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We think we're protecting our kids by treating all men as potential predators. But that's not a society that's safe. Just sick.
They had a really good story on "On the Media" (amazing program, btw, if you're not familiar) a couple years ago about child abductions and our perceptions of them. In the story they interviewed several people, law enforcement, news people, common folks, about how many kids are abducted each year by strangers. The consensus belief seems to be in the tens of thousands. It turns out according to the FBI, who actually tracks abductions, that about 200 children are taken by strangers, on average, each year in the US. Pretty stark difference. The media and public love the story of the child abductor so much though that each time it happens its a sensation.
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I am a huge fan of On the Media. In a similar vein people are afraid of the danger to children of guns in the home, but if you really want to be mindful of kids safety keep them away from swimming pools, they are by orders of magnitude bigger child killers.
sounds_sound · 4724 days ago · link ·
What's scary is that children are in more danger with their own family members than with someone they don't know at all.
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I don't think you can just ignore it. I think you have to actively counter it, like the author of the piece does. She's been in the news a few times, like for letting her kid ride the subway alone. If this nonsense goes unchecked, it will be accepted as normal.
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Cool, I didn't realize that she was the same person. I remember the hoopla about that.
I guess by ignore it, I don't mean cave to it; I mean just act like a normal person, and let people with their hang-ups deal with that. So it is pushing back by refusing to behave weird and paranoid. I know I am going to get shit for letting my kid ride a bike without a helmet.
thenewgreen · 4724 days ago · link ·
I totally agree. If I were by myself in a grocery store and smiled at a little kid that's walking by with his parents, it could be taken as "what a nice guy" or "what a creep". Either reaction is almost equally as likely. Now, add to that scene me walking with my daughter in my arms and suddenly I'm the nicest guy in the world. It's like when you have a kid you're automatically "good". You get a pass in to the "allowed to interact with children club".
I think you're on a guilty before being proven innocent kick these passed few days NotPhil.