ARCHIVE - Are We Teaching Our Kids to Fear Men?

Archive: Thu Mar 5 19:57:45 2009
Title: Are We Teaching Our Kids to Fear Men?
Mood: annoyed
Music: Over Mode-Infected Mushroom
I blogged a while ago about our current moral panic about sexual predators that is leading people to worry that every man is a potential predator.

Today's entry is from the Wall Street Journal

When children get lost in a mall, they're supposed to find a "low-risk adult" to help them. Guidelines issued by police departments and child-safety groups often encourage them to look for "a pregnant woman," "a mother pushing a stroller" or "a grandmother."
The implied message: Men, even dads pushing strollers, are "high-risk."

Its not like I've been seeing a rush of articles about this topic, but I have noticed it and I do get nervous sometimes when out with the kids without wubwife.

Here's a couple other related links.

Bad outcomes of "Sex Offender Paranoia". In particular is the tragedy noted in 8 where a young girl drowned when she wandered away from her parents. A man saw the girl wandering loose but didn't stop to help for fear that he would be accused of abducting the child.

In the Reddit discussion on the link, a man details his run-in with the law because he dared to help a few little kids with their shoes.

archive

Copyright by Mesazero LLC
Rights Reserved by Non-Commercial, Attribute Required License
Contact Mesazero LLC for Licensing requirements and options