Balancing Society and Freedom

[OnyxCougar]

I don't think the X% of population is all that has to be taken into consideration to determine the "X factor". In practice, in the United States, it is absolutely the "Y factor to event ratio" - Y factor being the power wielded by the person the event happened to.

If a woman in a grocery store gets shot by her estranged husband, it's a five minute item on the local news. Her family buries her, the dude gets caught and arrested, goes to jail, or shoots himself in the head in the store. Done.

If a woman happens to be a congressperson, and gets shot at ALL, it's national news for WEEKS. This will cause all kinds of debate about gun control, the role of federal mental health care and cost, the role of colleges and universities "reporting" behavior that "seems off" to local authorities.

There have been countless comments just on the cellar about "when {event}happens to someone IMPORTANT something will change".

So asking for the X factor MUST include the Y factor as well for meaningful discussion.