PhantomZone
Member
I have to deal with lost children a lot, I always have people watch them (not interact) while I put out a p/a announcement asking for the parents to come and collect them.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Good samaritan helping lost toddler gets punched by father, labeled predator online
- Thread starter AuthenticM
- Start date
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
You want a medal? So have a lot of people, but it helps to keep in mind there are a lot of dumb parents out there looking to start shit
Emperor_Uriel
Member
And you might do so for many more years with no issue. Unfortunately, all it takes is one asshole saying "he's trying to photograph my daughter's underwear!" or "he touched her breast when helped her up!" and that could be the end of your career. Definitely if you work with kids.
Until your behavior is the norm, we're all at risk. Even if you do nothing illegal, even if you're beloved in your community, you can still be totally crucified just for doing something a little unusual.
Nobody is talking about letting a child drown while watching, people would jump in and help if that were the situation. They are talking about how if a man tries to help a lost child they can have their reputation, career, future, and wellbeing of their family irrevocably damaged, so they fear intervening themselves in those situations.
How selfish.
Hey man, that penis has produced children. Show a little respect!
shawnbuddy
Member
If that guy hadn't been lucky enough to have a witness, he'd be in jail. No one would believe his story, and we'd have a GAF thread full of people praising the father for the beating.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Well, It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility....
Maybe, but I'd bet he's a just taking a moment to be a jerk to some people in person before he comes back in and revels in his terrible character again.
I'm assuming it's a character, it has to be right?
With this specific incident it's also about stranger danger. Statistically speaking, a family member or family friend is most likely to be a sexual abuser than some random in a park.
Forsaken82
Member
I'm curious, where was the father the entire time this little girl was lost?
firehawk12
Subete no aware
This is why in China you get those stories where people just stand around and don't bother helping people, even if they're being run over by a car. If you don't get involved, you don't bring trouble on yourself. I feel like it's mindset that people are starting to adopt here now, because it's just easier not to get involved.
Watching a UFC video on his phone with his bros.
Society is fucked up, all these people are within their bloody rights to do jack shit. I shared my own story about what happened to me when I was caring for my kid at a mall playground. Fuck that shit, getting the police called on you because your with your own kid even. I'm not going to fault one single man here for not helping. See a lost kid, call the police or find a woman to take care of it.
I have white relatives and when I held a younger toddler cousin in public I would get stares from white people, and I'm thankful I never had the police called on me.
A lot of parents believe having a kid makes them good parents, it doesn't. So they'll blame their mistakes on others and take no accountability for themselves.
As a Black male in this country, I would never pick up a stranger's kid unless they were about to get hit by a car. I would call the authorities and keep an eye on them from a distance.
A lot of parents believe having a kid makes them good parents, it doesn't. So they'll blame their mistakes on others and take no accountability for themselves.
As a Black male in this country, I would never pick up a stranger's kid unless they were about to get hit by a car. I would call the authorities and keep an eye on them from a distance.
Triggerhappytel
Member
A lot of the responses in this thread are very sad. As a father of three I know it can be very easy for one of your kids to wander off in just a few seconds. It's happened to my son twice in the last year:
- Once when he was 3, we were in a motorway service station looking at the Burger King menu, and I let go of his hand to get my wallet out. Probably 10 seconds later I reached down to take his hand again, and he wasn't there. I looked around and asked the people in the line behind me if they'd seen him, but they hadn't noticed. So then I start frantically running back and forth throughout calling out his name, and asking people at the door if they'd seen him pass by, looking everywhere, and getting increasingly irrational. Luckily probably two minutes later (although it felt like 10 minutes) two ladies who worked there had found him and brought him to me, and he'd wandered off when I let go of his hand and gone in a little Thomas the Tank Engine ride in the food court seating area probably 30 feet from where we were in the queue.
- The second time was probably a couple of months ago, and he's now 4. We were at a beach promenade near to my in-laws' house and it was near lunchtime so my wife and I were discussing where to go for lunch. He was behind me, and then I turned around and asked where he'd gone, and we didn't know. So my wife went one way looking for him, a couple was helping us look and I went the other way, while my 7 year old daughter stayed where we'd been sitting with the baby in the pushchair. We'd just donated money to a charity guy dressed like Darth Vader so thought he might have followed, so I ran after them. Turned out he's wandered over to a little climbing frame/play area on the sand just around the other side of a cafe near where we were sitting. He must have seen it as we walked past and wandered back there when he had the chance. Ended up someone heard us all calling for him and another lady nearby brought him over. Probably was three or four minutes this time, although it was close to a busy road and I was scared that he could have been taken into a car and they could have got far away before we could have done anything.
I'm an attentive dad and my wife and I are both paranoid so we always try to keep the kids nearby and in view. I don't play on my phone when we're out and I try to play with them and engage with them, because my dad never really did with me so I want them to have a fun dad. The point being that we've told him not to wander off but he's done it when there's been something of interest, he's done it quickly, and in the real world it's impossible to keep an eye on him literally 100% of the time.
That being said, in these scenarios he didn't really appear 'alone' and wouldn't appear to be lost to another adult, but had he wandered towards the road or something I hope an adult would help if they saw.
Good for you. I hope a child never dies because it unwittingly wandered into danger and you did nothing to help.
- Once when he was 3, we were in a motorway service station looking at the Burger King menu, and I let go of his hand to get my wallet out. Probably 10 seconds later I reached down to take his hand again, and he wasn't there. I looked around and asked the people in the line behind me if they'd seen him, but they hadn't noticed. So then I start frantically running back and forth throughout calling out his name, and asking people at the door if they'd seen him pass by, looking everywhere, and getting increasingly irrational. Luckily probably two minutes later (although it felt like 10 minutes) two ladies who worked there had found him and brought him to me, and he'd wandered off when I let go of his hand and gone in a little Thomas the Tank Engine ride in the food court seating area probably 30 feet from where we were in the queue.
- The second time was probably a couple of months ago, and he's now 4. We were at a beach promenade near to my in-laws' house and it was near lunchtime so my wife and I were discussing where to go for lunch. He was behind me, and then I turned around and asked where he'd gone, and we didn't know. So my wife went one way looking for him, a couple was helping us look and I went the other way, while my 7 year old daughter stayed where we'd been sitting with the baby in the pushchair. We'd just donated money to a charity guy dressed like Darth Vader so thought he might have followed, so I ran after them. Turned out he's wandered over to a little climbing frame/play area on the sand just around the other side of a cafe near where we were sitting. He must have seen it as we walked past and wandered back there when he had the chance. Ended up someone heard us all calling for him and another lady nearby brought him over. Probably was three or four minutes this time, although it was close to a busy road and I was scared that he could have been taken into a car and they could have got far away before we could have done anything.
I'm an attentive dad and my wife and I are both paranoid so we always try to keep the kids nearby and in view. I don't play on my phone when we're out and I try to play with them and engage with them, because my dad never really did with me so I want them to have a fun dad. The point being that we've told him not to wander off but he's done it when there's been something of interest, he's done it quickly, and in the real world it's impossible to keep an eye on him literally 100% of the time.
That being said, in these scenarios he didn't really appear 'alone' and wouldn't appear to be lost to another adult, but had he wandered towards the road or something I hope an adult would help if they saw.
Good for you. I hope a child never dies because it unwittingly wandered into danger and you did nothing to help.
TriniTrin
war of titties grampa
Jerk dad helps reinforce bystander effect with this story.
In the end, parents should learn to watch their children. If you lose one because you have to many or even if you just have one and lose them, it's no one's fault but the parents.
I think I would help a kid out if they were lost but I would be damned sure to just take them to security and leave them there.
Kids are a big responsibility and if you can't even keep track of them, you probably shouldn't have them.
In the end, parents should learn to watch their children. If you lose one because you have to many or even if you just have one and lose them, it's no one's fault but the parents.
I think I would help a kid out if they were lost but I would be damned sure to just take them to security and leave them there.
Kids are a big responsibility and if you can't even keep track of them, you probably shouldn't have them.
Mammoth Jones
Member
Exactly.
PlayALLtheGames
Banned
Dumb, white trash piece of shit is told reality by witnesses and cops, continues to believe non-reality.
Over/under on this guy being a Trump fan?
Over/under on this guy being a Trump fan?
shawnbuddy
Member
That was a bit of hyperbole. I'd begrudgingly except the inevitable beating, ruined life and sex-offender registration if it was literally a cliff, car or wild animal. If they just appeared lost or in mild danger I would yell and try to get someone female to help. If they still got hurt would be a shame but it wouldn't be my fault. It's not my job to make up for bad parenting. If a kid gets away it's always the parent's fault, because parents should know that kids can disappear in seconds and plan accordingly. You have to admit that even your examples were the result of lapses of attention and avoidable, maybe if you'd kept an eye on your kid when you weren't holding their hand or made them walk beside or in front of you instead of behind.