Uh no. What we’re talking about here is “potential.” Again, nobody is making a blanket statement that “men are evil.” What they are saying is the “potential” for misconduct is greater with men. If that percentage is only 2% (to put a number on it) then most parents wouldn’t accept it.
If we start labeling people “potential” criminals, then we are pretty much a fascist society.
And just because there is a slight “potential” someone will do something bad, doesn’t mean we avoid relationships and community with that segment of the population entirely.
What you are meaning instead of the word “potential” is the word “probable”. If a kid is alone with a male stranger, something bad will not “potentially” happen based on your reaction, but something will “probably” happen. The media can easily be blamed for many wrong ideas about society. Polls have shown that people’s perception of crime increasing in the last couple of decades happened during a time of crime decreasing across the board. What else increased: crime-based dramas and sensational crime news reporting. The media is responsible not necessarily for conveying facts about the world around us, but feelings about the world. You used to have to have a lot of experiences to get a sense of what would happen in an unusual situation. Now you can live them through popular television drama. The problem is, these aren’t real. And they skew society’s perceptions in the ways outlined in the article.
I remember vividly a flyer up on the wall of the hospital when my son was born. It warned of kidnappings of newborns and gave a profile of the possible perpetrator. Among other things, it would be a woman who was unable to have children, overly friendly, and would fool herself into thinking that the kidnapped newborn was her own. A friend of ours who was three weeks behind my wife in her pregnancy was concerned because she had all but one of the characteristics they listed—she finally was able to get pregnant. There are many unbalanced people out there, and I think I would direct my child to look for someone official—a security officer, someone working at an information desk a flight attendant, a lifeguard, or a store manager depending on our situation. Over 20 years ago when I was lost at a Rangers game as a young child, I went right to a policeman who led me to the security office at the stadium, where I waited until my dad found me happy and unharmed. I think that is the best situation rather than hoping a random woman would know where to go in a busy baseball stadium.