Has John Walsh (America's Most Wanted) scared America?

[applecorped]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_re_us/adam_walsh



The above story about Adam Walsh's alleged killer had an interesting last couple of lines:





"What it also did, said Mount Holyoke College sociologist and criminologist Richard Moran, is make children and adults alike exponentially more afraid.


'He (John Walsh) ended up really producing a generation of cautious and afraid kids who view all adults and strangers as a threat to them and it made parents extremely paranoid about the safety of their children,' Moran said."



I'd never considered any potential negative aspects to Walsh's endeavors. As a parent I tend to be overly cautious with my kids. Is that bad?

[Darth Rotor]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_re_us/adam_walsh

The above story about Adam Walsh's alleged killer had an interesting last couple of lines:

"What it also did, said Mount Holyoke College sociologist and criminologist Richard Moran, is make children and adults alike exponentially more afraid.

'He (John Walsh) ended up really producing a generation of cautious and afraid kids who view all adults and strangers as a threat to them and it made parents extremely paranoid about the safety of their children,' Moran said."

I'd never considered any potential negative aspects to Walsh's endeavors. As a parent I tend to be overly cautious with my kids. Is that bad?
42

I can't blame John Walsh for being the sole agent in attempting to create a mind set of helplessness and victimhood in America. It took a lot of years and a lot of pussies to do that.

DR

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

I don't blame John Walsh for wanting to spread the message of the threat of child abduction far and wide. If my child had been kidnapped from under my nose like that, I think I would spend the rest of my life warning society about stranger danger, too.

It's the media that jumps on these stories that I blame. It's paranoid moms and dads who are convinced a pedophile is going to snatch their kid at the suspermarket that I blame. It's teachers that spend so much time warning children about strangers that I blame.

[Puppycow]

The same thing has happened in Japan too. It's statistically a very low crime rate here, but there are a few cases of child killers because there's over 100 million people. These cases all get lots of media attention for months and are very traumatic. So if you just casually soak in the news and don't think in terms of statistics, you would probably think that child killers are a big threat to children.

[Arus808]

scared america? how about a more aware america? walsh's campagin brought awareness to a country that wanted to sweep all of these issued under the rug. shielding any child against these type of issues doesn't make them stronger...it makes them have an obscure view of the world.

[JoeyDonuts]

I can't fault John Walsh at all. How many fugitives have been caught by America's Most Wanted? Quite a bit, I believe. John Walsh hasn't turned us into a nation of paranoid and skittish people or even HELPED to. He made the country aware of threats to their safety every week. Sure, he did it with some laughably bad "dramatizations" but once you saw a mugshot on AMW, you didn't forget it.

Are you sure you're not confusing him with THIS guy:

wuPXymJEldE

[Dancing David]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081216/ap_on_re_us/adam_walsh



The above story about Adam Walsh's alleged killer had an interesting last couple of lines:





"What it also did, said Mount Holyoke College sociologist and criminologist Richard Moran, is make children and adults alike exponentially more afraid.


'He (John Walsh) ended up really producing a generation of cautious and afraid kids who view all adults and strangers as a threat to them and it made parents extremely paranoid about the safety of their children,' Moran said."



I'd never considered any potential negative aspects to Walsh's endeavors. As a parent I tend to be overly cautious with my kids. Is that bad?


Nope, some people think that there was some happy time when every thing was just fine. And that by sticking our heads in a hole, it will be again.

Every 'golden age' has it's racism, domestic brutality and suffering.

[Cainkane1]

Its better to be paranoid than dead. His program has probably saved a lot of lives.

[JoeyDonuts]

Its better to be paranoid than dead. His program has probably saved a lot of lives.

In large part to his activism, there are now Missing Persons units at police stations all over the country. Fingerprint banks, security systems, the list goes on and on. John Walsh overall had a tremendous impact on the way that missing children in particular are handled.

I'm just happy that his nightmare finally has some closure - and I'm confident that he will continue the honorable things he has done.

John Walsh, I salute you.

[applecorped]

Its better to be paranoid than dead.

Most people aren't abducted and killed though, so is better to be paranoid than not? Does extreme paranoia have physical or mental ramifications?

[doobiedoright]

I will tell you this.
Before I moved out of Florida we had over 50 sex offenders living with in a 1 sq mile radius of us and our children.Over half of them were not where they were supposed to be and the police had no idea where they were.
Would it be better to stick your head in the sand or keep it on a swivel?

[geni]

I will tell you this.
Before I moved out of Florida we had over 50 sex offenders living with in a 1 sq mile radius of us and our children.Over half of them were not where they were supposed to be and the police had no idea where they were.
Would it be better to stick your head in the sand or keep it on a swivel?

Given the defintion of sex offender that claim means little one way or another.

[doobiedoright]

Given the defintion of sex offender that claim means little one way or another.

Thanks to my wife we moved 4 years ago.
As for my claim..read it for yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/searchNeighborhood.do


How many of these would you like living around you?


Her is the first one on the list for you



794.011(8)(b) Commits Sexual Battery; Coerces By Authority (Engages In Sexual Activity With A Child)

(8) Without regard to the willingness or consent of the victim, which is not a defense to prosecution under this subsection, a person who is in a position of familial or custodial authority to a person less than 18 years of age and who:

(b) Engages in any act with that person while the person is 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age which constitutes sexual battery under paragraph (1)(h) commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

If conviction between 1995 and 2001:

794.011(8)(b) Commits Sexual Battery; Coerces By Authority (Engages In Sexual Activity With A Child)

(8) Without regard to the willingness or consent of the victim, which is not a defense to prosecution under this subsection, a person who is in a position of familial or custodial authority to a person less than 18 years of age and who:

(b) Engages in any act with that person while the person is 12 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age which constitutes sexual battery under paragraph (1)(h) commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084


#2

Hampshire - Endangering Welfare of Child)


#3......LEWD,LASCIVIOUS CHILD U/16; F.S.


#4.........SEX BAT BY ADULT/VCTM UNDER 12; F.S. 794.011(2) (PRINCIPAL IN ATTEMPT) 9408530 HILLSBOROUGH, FL Guilty/convict
10/14/1994 LEWD,LASCIVIOUS CHILD U/16; F.S. 800.04 (PRINCIPAL)


#5

LEWD,LASCIVIOUS CHILD U/16; F.S. 800.04 (PRINCIPAL) 9800475 MONROE, FL Not Available
09/01/2005 Sex Offnder Fail Comply Registration; F.S. 943.0435(9) (PRINCIPAL)


#6..

SEX BAT/ WPN. OR FORCE; F.S. 794.011(3) 9203139 HILLSBOROUGH, FL Guilty/convict
08/02/2006 Sex Offnder Fail Comply Registration; F.S. 943.0435(9) 0613327 HILLSBOROUGH, FL Guilty/convict
08/02/2006 Sex Offnder Fail Comply Registration; F.S. 943.0435(9) 0510140 HILLSBOROUGH, FL Guilty/convict
Victim Information
Gender:Unknown Minor:Yes

#8

LEWD,LASCIVIOUS CHILD U/16; F.S. 800.04 (PRINCIPAL)


1 out of 8 was not on a child and all with in half a mile!
What do you think of my claim now sir?

[Dancing David]

Is there an SRO, cheap trailer court or some other resources that attracts offenders? Just curious, living in low rent neighborhoods will do it to.

[doobiedoright]

Is there an SRO, cheap trailer court or some other resources that attracts offenders? Just curious, living in low rent neighborhoods will do it to.



It was not a low rent trailor park.
It was a very old neighborhood made up of houses built in the early 1900's.It had made a great come back and we sold our 975 sq ft home for $175,000 so hardly cheap!
There is a school less than 1ooo feet from our old home and several parks as well.
At that time there was well over 1000 sex offenders in our county alone!
It is wrong when they have all the rights and are forced on everyone else!
You have to remember Florida's warm climate.It attracts nuts of all kinds like crazy!
After living in my state for 40 years ,it was time to leave!
Funny the guy who thought I was lieing has not been back to remove his foot from his mouth!

[Sasha]

As far as the OP goes, if John Walsh has made even a few parents keep better tabs on their kids when they're out in public, I'm all for it. I've seen too many little kids parked in the toy department while their parents are shopping elsewhere as though it's up to the store staff to babysit them. Same thing in restaurants - kids running around while the parents sit and eat.

Walking down the street - so many parents are walking ahead of their kids (who can't keep up), never looking back to see if their kids are right behind them or not.

[Giggywig]

I remember some years ago Fox decided to cancel AMW. They got protests from 30-some governors, law enforcement, the public, and (probably as important) the replacement shows tanked. It came back on in like 2 months. So some LEOS obviously think it works.

[Skeptic Ginger]

When I look at the stats on unnatural child deaths, I see several thousand preventable 'crimes' a year in this country alone. While one needn't live a fearful life, I can't understand why those thousands of parents didn't take the simple steps to prevent those thousands of needless tragedies.

It's my understanding the Walsh's child was left to play a video game at a store while Mom shopped. A stupid store clerk thought the child was with some other kids also playing videos games and kicked them all out of the store.

Do you have to be paranoid to know not to leave your 6 yr old alone, playing in a store while you shop? Yet despite what seems like common sense to me, I shop in the thrift stores frequently and there are often kids, of every age including toddlers being watched by kids only slightly older, playing in the toy section, parents no where in sight.

Who cares if abduction is low on the list, kids of that age need adult supervision. Kids of that age cannot challenge an adult stranger no matter what parents think of the children's abilities. Whether it is a store clerk mistakenly telling them to leave the store, or a perv telling them to come with, young children do not know how to assert themselves and say, "No, get my Mom".

It's a wonder more kids are not abducted considering how easy targets are to find. So even if the crime appears to be out of proportion when you see fear promoted in the media, it doesn't seem to impact a fair percentage of parents who think nothing of leaving their young children unsupervised on a regular basis.


2002 stats, USA: This represents a lot of unsupervised or inadequately supervised young children.

Ages 1-4 (http://www.statisticstop10.com/Causes_of_Death_Toddlers.html)
Unintentional Injury --1641 (33.78%)
* MV Traffic --533
* Drowning --454
* Fire/burn --226
* Suffocation --139
* Pedestrian, Other --83
* Fall --37
* Poisoning --31
* Natural/ Environment --29
* Struck by or Against --26
Homicide --423 (8.71%)

Ages 5-9 (http://www.statisticstop10.com/Causes_of_Death_Kids.html)
Unintentional Injury --1176 (38.97%)
* Motor Vehicle Traffic --621
* Drowning --159
* Fire/burn --153
* Suffocation --40
* Other Land Transport --33
* Pedestrian, Other --27
* Struck by or Against --20
* Unspecified --20
* Fall --18
* Other --17
* Poisoning --15
* Firearm --14
* Other Transport --12
* Other Spec., NEC --8
* Natural/ Environment --7
* Machinery --6
* Pedal cyclist, Other --4
* Cut/pierce --2
Homicide --140 (4.64%)

[Skeptic Ginger]

I will tell you this.
Before I moved out of Florida we had over 50 sex offenders living with in a 1 sq mile radius of us and our children.Over half of them were not where they were supposed to be and the police had no idea where they were.
Would it be better to stick your head in the sand or keep it on a swivel?It's also mind boggling how many men are into kiddie porn.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Given the defintion of sex offender that claim means little one way or another.I think you would be surprised how many of these offenders really are sex offenders. Very few are 20 yr olds who had sex with a 17 yr old or something like that. A lot of them were young teens who sexually abused younger kids, as in prepubescent unwilling other kids. A fair number sexually abused relatives or step-kids. There are many very dysfunctional people and families out there.

[Skeptic Ginger]

42

I can't blame John Walsh for being the sole agent in attempting to create a mind set of helplessness and victimhood in America. It took a lot of years and a lot of pussies to do that.

DRHelpless victimhood? That's nonsense. Walsh's show promotes action and prevention, not ' helpless victimhood'.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Most people aren't abducted and killed though, so is better to be paranoid than not? Does extreme paranoia have physical or mental ramifications?Why is it extreme paranoia here? How about there is a need for more parents to use common sense supervising kids? You don't need paranoia of any kind to notice people's kids which are poorly supervised just about any shopping day of the week.

[rwguinn]

I think you would be surprised how many of these offenders really are sex offenders. Very few are 20 yr olds who had sex with a 17 yr old or something like that. A lot of them were young teens who sexually abused younger kids, as in prepubescent unwilling other kids. A fair number sexually abused relatives or step-kids. There are many very dysfunctional people and families out there.
The People's Republic of Boulder (Colorado, USA) wants to classify streakers as "Sex Offenders" (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/18/naked-pumpkin-runner-avoids-sex-offender-status/)
Luckily, they apparently saw they couldn't win in this case, but they did cost these folks a LOT of money in legal fees and angst first...
It's all part of the Liberal Conspiracy to make everybody a criminal, so we're all equal...:D

[PhantomWolf]

It's my understanding the Walsh's child was left to play a video game at a store while Mom shopped. A stupid store clerk thought the child was with some other kids also playing videos games and kicked them all out of the store.

Do you have to be paranoid to know not to leave your 6 yr old alone, playing in a store while you shop? Yet despite what seems like common sense to me, I shop in the thrift stores frequently and there are often kids, of every age including toddlers being watched by kids only slightly older, playing in the toy section, parents no where in sight.

You have to recall that the world was very different 20 years ago. People believed that you could leave your six year old to play games while you did the shopping. They thought it was safe for kids to walk or ride to school alone, or go down the park. Many tradgeties later we've changed our minds.

[jj]

42

I can't blame John Walsh for being the sole agent in attempting to create a mind set of helplessness and victimhood in America. It took a lot of years and a lot of pussies to do that.

DR

I tend to agree. A lot of other people have spread the idea that "all strangers are evil", "the world is evil", and so on, both from the nutcase left and from the religious right. In both cases, it's a cynical attempt at manipulating people to not see enough society to know how full of it their particular little cults are.

When I see this, I fall back on what I saw in college (both as student and as security critter):

Those who were allowed out, learned how to self-regulate, and so on, continue on, mostly regulated and under control.

Those kept under control, or kept home, can't handle the freedom and go wild, sometimes hurting others and often hurting themselves.

It's not gonna be pretty. :(

[SalG13]

I think society as a whole is frightened of many things that are low on the list of what can actually hurt you. Humans, in general, have terrible risk awareness and often choose options in their lives that are terribly irrational.

The media is to blame on two levels. The first is something they can control and it is the sensationalism that they bring to the news. They focus on the worst and highlight risks that aren't really there. Secondly, our society's access to information has gone way up (think internet and cell phones). 100 years ago, if a child was kidnapped 500 miles away you would never know about it. In this day and age you read about it the next morning and suddenly junior doesn't seem safe anymore.

[Roadtoad]

I've read Walsh's first two books. Tears of Rage was centered on Adam's abduction, and covered the Hollywood, FL, investigation of his disappearance. It also covers how Sears reacted to the whole thing, treating Reve Walsh like a whore, and accusing the Walsh family of trying to get rich off of Adam's death. (Not so. Nearly all the money which has come their way has gone to help stop child abductions.)

Walsh is a very reluctant hero, and probably wouldn't have done AMW except that he was the one who was the most persistent voice in the fight for our kids. If anything, Adam's death damn near destroyed the Walsh's marriage, and it nearly drove John Walsh to suicide. And, watching as my youngest son is dealing with the death of his own daughter, I wouldn't wish that kind of thing on anyone.

[Skeptic Ginger]

You have to recall that the world was very different 20 years ago. People believed that you could leave your six year old to play games while you did the shopping. They thought it was safe for kids to walk or ride to school alone, or go down the park. Many tradgeties later we've changed our minds.My son is 19, and the world was the same when he was 6. Perhaps you meant to say 40-50 years ago?

[Skeptic Ginger]

...watching as my youngest son is dealing with the death of his own daughter, ....I'm sorry to hear that.

[PhantomWolf]

My son is 19, and the world was the same when he was 6. Perhaps you meant to say 40-50 years ago?

No I meant to say 20 years ago. I wasn't alive 40-50 years ago. I can recall being left outside the supermarket to play when I was a very young child (though that was closer to 30 years ago) and ended up whaking my head ripping open my forehead, I still have the scar, though it's hidden by my eyebrow. Perhaps the US was more aware at the time, but NZ certainly didn't start getting worried until after cases like Kirsa Jensen who disappeared in 1983 and Teresa Cormack in 1987.

[Sasha]

First, welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy.
I'd like to comment on your post:

I think society as a whole is frightened of many things that are low on the list of what can actually hurt you. Humans, in general, have terrible risk awareness and often choose options in their lives that are terribly irrational.

Not sure quite what you mean here, what risks do you think society is frightened of that can't actually hurt you? And what options do you think we chose that are terribly irrational due to terrible risk awareness?

The media is to blame on two levels. The first is something they can control and it is the sensationalism that they bring to the news.

Agree,

Secondly, our society's access to information has gone way up (think internet and cell phones). 100 years ago, if a child was kidnapped 500 miles away you would never know about it. In this day and age you read about it the next morning and suddenly junior doesn't seem safe anymore

Are you saying our greater communication abilities are a bad thing? Now that we know about a child kidnapping within hours after it happens there's a much better chance that the child can be found. Think Amber Alert.

Again, welcome to the forum.

Sasha

[The Nimble Pianist]

No I meant to say 20 years ago. I wasn't alive 40-50 years ago. I can recall being left outside the supermarket to play when I was a very young child (though that was closer to 30 years ago) and ended up whaking my head ripping open my forehead, I still have the scar, though it's hidden by my eyebrow. Perhaps the US was more aware at the time, but NZ certainly didn't start getting worried until after cases like Kirsa Jensen who disappeared in 1983 and Teresa Cormack in 1987.

So was the world really different 20 or 30 years ago or have our communities become aware that a little proactive paranoia keeps people alive?

I would reckon that the actual number of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc has remained rather static whereas we're simply more aware of them today.

[chillzero]

I think that more than a little awareness is a good thing, and the dangers of paranoia are minor compared to the alternatives.

I shudder when I see parents breathe a sigh of relief to hear that someone has been convicted of a crime and removed from their area, and they then feel it is ok to let their kids out unsupervised again - ignoring the fact that predators exist, and the worst ones are the un-named ones; the ones who have not come under suspicion yet; the ones who have not been caught. In other words, the ones who are still free to prey on children left to roam streets and supermarkets alone.

I think John Walsh may have scared parents all the world over, but a good scare to make you remember that you cannot be reticent with your kids' safety is a good thing, in my opinion.

[Bikewer]

I was a child in the 50s, and it was pretty much the norm in our working-class neighborhood to let the kids simply "go outside and play" all day, with occasional forays home for food and/or sports equipment.
The parents had only a vague notion of where we were. "We're going down by the river to hunt for snakes."
"OK, be careful!"
That sort of thing.

Being in police work for the last 40 years, I've observed what I can say is a change; very seldom are children allowed unsupervised play.
There has been an enormous increase in "organized" activity; thus the "soccer mom" phenomenon.
We used to walk well over a mile to a centralized pick-up point for our school bus; now, kids are picked up on every block, usually with a parent hovering nearby.

Is John Walsh and the general proliferation of "child abduction" films and TV shows responsible? I'd be inclined to at least grant it a contributing factor....

Are children abducted? Surely. We have the widely reported local case involving two young boys being held by a pedophile.
However, the statistical instance must be pretty low. Most all the "child abductions" reported in sensationalist literature is custodial; one parent stealing the kid from the other.

[The Nimble Pianist]

Being in police work for the last 40 years, I've observed what I can say is a change; very seldom are children allowed unsupervised play.


In your 40 years experience have you noticed a change in the frequency of abduction or only a change in the amount of normative adult supervision?

I would reckon that the former has remained relatively static while the latter has increased as our knowledge of abduction has increased.

Also, where do we draw the line between safety and paranoia?

[James Fox]

I’ve been investigating child abuse cases for over twenty years and have a few observations to offer. Child abductions by strangers is very very rare, always has been and there is no change in that trend. Stranger sex abuse is very very rare, always has been and there has been a decrease in incidents of this form of sex abuse over the past 20 years. Sex abuse by known persons and relatives (mostof it) has also been decreasing in numbers for many years. This is a good thing and the evidence for a reduction is quite solid. (Not that the media wants to talk about good news social trends)

The main reason for the reduction in sex abuse over the past 20 years is directly related to educational programs many of which occur in schools and more effective CPS and law enforcement investigations. When I was in public schools in the 60’s and 70’s there was never any mention of child abuse especially sex abuse. That was a good thing for the perpetrators because fear and silence tends to allows the crimes to continue. Now nearly all children know that they can tell someone about abuse or if someone tries to touch them or asks them to do something inappropriate. I think to some extent Walsh has helped people know they can report crimes, especially child abuse.

The real big issue with regard to hard total numbers of serious child injuries and non medical deaths is directly related to supervision and preventable accidents. From leaving a two year old in the bath to a four year old running into traffic to a couple of ten year old boys paying with matches. This is where the vast majority of children are killed and seriously maimed. Perhaps Walsh will do another series that encourages parents to be more responsible in day to day circumstances and encourage people to call 911 when they see parents being stupidly irresponsible with their children’s safety. One season of that type of show will save many more children than all the AMW shows put together.

[interwaff]

I can't blame John Walsh for being the sole agent in attempting to create a mind set of helplessness and victimhood in America. It took a lot of years and a lot of pussies to do that.


Lawyers told his producer to make Mr. Walsh say "DO NOT CONFRONT." He doesn't feel that way personally.

Such a mindset is not driven by fear. It is the pacifist who is unafraid and sooner dead.

If more people were properly scared, they would act rather than wait for government to change their own diaper.

[James Fox]

Most all the "child abductions" reported in sensationalist literature is custodial; one parent stealing the kid from the other.

If the media would quit calling custodial interference cases kidnapping I’d be a much happier bloke, and my wife wouldn’t hear me yelling at the TV quite so much.

[applecorped]

I've read Walsh's first two books. Tears of Rage was centered on Adam's abduction, and covered the Hollywood, FL, investigation of his disappearance. It also covers how Sears reacted to the whole thing, treating Reve Walsh like a whore, and accusing the Walsh family of trying to get rich off of Adam's death. (Not so. Nearly all the money which has come their way has gone to help stop child abductions.)

Walsh is a very reluctant hero, and probably wouldn't have done AMW except that he was the one who was the most persistent voice in the fight for our kids. If anything, Adam's death damn near destroyed the Walsh's marriage, and it nearly drove John Walsh to suicide. And, watching as my youngest son is dealing with the death of his own daughter, I wouldn't wish that kind of thing on anyone.

My condolences on your family's loss.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

John Walsh gets nothing but respect and the utmost sympathy from me and he is a hero in many, many ways but the problem with what he does is that he focuses on stranger abductions and sex abuse, when most abductions and sex abuse are at the hands of someone the child or the family knows.

I went to public schools in the 90s and there was no mention whatsoever of sex abuse that I can remember. Child abuse, domestic violence and rape between adults, sure, but I did not know that such a thing as pedophilia or sex between adults and children even existed until I was maybe 12 or 13.

"A stranger might kidnap you to kill you" is something I heard a thousand times growing up but "someone, a teacher, uncle, family friend, priest, bus driver, neighbor, friend's father, might do weird things to you" I never, ever heard. Even "a stranger might kidnap you to use you for sex" was something I was never told about.

I think it's important that children know what it is, are made aware of it and not left as innocent about it as I was but that they not be educated or frightened too much about it.

Part of the fun of being a kid is being naive. And the hysteria and moral panic over child molestation is very dangerous and can lead to enormous miscarriages of justice.

[JoeyDonuts]

Part of the fun of being a kid is being naive. And the hysteria and moral panic over child molestation is very dangerous and can lead to enormous miscarriages of justice.

I would consider the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a child an enormous miscarriage of justice.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

It doesn't make the world any safer to put an innocent person in bars, as has happened when adults become hysterical over the threat of child molestation.

This is not to deny that child molestation is about the worst crime imaginable. It certainly is- but that's why the criminal justice system has to be dispassionate, methodical and reasoned about it and not let emotion get in and muddy it up.

The worse the crime is, the more likely a blameless person might be convicted of it.

[interwaff]

This is not to deny that child molestation is about the worst crime imaginable. It certainly is- but that's why the criminal justice system has to be dispassionate, methodical and reasoned about it and not let emotion get in and muddy it up.

The worse the crime is, the more likely a blameless person might be convicted of it.


I hope you're not questioning the outcomes of due process and lawyering.

Like Scientology whose technology works when it is followed, our system of rights and judicial process is capital-B Beautiful.

Don't question the process. It must have been altered if things didn't work right.

[The Nimble Pianist]

I hope you're not questioning the outcomes of due process and lawyering.

Like Scientology whose technology works when it is followed, our system of rights and judicial process is capital-B Beautiful.

Don't question the process. It must have been altered if things didn't work right.

Was this a typo?

[Biff Starbuck]

I still remember as a kid an apparent pedophile trying to lure my sister from a video game arcade at a mall in 1981. How many grown men ask an 11-year old girl to go to a van in the parking lot to help carry things, especially in a room full of teens and adults who would be much better suited to helping. Fortunately my sister was alert enough to say no, and I went with her as she told the arcade attendant.

The dangers John Walsh have warned about are not new, and are still a threat. While thankfully the odds of having a child kidnapped and molested are small, the potential impact of such victimization is immense. Weighing the probability with the potential damage, I think warning parents and children is prudent. If my sister had not been forewarned of the possible danger, I shudder to think of what could have happened.

IMHO, Walsh should be commended for his work, and without a doubt he has spared more than one child from being victimized by these predators. Both from catching criminals on America's Most Wanted and by warning of the threats.

[SalG13]

Sasha,

Thanks for the warm reception.

It has been shown that our risk aversion survival skills that we have developed work poorly in the modern age. When confronted with risk in stock markets and investing people's instincts are often not just wrong but 180 degrees from where they should be. We behave like chimps on studies of risk on short and long term rewards. That is why economists are moving away from believing the stock market is efficient and are now trying to figure out a way to play on people's emotions and complete disregard for actual risk.

You can see poor risk assessment all over the place - parents won't let their children play outside for fear of predators. Those children have a much higher risk of developing and then dying from obesity by not playing outside than being abducted by a stranger.

Every Halloween parents line up to get their children's candy x-rayed for razors and whatnot. A search for an actual account of tampered candy turns up nothing.The real risk is the kid eating too much candy. On a ridiculous risk side note, many of those same parents are trying to get irradiated foods out of their children's schools. X-rays irradiate food! The kids are better off with irradiated lunches with fewer bacteria and candy that has gone unchecked than they are with x-rayed candy and high bacteria food. But the parents have the risk of the two behaviors completely switched.

I'm not saying greater communication is a bad thing. I'm saying it allows us to react irrationally to more news than ever before. The risk of unattended children being abducted have gone down over the last 30 years (abductions/child) but the fear of this has gone up. Why? Because parents hear these stories and they overreact. That fear would be better utilized by buying a better child safety seat and driving less - accidents are a much higher risk for their kids.

[Arus808]

Sasha,



You can see poor risk assessment all over the place - parents won't let their children play outside for fear of predators. Those children have a much higher risk of developing and then dying from obesity by not playing outside than being abducted by a stranger.



THIS is a huge stretch of a conclusion to come to.

Most children who are obese are not due to parents being scared to let their children play outside; its due to parents neglecting to give their children time to play outside; schools eliminating physical education programs in schools and the poor eating habits of Americans.

"letting their children play outside' could easily be countered by: after school programs, private lessons, AYSO leagues, little leagues, basketball, etc, which many are held in enclosed gyms or in HEAVILY supervised fields, that are part of community centers or privately owned parks.

While growing up, I had two full time parents, yet I was always in shape, due to the activities that I did on the weekends (YMCA, YWCA, swimming, ice skating, Aikido during the week). But that's due to my parents making sure that we stayed healthy and fit, and of course PE was still apart of the curriculum (I still hold to this day, the record for the longest long jump for 13 year old for my school - i check often)

[qouote]Every Halloween parents line up to get their children's candy x-rayed for razors and whatnot. [/quote]

Now you're over stating. all my parents did, and what I did for my cousins (since they were younger than me by the time I was in college) was just sift through the candy for opened ones. NO xray involved. Seeing as there is no such thing as consumer grade xrays to use.

The "razors in candy' as we all knew growing up (and stopped believing by the time I was 8), was nothing more than to scare us into making sure we do not accept opened candy.

By 9, we already knew that sugar posed more of a danger to us than what some idiot would try to hide in a small wrapped up tootsie roll.




You may want to take a "chill" pill as nothing you've stated is mostly exaggerated nonsense. kids aren't that stupid or naive as you think they are. By age 6, you'd be amazed at what they really do understand, even though their means of communication, is limited by what words they understand.


its better to be cautious, than to have someone tell you "I told you so"

[Sasha]

[QUOTE]It has been shown that our risk aversion survival skills that we have developed work poorly in the modern age. When confronted with risk in stock markets and investing people's instincts are often not just wrong but 180 degrees from where they should be. We behave like chimps on studies of risk on short and long term rewards. That is why economists are moving away from believing the stock market is efficient and are now trying to figure out a way to play on people's emotions and complete disregard for actual risk.

I can't speak to this, I have no idea about stock market investing or the risks involved in it.

You can see poor risk assessment all over the place - parents won't let their children play outside for fear of predators. Those children have a much higher risk of developing and then dying from obesity by not playing outside than being abducted by a stranger.

I think you're making things too black and white here. There may be a variety of reasons why parents don't let their kids play outside - a bad neighborhood, mean dogs nextdoor, bullies, heavy traffic, etc. As Arus808 pointed out, playing outside has been replaced by other activities that teach kids a lot more than just hanging around. Yes, there's a lot to be said for kids making up games and using their imaginations and I think they'll do that wherever they're playing.

Every Halloween parents line up to get their children's candy x-rayed for razors and whatnot. A search for an actual account of tampered candy turns up nothing.The real risk is the kid eating too much candy. On a ridiculous risk side note, many of those same parents are trying to get irradiated foods out of their children's schools. X-rays irradiate food! The kids are better off with irradiated lunches with fewer bacteria and candy that has gone unchecked than they are with x-rayed candy and high bacteria food. But the parents have the risk of the two behaviors completely switched.

I've never met anyone who had their kids' candy x-rayed, you seem to be making quite a sweeping generalization. When my brothers and I went out on Halloween we weren't allowed to eat anything anybody gave us until my mom had a chance to check it out. She made this rule because she didn't want us filling up on a bunch of junk while we were walking around the neighborhood, but knowing that the temptation for little kids with all that candy would be overwhelming, she'd give us each a small bag of the candy we were giving out and we were allowed to munch on that.

I'm not saying greater communication is a bad thing. I'm saying it allows us to react irrationally to more news than ever before. The risk of unattended children being abducted have gone down over the last 30 years (abductions/child) but the fear of this has gone up. Why? Because parents hear these stories and they overreact. That fear would be better utilized by buying a better child safety seat and driving less - accidents are a much higher risk for their kids.

Do you think maybe the risk of unattended children being abducted has gone done because of greater communication and parents taking more responsibility for the safety of their children? I don't call that overreacting. A balance can be made between paranoia and lazy parenting where children are given the chance to experience and learn about the world on their own with the help and guidance of their parents. I have no statistics to back this up, just my opinion, but it seems to me that very few parents are huddled inside their homes clutching their kids in abject terror of what awaits beyond the front door, the picture you're painting.

I totally agree regarding the safety seats. :)

[Checkmite]

"What it also did, said Mount Holyoke College sociologist and criminologist Richard Moran, is make children and adults alike exponentially more afraid.

'He (John Walsh) ended up really producing a generation of cautious and afraid kids who view all adults and strangers as a threat to them and it made parents extremely paranoid about the safety of their children,' Moran said."

I really, really don't get people who think like this. First of all, the notion that kids now "view all adults and strangers as a threat" is just so ridiculous I'm having trouble keeping myself from laughing. And as for parents being "paranoid" about the safety of their children - hyperbole aside, is it somehow psychologically-damaging to a child to be told not to get in a stranger's car? Or to never answer the door or phone when they're home alone? Are parents who give children instructions like these somehow setting them up for a complex or future mental illness? The fact that kids continue to be hurt regularly - either at someone else's hands, or accidentally, or however - pretty much effectively proves that all these "extremely paranoid" parents aren't exactly hiding their kids in bubbles. "Richard Moran" is so far off the path that somebody needs to send out SAR.

I also don't get the aversion to some of the emphasis of educational programs on so-called "stranger danger". To hear people talk, these programs must be a bad thing. But they're not - sure, most child abduction and molestation does not happen at the hands of strangers - but some of it does. Adam Walsh was kidnapped, killed, and decapitated by a stranger. Many, many kids have been kidnapped and/or killed by strangers. These things very much do happen, even if it only "rarely" occurs. It's not like teaching kids to protect themselves from strangers somehow leaves them more vulnerable to domestic incidents. Every book, TV commercial, or other educational medium I've seen that covers this sort of thing has always included a phrase like "and if it's somebody inside your family that's doing it, tell a teacher or the police".

[bigred]

42

I can't blame John Walsh for being the sole agent in attempting to create a mind set of helplessness and victimhood in America. It took a lot of years and a lot of pussies to do that.

DR

LMAO

I'm so glad I wasn't drinking something when I read this. So is my keyboard.

[bigred]

Perhaps Walsh will do another series that encourages parents to be more responsible in day to day circumstances
OK let's keep grounded in reality, shall we

Anyway the line between safety on one hand an excessive paranoia on the other is obviously debatable...too far one way and danger to kids increases. Too far the other and the whole family lives in abject fear - not much of a life. You would think/hope that common sense would be the emotional gyroscope here.......but that truly is an oxymoron these days.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Sasha,

Thanks for the warm reception.

It has been shown that our risk aversion survival skills that we have developed work poorly in the modern age. When confronted with risk in stock markets and investing people's instincts are often not just wrong but 180 degrees from where they should be. We behave like chimps on studies of risk on short and long term rewards. That is why economists are moving away from believing the stock market is efficient and are now trying to figure out a way to play on people's emotions and complete disregard for actual risk.

You can see poor risk assessment all over the place - parents won't let their children play outside for fear of predators. Those children have a much higher risk of developing and then dying from obesity by not playing outside than being abducted by a stranger.

Every Halloween parents line up to get their children's candy x-rayed for razors and whatnot. A search for an actual account of tampered candy turns up nothing.The real risk is the kid eating too much candy. On a ridiculous risk side note, many of those same parents are trying to get irradiated foods out of their children's schools. X-rays irradiate food! The kids are better off with irradiated lunches with fewer bacteria and candy that has gone unchecked than they are with x-rayed candy and high bacteria food. But the parents have the risk of the two behaviors completely switched.

I'm not saying greater communication is a bad thing. I'm saying it allows us to react irrationally to more news than ever before. The risk of unattended children being abducted have gone down over the last 30 years (abductions/child) but the fear of this has gone up. Why? Because parents hear these stories and they overreact. That fear would be better utilized by buying a better child safety seat and driving less - accidents are a much higher risk for their kids.Maybe it's a stretch that playing outside less causes obesity but I think your point is correct in that risk assessment by the average person rarely reflects actual risk.

[James Fox]

You would think/hope that common sense would be the emotional gyroscope here.......but that truly is an oxymoron these days.

I do like the notion of common sense being ones emotional gyroscope. Problem is using a gyroscope is quite difficult when drunk, stoned, stupid or sleeping.

I’m not talking about fear stuff or being afraid of strangers. I’m talking about not drinking and driving with the kids in the car, not leaving toddlers unsupervised in the tub, not leaving a seven year old home to sit an infant, not putting kid latches on doors, taking a child to the doctor when they have a really high fever not to mention giving your child their immunizations, or not having an alert and sober adult in the home if you choose to get stoned or drunk and if you have mental health problems take your medications if you are responsible for children!!! This is not paranoia stuff, it’s just common sense and not being a @&$#ing idiot.