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Isabella had just learned about “stranger danger” at school What? Does she use a time traveling bus to visit 1990? I thought schools had wised up to the fact

Isabella had just learned about “stranger danger” at school What? Does she use a time traveling bus to visit 1990? I thought schools had wised up to the fact that virtually all harm to children (excluding traffic fatalities) is brought people the child knows. I hate the TSA, but I see the dark humor of fear mongering on both sides of this story: Americans' fear of terrorists and children's instilled fear of strangers. As a traveler, I'm tired of the former, and as an adult male who happens to like children and strikes up conversations with strangers, I'm tired of the latter.

rollypolly 14y ago
If I was more cynical, I'd think the TSA was a program to teach the next generation of Americans that privacy is an archaic concept.
- greyfade 14y ago
  I am that cynical. Seeing pictures of kids holding up signs that say "Thank you for protecting us!" next to their proud, deluded parents at an airport, everything about the TSA makes me sick. Edit: And then, this: http://boingboing.net/2012/04/25/tsa-security-screeners-in-la.html http://boingboing.net/2012/04/25/tsa-security-screeners-in-l...
jsight 14y ago
+1 I see plenty of blame to go around here, actually. The TSA shouldn't have required a pat-down, IMO. But we don't know exactly how this happened, and how should the TSA have known that the child would go into hysterics over this? Once the screaming starts, a lot of behaviors can change in pretty irrational ways due to the increased tension of the situation. The fact that the parents involved lost control of the situation with the child running away did not make things any easier. I'm not saying the agents should have handled it this way (I personally think they should not have), just that it seems like a series of unfortunate breakdowns on the part of several people. There are far bigger problems with the TSA than this, IMO.
- rhizome 14y ago
  The TSA is a big market-research project. The point is to start with everybody and winnow back TSA behavior based on outrage until they reach the line where nobody cares enough anymore. Everybody outside of that line will be subject to abduction and torture by the US and its allies. The important part is that the TSA gets to find out who nobody cares about, because everybody is going to be forced to endure their intrusions (even for those who ride the bus or train, they'll find a way to touch you) until we tell them who we'd rather they hassle, by way of demanding freedom from their intrusions not upon principle, but upon "because not me." You'll notice that people who can/want to pay $100 for a little freedom from Bush & Obama's TSA have a way to do that even before 95 year old veterans and 4 year old children. That right there is a plain, stick-figure simple illustration of Bush and Obama's priorities with the TSA.
nikatwork 14y ago
Attempted child abductions happen all the time (source: constant police reports in my local media). It's insane to suggest we don't teach kids street smarts just because you like talking to strangers.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
  - lurker14 14y ago
    Can you run those numbers again, adding denominators for "number of adults encountered", and limiting to adults who have touched the child against the child's will, as happened in this case? You might find a hire rate of stranger-assault among those cases.
  - nikatwork 14y ago
    Bulletins from the police. Eg, "a man attempted to force an 8 year old girl into his car, she broke free. Police are looking for..." Then there are high profile cases like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Daniel_Morcombe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Daniel_Morcombe Yes, family abuse is more common. Yes, I believe in free range kids. No, I don't believe in carebear rainbow land, stranger danger is very real.
- georgieporgie 14y ago
  It's insane to suggest we don't teach kids street smarts I never said anything of the sort.

rollypolly 14y ago

If I was more cynical, I'd think the TSA was a program to teach the next generation of Americans that privacy is an archaic concept.

greyfade 14y ago
I am that cynical. Seeing pictures of kids holding up signs that say "Thank you for protecting us!" next to their proud, deluded parents at an airport, everything about the TSA makes me sick. Edit: And then, this: http://boingboing.net/2012/04/25/tsa-security-screeners-in-la.html http://boingboing.net/2012/04/25/tsa-security-screeners-in-l...

jsight 14y ago

+1 I see plenty of blame to go around here, actually. The TSA shouldn't have required a pat-down, IMO. But we don't know exactly how this happened, and how should the TSA have known that the child would go into hysterics over this? Once the screaming starts, a lot of behaviors can change in pretty irrational ways due to the increased tension of the situation. The fact that the parents involved lost control of the situation with the child running away did not make things any easier. I'm not saying the agents should have handled it this way (I personally think they should not have), just that it seems like a series of unfortunate breakdowns on the part of several people. There are far bigger problems with the TSA than this, IMO.

rhizome 14y ago
The TSA is a big market-research project. The point is to start with everybody and winnow back TSA behavior based on outrage until they reach the line where nobody cares enough anymore. Everybody outside of that line will be subject to abduction and torture by the US and its allies. The important part is that the TSA gets to find out who nobody cares about, because everybody is going to be forced to endure their intrusions (even for those who ride the bus or train, they'll find a way to touch you) until we tell them who we'd rather they hassle, by way of demanding freedom from their intrusions not upon principle, but upon "because not me." You'll notice that people who can/want to pay $100 for a little freedom from Bush & Obama's TSA have a way to do that even before 95 year old veterans and 4 year old children. That right there is a plain, stick-figure simple illustration of Bush and Obama's priorities with the TSA.

nikatwork 14y ago

Attempted child abductions happen all the time (source: constant police reports in my local media). It's insane to suggest we don't teach kids street smarts just because you like talking to strangers.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
- lurker14 14y ago
  Can you run those numbers again, adding denominators for "number of adults encountered", and limiting to adults who have touched the child against the child's will, as happened in this case? You might find a hire rate of stranger-assault among those cases.
- nikatwork 14y ago
  Bulletins from the police. Eg, "a man attempted to force an 8 year old girl into his car, she broke free. Police are looking for..." Then there are high profile cases like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Daniel_Morcombe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Daniel_Morcombe Yes, family abuse is more common. Yes, I believe in free range kids. No, I don't believe in carebear rainbow land, stranger danger is very real.
georgieporgie 14y ago
It's insane to suggest we don't teach kids street smarts I never said anything of the sort.