I'd also like to point out that the crime rates were a LOT worse back in the 1970s, and have been steadily falling ever since then. There's even a theory that

I'd also like to point out that the crime rates were a LOT worse back in the 1970s, and have been steadily falling ever since then. There's even a theory that leaded gasoline is to blame. Anyhow, even with worse street crime back in the 70s-80s, Americans simply weren't paranoid back then like they are now. Back then, kids routinely ran around by themselves with no adult supervision, and this is now unheard of in suburbia, even though the crime rates are a small fraction of what they were back then, and kidnappings were never a common thing.