What Have We Become?
 

Under the banner of Trevor McDonald’s “Tonight” programme, Esther Rantzen, she of the “That’s Life” fame and the driving force behind Child Line - 0800 1111 – presented a programme last night at 8:00pm entitled Esther v the PC Brigade.

What she highlighted is an absolute disgrace in today’s society and a terrible indictment of how insular Joe and Josephine Public have become.

She got two child actors, a boy and a girl about 8 years of age and each in turn stood around inside a shopping precinct looking lost. I have to admit that both kids were brilliant actors and really did portray a lost child without having to resort to tears. The greater majority of adults walked past, some even detoured around them without even so much as a glance. One or two walked past, stopped, looked back and then carried on about their business.

All in all over ONE THOUSAND people walked past a small child that was obviously lost and only FOUR people stopped to ask if the child was alright. At that point Esther and the camera crew came forward to relieve the caring person of having to make some sort of a decision and did a brief interview with the Good Samaritan. One person, a man, walked past but did report the situation to a shopping precinct security officer.

When the programme ended I sat back and asked myself what would I do in such a situation?

To be brutally frank, I don’t know what I would have done in such a situation but having thought it through and now forewarned, if I was confronted with an obviously lost child I would stop and ask the kid if it was OK. But I would do the same as one bloke did. He kept at more than arms length from the child. The three female Samaritans got much closer. Having established that the child was indeed lost, one thing that I wouldn’t do is take the child by the hand and lead her/him away to try and find either the kid’s parents or a policeman. Instead I would seek the help of two or three other adults, preferably women, and ask one of them to get the police or to keep an eye on the child whilst I did it. More than likely someone would have a mobile phone so we could all stay with the child until the police arrived.

Some people, with kindness in their hearts, might offer the child a sweet or a piece of chocolate as a comforter. No! No! No! No! No! The child might have a peanut or some other allergy. You could end up with a situation far more dangerous than just being lost.

Re: What Have We Become?
 

Re: What Have We Become?
 

Just 4 IDIOTS out of 1000 we must be improving!!:tongueout

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Re: What Have We Become?
 

Back in the late seventies, my son then about 6 years old was playing in his bedroom when for reasons best known to himself he decided to pack some clothes in a carrier bag and unknown to us set off down the road with it slung over his shoulder on a stick.

A few hundred yards away a caring adult spotted him, must have thought it strange to see a small child walking down the road with a bag on a stick over his shoulder, stopped him, asked who he was and where he was going, found out where he lived and brought him home.

Would that happen today? Unlikely. He would have been left to wander on.

Nowadays you daren’t smile back at a child when it looks at you or smiles at you and many do as they get dragged along on a shopping trip. It’s no wonder that many older people are labelled ‘miserable old gits’ as they walk around with almost a frown on their faces for fear of being verbally abused if they just happen to smile at a child. The fixed frown prevents you from smiling inadvertently.

Re: What Have We Become?
 

I smile at kids and I even dare speak to them. I talk to kids in the play park when I am in there with my 3 year old daughter. I even speak to kids in the park if I am just walking though.

I think people need to discard this perceived danger of talking to children and become human again.


Speak for yourself.

Re: What Have We Become?
 

Having seen the clip in question I can see why thanks to the way things are concerning the safety that people turn a blind eye. Yet as a parent as many of you are I would hope that if it was my child lost and disorientated that someone would be a good samaritan and help. There is a minority in society that due to their actions have brought about the introduction of laws that with the help of the "we know better brigade" have made this situation what it is.

Me I would try and help but would keep my distance and hope I could get someone else as "backup" in what could become with ease a day from hell. So lets throw another thought in to this argument/discussion. My daughter has epilepsy so if she is not accompanied and drops in the street in a fit will people walk past and ignore her or would they help? Now if she is in a seizure and thrashing around would some one trying to help be taken by another who does not know what is happening have the police arresting the samaritan.

As I see it some common sense is needed when these situations arise and people need to stop and think what the poor child is going through. We are supposed to protect children but ignoring their plight might put them in danger from the "wrong" kind of person.

Re: What Have We Become?
 

So the next time you see a child that appears to be lost you have got to ask yourself questions.
Is it Candid Camera?
Beagles about?
You've been framed?


Or is it some doogooder that makes TV programmes with the help of child actor tutors - camera people of varying backgrounds and all the backup staff that are only one text away from warning the entire network of child molesters of the danger.

been there - Give me a break.

Re: What Have We Become?
 

It is very sad that some people feel afraid to help, or even speak to, a distressed child. Speaking for myself I react the same way as I always did to any child, with or without its parent. Perhaps it's a little easier for me to say that, as a grandmother, than it might be for a man on his own but, whatever the current "restrictions" on how we deal with children I prefer to apply good sense, good manners and kindness.

The worst thing we are suffering from, today, is paranoia. People are so frightened of the "monster in the cupboard" - the Paedophile - that they see evil all around. The fact that there were just as many paedophiles around when I was a child is ignored by the media who fuel the paranoia with lurid details and glaring headlines.

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A tad cynical but could happen if a somewhat remote chance. :D

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Well that is the problem,how many remote chances have there been since that little girl was "snatched" in Portugal?:confused: There is no timetable, just devious people and victims.

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Still a case of the sick minority in a way making it easier to find a victim because of actions their behavior resulted in. :mad:

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This topic was mulled over not too long ago in another thread, worth another read.

Here

Re: What Have We Become?
 

Personally if i saw a child that seemed to be lost i would stop and help them...at the moment i am in a good position to do so and doubt anyone would think it strange..but whenever it was i would stop and help because i am not a paedophile and i know the child will be safe with me...can i say the same about the next person to come along?

The childs safety is the priority not what people may think of me at the time.

I would stand with the child... get down to the childs level and try to consol it while using my mobile to ring the police.

A few months ago me and ty were seperated in towen, he was found by a young lad who stood still with him and got the attention of a woman passing by. When i found Ty I was more relieved that i had found him and that he was safe to question the lad that had found him.

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No intention of going back in time It just seems the attitudes of parents have gone back to normal till the next time.
Never lost mine and at 37 I think It's a bit late now.:D