WE HAVE A WINNER!
"DING DING DING! What do we have for him, Johnny?"
Posted on 09/08/2007 2:52:54 PM PDT by decimon
These days, if Rian Romoli accidentally bumps into a child, he quickly raises his hands above his shoulders. "I don't want to give even the slightest indication that any inadvertent touching occurred," says Mr. Romoli, an economist in La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Ted Wallis, a doctor in Austin, Texas, recently came upon a lost child in tears in a mall. His first instinct was to help, but he feared people might consider him a predator. He walked away. "Being male," he explains, "I am guilty until proven innocent."
In San Diego, retiree Ralph Castro says he won't allow himself to be alone with a child -- even in an elevator.
Cont...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Read it in the context of the question brought up that it addressed and you will know.
After this sentence in your post:
What difference does it make to the subject of the thread?
Every sentence you wrote, addressed the same subject, so let me address the same question to you - What difference does it make to the subject of the thread?
As you know, a lot of guys hang in there. I'm wondering why they do (they know what's going on, too) and you shy away. BTW I'm not blaming you.
My grandson took a job this summer as a counselor at a day camp. I was happy that he got this job, but thoughts of him being in a position to be accused of unsavory behavior by any kid certainly crossed my mind. I never asked him if other counselors are always present on field hikes, etc. Camp's over now; no problems.
This is one example of what men have had to deal with for years, because of a minority of disgusting, perverted scum of the male gender.
Too bad decent men can't get these warped excuses for human beings into a room where they can "straighten them out".
It’s very simple — in America you don’t get to grow old and die into the same world you were born into.
You're correct. The sad truth is every child knows that simply pointing a finger and saying "that man touched me" is instant payback for any type of perceived wronging in their little adolescent minds.. I was at my brothers recently, the local tomboy, a very pretty and spunky 12 year old, always wants to come play with his young daughter. I thought it was cute, he looked at me like I was nuts, he said that she isn't allowed in the yard unless the front door is open and his wife is at home....
I had never thought of it that way, the kid can say anything, and my brother would be going to get a lawyer...we reap what we sow....
Forgive me for getting a laugh out of that story. It's a classic example of the innocence of little children. You handled it perfectly.
Your experience brings back a memory of when I was seven years old. My dear Uncle Will, one of my Dad's older brothers (a widower) slept on our sofa on Christmas Eve. I'm sure it was not the only time. I woke up to use the bathroom and, drowsy with sleep, I took a drink of water. Oh, no! That woke me up.
I broke the fast required to receive Holy Communion on Christmas. I began to cry and my uncle heard me and asked what was wrong. I explained and Uncle Will set my mind at peace as well as anyone else could have. He was not a Catholic.
Good men surely sleep on sofas in someone else's house at times.
But my point is that 90 percent of those male perpetrated crimes are committed by family members or close acquaintances. These family members who fear rape or kidnap need to not look at the man who helps their son dry his hands in the Wal Mart rest room or the man who takes their daughter to the lost and found—they need to look within their own circle—at their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons, etc. Because that is where the vast majority of the criminals come from. Yet it is the stranger that is most feared and all men who therefore become suspect.
Hey Fourteen
Now we can't sleep together?
Now we can't talk at all?
She strings me along
As the sting goes down
Hey fourteen,
'Aint that Chris Hansen?
Now I remember
That Dateline Show (nnnnnnbeeeeeceeeee)
It's hard times befallen
The child predators
I'll ask for a cookie...
As the cameras roll!
Hey Fourteen
Now he's readin' the chat transcripts!
My back's against the wall!
She strings me along
As the sting goes down
Who cares? I'm old!
I like 'em nice and young
Faked and caught in this horrible sting!
Who cares? I'm old!
I like 'em tight and young
Faked and caught in this horrible sting
Yes, this is where we are today and it's a sad situation. A few bad apples in the barrel have brought suspicion on all the rest.
The problem doesn't lie with all the good men. We fear that vicious or sick-minded children and girls will fabricate accusations. Maybe that has to be addressed and dealt with. (yes, ended with a nasty preposition!)
As I said in another post, it’s the evil lies with which “pretend victims” can freely accuse ANYONE. Naturally decent men want to protect themselves from even the threat of it.
I wish I could say that the girlfriend's actions shock me but they don't. Females can be just as evil in their own way as men in theirs.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" was not made up of whole cloth, if you get my drift.
I'm a woman and I know that men are getting a raw deal in today's world. The great majority of men and women are not child-abusers. Would one say my experiences are exceptional in that I have never heard of, or experienced this behaviour in my very large family of mother, father, two brothers, eight uncles, three aunts, and countless other family members?
No known perverts among neighbors and friends and we've lived her a long time.
Frankly, we'd be wretched in an all female society. You guys...we really need you! Thanks for looking out for us.
Just a thought. Would you be allowed to tape your conversations and keep them in a “lock box”, just in case?
“Both statements are true. Which one do you use as a guiding principle when it comes to keeping your kids safe?”
Oh I dunno lets see...the majority of paramedics are men, the majority of cops are men, the majority of fireMEN are men. Who do I call when I need help? hmmmmmm
Paranoia and fear are not required when keeping children safe. Keep your children safe and stop looking at men as evil.
Most of these parents are not ignorant of the nature of the boyfriend/girlfriend, to me that's not dumb, its callous and willful.
I didn’t realize that was the topic. The op referred to the fact that parents want their children to be more careful about contact with men.
Its definitely connected. The Ted Bundy model of an outwardly normal man being a serial rapist murderer is very rare. Most abusers and rapists are much easier to spot. Although a whole other discussion could be had on why so many women are blind to what fellow men can see (same reversing the sexes). Yet a woman that drowns her children is thought have a hormone imbalance. Perhaps its just self-protection, not wanting to believe that women are so capable.
I think that is because parents are most afraid of kidnap, rape, and murder. Most of these types of crimes are committed by men.
And the vast majority of men would put themselves at great physical risk to stop them.
But let me tell you a couple of many stories.
1. I was new in a neighborhood and saw a toddler walking down the street unattended (before cell phones). My first thought was for the child's safety, but my second was that I didn't want to go to jail after a screaming frantic mother "caught me" holding her toddler. I walked along with the toddler at a distance, ready to keep him from danger, until I heard the mother start screaming hysterically. I yelled back to her and she came running. She then stared at me, grabbed the child, and ran off like I was a wolf. If I had been holding the child, I'm sure I would have been talking to the police, and if the mother didn't want to admit to poor supervision, I would have been arrested, and my life as a Naval Officer over.
2. I've been coaching my girls in soccer for eleven seasons, and I have a great time with the kids, as well as a great reputation with the league. The other day, a younger sibling of one of my players gave my leg a bear hug. The mother reacted as if I was a known pedophile.
There is a big difference between teaching children that they need to be careful in certain situations, and teaching them that they should treat every man as an abuser/rapist just because you can't be too safe.
The liberal vote is lopsidedly female. Liberal states have the slightest penalties on criminals in general and want to treat pedophiles as treatable victims of mental malfunction.
Female jurors are far more likely to acquit than males.
I even feel uncomfortable smiling at kids or babies these days. When I was growing up people always interacted with kids, smiling, saying hi, waving, etc. Now you’re viewed as a freak.
Bingo. You hit it right on the head.
Scotswife and some others seem to not see the damage caused to the fabric of society via this course of action which demonizes all men, intentionally or unintentionally. It is corrosive and destructive, and comes about because it is somehow better to raise a child by playing the odds like a gambler to keep them safe or, like an insurance company, use actuarial tables to protect them.
Keeping a kid out of water virtually ensures they won’t be eaten by a shark.
Keeping a kid out of an airplane makes it certain they won’t be injured or killed in a plane crash.
Keeping a kid away from playing football or other sports ensures they will never have a sports-induced injury, and also never ensures they will never experience the sting of defeat in a sporting event.
Keeping a kid away from other kids ensures they will never have to endure the barbs and taunts that kids are often so proficient at.
Keeping a kid inside a hermetically sealed plastic bubble gurantees they will not catch a communicable disease.
Keeping kids awy from men, and teaching kids intentionally or unintentionally that men are predators, rapists, murderers, are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs unless your mother is with you will virtually ensure your child will never have a male member of society cause them harm outside of your presence.
On the other hand, the kid will never see a real coral reef except on television.
They will never see the beauty of mountains from the air in 3-D.
They will never know the joy of hitting a baseball in the sweet spot and being part of a winning team as a result of it.
They will never know that other kids really CAN be your best friend in the world, and that being able to stand up the abuse of other kids makes you realize how to deal with difficult people, preparing you for the real world.
They will be healthy, but have no idea what the real world feels and smells like, good and bad.
They will never know that the vast majority of men are capable of tenderness, kindness, and consideration and can be trusted the vast majority of the time.
In your example, CBF, being an Eagle Scout (I was involved in scouting as well) who is responsible for trying to tear scouting down? It isn’t men like you or me. I was ridiculed in a sarcastic way by a previous poster for stating that feminism and the media played a major role in this type of thing. I stand by that claim, and also submit that it is LIBERALISM, because the MSM and Feminism are simply ideological subdivisions of liberalism.
One of my pet peeves in industry, is the litigation driven requirement to have a damned policy and procedure manual that drills down to the most mundane tasks an employee would need to perform. Instead of relying on people’s common sense to address issues when needed, we require that it be spelled out in excruciating detail. To find out one should not be using certain words, expressions or behaviours in the workplace at Acme Corporation, someone had to write it, and everyone has to read it and sign a paper that they read it, which is found in “The Acme Corporation Policy and Procedure Manual for Employee Behaviour, Section 5, Part 3, Paragraph 4, Addended each year...”
We have succeeded in wresting the responsibility of knowing and understanding these things from the family and the individual, and now it rests with the corporation and soon, the government.
As CBF wrote, “...my parents took an active involvement in knowing the troops philosophy. I get the feeling that many today just drop their kids off and hope for the best...”
There are many parents who try to sanitize the environment and the experience a kid may have (we can’t have winners and losers in a kids sporting event, that would be too traumatic...sound familiar?) and then, preparing everything the best we can, we drop them off, and as CBF wrote, “hope for the best”.
That is what some on this thread seem to think it is okay to try to do with men in general. Instead of teaching the child to think for themselves about right and wrong or good and bad, they wish to sanitize the environment that their child will occupy by emotionally, figuratively and in some cases, literally “cleansing” it of any male presence.
They do this because they think that making their child avoid ANY encounter with men who are not their father, or making men who are not the fathers avoid children like the plague (out of fear) is going to make the children safer by “playing the odds”.
I submit the damage caused by this approach has done just as much damage to our society in some respects, and substantially more damage in others.
BTW, Gabz...that is one of the funniest taglines I have seen in a while...thanks for the laugh!
WE HAVE A WINNER!
"DING DING DING! What do we have for him, Johnny?"
I will tell you, as children, being disciplined by our mother frightened us much more than being disciplined by our father.
Our father would growl at us, advance menacingly, then whack us on the back of our head with his class ring as we walked by. But he didn’t have to do it often, because we took care not to get on his bad side.
My mother would often border on the nearly hysterical as she hit us with a belt. Sure, she was in a tougher position being stuck with us all day while my dad was at work or at sea, but it was what it was.
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