by youth ages 14-24 years old.

First, that word "youth" throws me for a loop; it looks like it should be "youths", but somehow that doesn't sound right either as Fred Gwynne would surely tell you

Second, isn't "ages 14-24 years old" redundant?

This is a huge national chain, so i can't imagine they'd have two glaring errors... am i wrong?

>youth ages 14-24 years old

perhaps they mean for youth to modify ages, but then it should read 'youthful ages' or youngsters.
maybe they're trying to save paper, or ink. this should read: youths aged 14-24 yrs (or the like)

This is a huge national chain, so i can't imagine they'd have two glaring errors...

I think this goes to show that being big and national is no guarantee of anything (except, perhaps that they will do all in their power to maximise profits and market share.)

Also, the statistics are without great value, as they stand. One feels that in order to reach the magic figure of 80% they have taken the top and bottom ages around that grouping. There is no reason to take an age group between 14 and 24, is there? a grouping of 14 - 18 years might have more relevance (but not necessarily!!) and I could appreciate a rationale that looks at the whole population from birth to death in five-year groups, but what virtue is there in such a wide age range? The differences in knowledge and experience in that eleven years is unfathomable, I would have thought.

But then, I am a mere historian - can some of our sociological colleagues comment?

...will do all in their power to maximise profits and market share.) Given that they would have even recognized the *mistake, they weren't about to toss away a gajillion newly printed bags... it'd be easier to *layoff the 'copy editor' (or change their name).

...The differences in knowledge and experience in that eleven years is unfathomable... Of this there is no doubt, especially as the judicial system *hacks them into two categories; pre and post 18th birthday. A classic example of number crunching in its worst setting... and to top it all off, all they could get was 80% out of *it. I'm quite sure violent crimes are a very high percentage of all crimes prosecuted, which brings further questions to the *actual source and meaning of these statistics.

I say the words "big and national" guarantee that words about violence purport to be doing something about it in the same *way that numbers are actually® understanding it.

This is a huge national chain, so i can't imagine they'd have two glaring errors... am i wrong?

Ever hear of a store chain called RITE AID? Do they sell paraphanalia related to rituals? Nooooo! And they PAID some clown to come up with that name!

Ever hear of a store chain called RITE AID? Do they sell paraphanalia related to rituals? Nooooo! And they PAID some clown to come up with that name!

well, they undoubtedly paid some trademark attorney to come up with that name, as WRITE/RIGHT AID couldn't be trademarked. otoh, the original store was named Thrif D Discount.