posted on August 24, 2006 06:30:27 PM new
Bebe, you're talking to someone who's been a feminist since the 60s! I totally agree that we shouldn't blame the victim. Too much of that going on. Patsy Ramsey thought it would be fun, she was southern, she had the money to dress up her little doll--and she was doing what seemed smart and right at the time. And John R. went along with it.
I guess I just hope that other parents who are in that beauty-pageant racket will sit up and take notice, learn from this. I'm not sure *what* they can learn, LOL, but I'm just so appalled at those pictures of JonBenet in the pageants--and I don't see how anyone can look at that and not think it's perverted in the true sense of the word. Unnatural.
posted on August 25, 2006 05:21:22 AM new
You'll notice I didn't say I agreed with the article completely. It's always interesting to see a fresh take on an issue like this.
Those little girl beauty pageants are just plain creepy as far as I'm concerned, but what gets me about this whole deal is why we make such an issue of it. The article's author is right. As far as the totality of child abuse is concerned, the Polly Klaases and the Jonbenets are the extreme minority. Less than 2% of all reported child abuse is committed by strangers. Nearly all of it is committed by relatives and others close to the child. We don't hear too much about those cases. How come?
In this country at any given time over a half million kids are listed by child protection agencies as "throwaways"..kids nobody wants. Kids whose parents and families have simply abandoned them. We don't hear too much about that either. How come?
I can't help but think that voyeurism plays some part in the newsworthiness of this case. We love the lurid details.
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Grow your own Dope. Plant a Republican.
edit for clarity
[ edited by profe51 on Aug 25, 2006 05:28 AM ]
posted on August 25, 2006 08:30:06 AM newAnd when kids are indeed abused, who is doing it? Mom and Dad and Uncle Ted and Aunt May. As little as 2 percent of child abuse is committed by strangers. Again, why are we exercised over JonBenet?
It seems that there are constant warnings about 'stranger danger' now and constant pressure for each child to have a cell phone so parents can always keep in touch with their every move so we are given the impression that it's much more than 2 percent of child abuse committed by strangers.
As for the lurid details, I believe much of it is because of the media attention to certain cases. Each time there is so much focus on one happening it's difficult to avoid it and it's blown up into an ongoing soap opera with day by day events, interviews with friends of the victim, previous neighbors, etc and it's non-stop coverage......... until the next case and then it starts all over again. Other similar cases such as run-away brides, husbands killing pregnant wives and girls disappearing go unnoticed.
Then again, most like to hear an ending to a mystery case and see it solved. Unfortunately tabloid journalism seems to rule nowadays.
