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[Mammoth Jones]

Statistically, children are over 10x safer with strangers than with their parents.

Statistically, you can use google to find statistics that reinforce your point of view. But gotcha. Will drop my kid outside of a gas station tonight because statistics. Thanks.

 

[Lost Fragment]

It's true that perception of crime and danger has risen dramatically due to the 24-hour news cycle, despite mountains of data that America is safer now than ever before.



Source: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl01.xls

You missed the point I made, which is that paranoia probably plays a big part in why those stats have dropped so much in the first place.

Also, people who may otherwise do fucked up shit when they're bored are more likely to be occupied by said media consumption or the million other different distractions in today's society.

 

[Valnen]

My daughter is 14, and my wife and I have always placed an emphasis on nurturing her independence by allowing her to play alone with friends in the same way that we used to when we were kids. We encourage her to be social with people she has never met (although, "never go anywhere with a stranger" is still a good rule to live by, and one of the few generalizations we asked her to live by), and she's learned a lot about how to interact with various personality types as a result.

She's an extremely well-balanced and happy kid, making excellent decisions when confronted with things like sex and drugs, and the only real credit we can take as parents is having the good sense to know when to back off (which is frequently).

What happened to Maddy is a largely unavoidable tragedy similar to Sandy Hook and the Aurora theater massacre. Instead of obsessing over how we can avoid being victims of random twists of fate, we must shift our focus to figuring out how our society can better identify and deal with the maladaptive minds that perpetrate these horrible acts.

TL;DR- Saying that parents should be responsible for their children not being murdered by (extremely rare) psychopaths is not that different from saying women should avoid wearing revealing clothing if they don't want to be raped. "Stranger Danger" is victim blaming, and it needs to end.



Statistically, children are over 10x safer with strangers than with their parents.



Source: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbse&sid=31

And this is why you shouldn't rely on statistics to make your arguments. Statistically, the odds of being killed by lightning are low. That doesn't mean you should go fly a kite in a lightning storm.

 

[TheSeks]

Well, at least he's being charged as an adult. Hopefully he gets life.

His motive for doing it is pretty shitty, though.

 

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

Statistically, you can use google to find statistics that reinforce your point of view. But gotcha. Will drop my kid outside of a gas station tonight because statistics. Thanks.

I don't think that's quite how it works. Statistically you won't get hit by a bus, but I wouldn't challenge statistics by jumping in front of a moving bus.

 

[Vilam]

“We’re going to bring him to justice,” Rosell said. “At this point, there is no plea deal.”

As it should be. Throw away the key.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

As it should be. Throw away the key.

Agreed.

 

[family_guy]

It's terrible and it just goes to show it doesn't matter what you tell your kids. If they get an appealing offer, they'll go with strangers. You could be the best parent but things happen. Don't let them out of your sight. At the least don't let them ride bikes/walk alone.

 

[MBison]

Well, at least he's being charged as an adult. Hopefully he gets life.

His motive for doing it is pretty shitty, though.

Have they revealed this? What did the murderer say?

 

[F0rneus]

Have they revealed this? What did the murderer say?

He wanted to see how people would react.

 

[entremet]

This story breaks my heart to no end.

Two young lives destroyed forever.

The boy sounds seriously deranged.

 

[Tacitus_]

At first I was disgusted, but now I just feel sad. The boy needs mental help, badly. Lock him into a psychiatric hospital, not a prison.

 

[norm9]

It's terrible and it just goes to show it doesn't matter what you tell your kids. If they get an appealing offer, they'll go with strangers. You could be the best parent but things happen. Don't let them out of your sight. At the least don't let them ride bikes/walk alone.

He wasn't a stranger though.

And 100% don't agree with "Don't let them out of your sight."

 

[Emperor_Uriel]

And this is why you shouldn't rely on statistics to make your arguments. Statistically, the odds of being killed by lightning are low. That doesn't mean you should go fly a kite in a lightning storm.

Society doesn't have an irrational fear of lightning though.

These statistics come straight from the source, not independent research. When you're saying not to rely on data from the Dept. of Justice and the FBI to make arguments on crime, you might as well say "don't rely on facts to make your arguments."

By not letting your kids out of your sight, by forcing them to rely on you to solve every conflict and protect them from every threat, you severely handicap them in all aspects of their development. Social skills, gauging risks, coping strategies, dealing with consequences... all down the tubes when mommy and daddy are omnipresent.

It leads to a generation of kids who don't know how to function in society, especially amongst their peer group. The same type of kids who, if mental illness is also present, become increasingly likely to commit these types of crime.

 

[MBison]

He wanted to see how people would react.

Wow that's. Unreal.

 

[Tacitus_]

Wow that's. Unreal.

It's a clear sign of mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thought#Aggressive_thoughts

 

[SpookyFries]

Breaks my heart :-(
Something like this happened in Utah a few weeks ago. 12 year old girl killed by a 15 used old boy. Really makes me sad to read shit like this

 

[MBison]

It's a clear sign of mental illness. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thought#Aggressive_thoughts

As a father of an 11 year old girl, mental illness or not, sorry id still want him off the streets for life.

 

[SilentRob]

There is a system in place that varies by state, but a variety of factors are taken into consideration.

Here is a link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/stats/states.html

Factors include things like the severity of the crime, past attempts at rehabilitation, etc.

Thanks for the explanation and the link. I think this is a really interesting discussion, but this is probably not the place to have it.