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Same. My parents are horrified when I suggest that their grandchildren should have the same freedom to roam around that they gave us. They believe the world i

Same. My parents are horrified when I suggest that their grandchildren should have the same freedom to roam around that they gave us. They believe the world is more dangerous than ever even though murders, violent crime, child abductions, and car accidents peaked when we were kids. And we didn't have cellphones to check in or call 911 with. It's baffling.

climb_stealth 3y ago
I once stayed with a couple whose worldview was formed by the sensationalist news channels on tv [0]. They genuinely believed the outside world was a scary place with constant abductions, hate crimes, murder and all that. It was absolutely baffling to experience. Not sure what to take from it. But it's very sobering to see how much damage is being done that way. [0] At least I presume that's where it came from. The news was on every single day in that household and it certainly felt like some kind of twisted suffering and misfortune porn.
- mrjh 3y ago
  Yup, I have older relatives who are exactly like this and they ALL have a 24/7 news channel almost constantly playing on TV. It’s an utterly toxic diet of fear-mongering and negativity that cripples anyone who gets addicted to it.
  - brandonmenc 3y ago
    I think equally if not more to blame are the gruesome crime and medical shows that seem to be the only things on network television for the past twenty years. A steady stream of the most depraved and violent criminal human behavior with the crime shows, and with the medical shows the most horrific one-in-a-million accidents. And continuously ratcheting up because each episode has to be more inventive than the last.
- gosub100 3y ago
  I think it gives them security because it constantly reinforces their existing world-views. It repeatedly shocks them and then leads them back to the same set of beliefs so they feel comforted that they're the right ones, and all those other people are causing the horror. Right and left wing media do this. It's the utter opposite of challenging you to think and decide.
- mensetmanusman 3y ago
  One thing to take from it if that tv usage is a net negative for most people when it comes to trying to understand the world.
gosub100 3y ago
Regarding child abductions specifically, there's two independent benefits to teh "strength in numbers" strategy. For one, children playing in groups are less likely to be victims, and secondly, if everyone's kids went out and played, its less likely that any single one of them would be the victim. If no kids play and your kid and his/her friend are the only available targets, then sadly it is more likely something will happen to them.
oblio 3y ago
Car accidents have been rising since about 2010.
- brandonmenc 3y ago
  The numbers were way, way higher when I was a kid, even with this blip of an increase. Back up cameras also weren't a thing.

climb_stealth 3y ago

I once stayed with a couple whose worldview was formed by the sensationalist news channels on tv [0]. They genuinely believed the outside world was a scary place with constant abductions, hate crimes, murder and all that. It was absolutely baffling to experience. Not sure what to take from it. But it's very sobering to see how much damage is being done that way. [0] At least I presume that's where it came from. The news was on every single day in that household and it certainly felt like some kind of twisted suffering and misfortune porn.

mrjh 3y ago
Yup, I have older relatives who are exactly like this and they ALL have a 24/7 news channel almost constantly playing on TV. It’s an utterly toxic diet of fear-mongering and negativity that cripples anyone who gets addicted to it.
- brandonmenc 3y ago
  I think equally if not more to blame are the gruesome crime and medical shows that seem to be the only things on network television for the past twenty years. A steady stream of the most depraved and violent criminal human behavior with the crime shows, and with the medical shows the most horrific one-in-a-million accidents. And continuously ratcheting up because each episode has to be more inventive than the last.
gosub100 3y ago
I think it gives them security because it constantly reinforces their existing world-views. It repeatedly shocks them and then leads them back to the same set of beliefs so they feel comforted that they're the right ones, and all those other people are causing the horror. Right and left wing media do this. It's the utter opposite of challenging you to think and decide.
mensetmanusman 3y ago
One thing to take from it if that tv usage is a net negative for most people when it comes to trying to understand the world.

gosub100 3y ago

Regarding child abductions specifically, there's two independent benefits to teh "strength in numbers" strategy. For one, children playing in groups are less likely to be victims, and secondly, if everyone's kids went out and played, its less likely that any single one of them would be the victim. If no kids play and your kid and his/her friend are the only available targets, then sadly it is more likely something will happen to them.

oblio 3y ago

Car accidents have been rising since about 2010.

brandonmenc 3y ago
The numbers were way, way higher when I was a kid, even with this blip of an increase. Back up cameras also weren't a thing.