Avoiding Kids: How Men Cope With Being Cast as Predators

Wall Street Journal ^ | September 6, 2007 | JEFF ZASLOW

[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...

[I see my hands]

Not just children. Teen males, young adult males, females of any age. Acquainted with, not acquainted with, relative or not.

[DoughtyOne]

I don’t doubt you, but I should look for the article I based that comment on. It was here on the forum somewhere.

Thanks.

[Gay State Conservative]

Oh..I thought it was because the great majority of sexual and physical abuse, kidnapping, and murders committed against children are committed by men.

I (a guy) don't have trouble accepting that this is likely true (I know other guys on this thread might disagree).However,even assuming that it's true what percentage of the 12 year old to 100 year old male population are molesters? I honesty don't know the answer to that.Could it be 1%....or 5%...or 20%? Whatever it is it's certainly not 100%.

So one must ask what are kids missing out on because normal,moral guys (99%...or 95%...or 80% of the male population) have to assume that kids are ticking time bombs just waiting to get you sued,or jailed,because you smiled at him/her? Maybe not much...maybe a lot.I,personally,am not angered by this situation but I am saddened by it because I look back at my Dad,uncles and other guys and know that they never did anything bad to me and I'm glad that they didn't treat me like kind of Typhoid Billy.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, the problematic child/parent situation would be a tough obstacle to overcome. So would the catastrophic injury, even if you did have insurance.

[MattinNJ]

I thought it was just me being paranoid. A little while ago some little kid was in distress-he looked lost or something. I wanted to help but stayed away.

[alice_in_bubbaland]

I never had a babysitter who wasn’t either a Grandma or Aunt.

[Clint Williams]

It began in the 80's. Every feminist had been raped at least twice, and as often as not by her father. The witch-hunts were unbelieveable. There was a highly publicized case here in Washington State (Wenatchee) where an innocent couple was convicted by coerced testimony, and the Wall St. Journal covered a case of an entire family (who ran a day care center I believe) named Ameriault that was convicted on contrived evidence.

Was this the case? Wenatchee was a different case.

(It happened I knew just a few of the folks involved, and later somewhat followed the last case in the Wall Street Journal, there were editorials every few months calling for their pardons and release.)

[Leatherneck_MT]

No it’s because the great majority of blame comes from leftist jerks who want to (and have) immasculate the American Male.

Now live with the consequences.

[Revolting cat!]

It’s the media and the feminanzis, case closed. The power of the media is so strong that even some here believe paranoid behaviour is perfectly rational, and that they’ve arrived at it themselves, when they’re in fact acting like puppets on a string. Pity.

[Loyal Buckeye]

How men cope...?

When I see a woman, I just assume she is a teacher who has had sex with some of her underage students.

;-)

[Revolting cat!]

And the war on men and boys continues...

[decimon]

It began in the 80's.

Maybe sooner. I recall on TV an adult woman pointing to a female doll and asking a three year old girl if some guy had touched her in this place and then that. Talk about creeped out - when my nieces were three years old I would grab them any way that would keep me from dropping them as I swung them about. Good thing it wasn't any of my nieces being shown the doll.

[decimon]

When I see a woman, I just assume she is a teacher who has had sex with some of her underage students.

You raise your hand?

[Luke Skyfreeper]

Unfortunately this is what predators do. They attempt to make friends of families with kids, provide fun for the kids, and thereby gain access to them.

[TWohlford]

While there is truly horrible damage in the deed, one cannot under-estimate the damage from the accusation itself.

Once that bell has been rung, the alleged perp might as well commit suicide. There will always be whispering, the reports will always be found on search engines, and the arrest report will always be on public display.

Yes, I’m one of the people who don’t have anything to do w/ kids since I’ve seen people destroyed with an accusation from a troubled child or teen. It’s not worth the risk.

[BlazingArizona]

One time in a walmart restroom there was a little boy having trouble washing and drying his hands, so I picked him up so he could do it. Then he left.

Today you have to pretend that children are radioactive. In the above situation, you should have just torn off a towel and handed it to the boy.

[LibWhacker]

I’m so paranoid around children, I even hesitated participating in this thread!

[Scotswife]

“It’s just the way it is. Doesn’t mean everyone with a penis is a criminal, of course not. But common sense dictates you play the odds.”

It wasn’t my intention to state everyone with a penis is a criminal.
Unfortunately - most criminals who commit these types of crimes have penises.

This seems to be upsetting to some folks here...oh well.

[Scotswife]

also from the article...

“It’s true that men are far more likely than women to be sexual predators.”

[tired1]

i understand perfectly