I made the difference in the life of a child today.

[Rain Man]

I really hate that "made a difference" saying. Really hate it. Not sure why I used it other than sarcasm since I hate it so much.

But anyway, I finished up a meeting today and was walking home when I stopped at the mall. I had to send an e-mail and it's a good place to people watch, so I bought a frozen yogurt (I love that pay-by-the-ounce frozen yogurt concept) and found a seat near the escalators.

At one point while I was working, I ended up noticing a girl who was about three years old, and it became obvious that she had no parent around. She was just wandering around. So long story short, I went and got her, and after about ten minutes I and the Cinnabon counter girl and another couple managed to reunite her with some rather frantic parents who'd lost her and were literally running around the mall trying to find her. (The Cinnabon girl didn't know how to reach mall security, which I found rather interesting, and we found the parents before we got word to mall security.)

But the part that got me thinking was that there's a risk for a 40-something guy to go approach a lost three year-old girl. If you walk up at the wrong time, you get tackled by a parent and get arrested as a stranger abduction pervert and you end up on the sex offender registry after being brutalized in prison for a period of time of not less than six to ten years, and no one's ever going to believe that you were trying to help. So as soon as I confirmed she was lost, I immediately steered her toward the teenage girl who was running the Cinnabon, because she would qualify as a trusted person more than I would. Kind of sad, really.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

and what would I tell my family if I had to go to prison because I helped a kid out? I think it's more likely than you think. People out there are stupid and so is the justice system, that's too big of a risk for me to take.

As someone that works within the justice system, I can tell you you're incorrect. In fact, I went to school with a couple of prosecutors in the area that have dealt with a lot of 'bad touch' cases and they absolutely hate them. Primarily because they're damn near impossible to get a conviction on for a good case - let alone yours.

I'm willing to bet you couldn't find me a single instance of an individual convicted of any crime for giving a kid a ride.

And if you can, I'm pretty damn positive you couldn't find me the several hundred thousand it would take to raise the level of probability to 'likely'.

You're accusing me of being an idealist when in reality, you're simply living in world born of ignorance full of dark alleys and trap doors.

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

As someone that works within the justice system, I can tell you you're incorrect. In fact, I went to school with a couple of prosecutors in the area that have dealt with a lot of 'bad touch' cases and they absolutely hate them. Primarily because they're damn near impossible to get a conviction on for a good case - let alone yours.

I'm willing to bet you couldn't find me a single instance of an individual convicted of any crime for giving a kid a ride.

And if you can, I'm pretty damn positive you couldn't find me the several hundred thousand it would take to raise the level of probability to 'likely'.

You're accusing me of being an idealist when in reality, you're simply living in world born of ignorance full of dark alleys and trap doors.

Stop harping on convictions. It isn't about convictions. It's about having an accusation or insinuation made in the first place.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Stop harping on convictions. It isn't about convictions. It's about having an accusation or insinuation made in the first place.

The guy is talking about "OMGZ how would I tell my family I'm going to prison"

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Stop harping on convictions. It isn't about convictions. It's about having an accusation or insinuation made in the first place.

Not according to him - he's the one asking what he'd tell his family if he goes to jail.

As for the 'accusation' angle - define it. Are you referencing actual charges being filed? Because again I'd like to see examples of something as relatively benign as charges being filed for someone giving a kid a ride home.

And if it's merely intimations of a protective parent - well that's just a bit sad. If you're honestly unwilling to help a child out because of the risk that the parents might start telling the neighbors you're a peterast...well that's vanity run amok right there.

It's not society that did that to you. It's likely nothing more than your own imagination or perhaps an over-inflated ego.

[Hootie]

Chiefs Rool is just a ****ing moron....

anyone who lives their life is a ****ing creep...

I thought the best advice ended up being the neighbor one...

Walk the kid over to your trusted next door neighbor and then go from there...that's the best way to play it.

The worst way? Slam the door in the kid's face and say tough luck.

[Jenson71]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

and what would I tell my family if I had to go to prison because I helped a kid out? I think it's more likely than you think. People out there are stupid and so is the justice system, that's too big of a risk for me to take.

Nope, live and learn. I bet that if the kid ended up being kidnapped after he was rejected, and then rescued, and it came out to police that you had rejected him, the parents would come after you with charges of a duty. You probably wouldn't be convicted, but the newspapers/community would smear you.

Next time, you know what to do.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

As someone that works within the justice system, I can tell you you're incorrect. In fact, I went to school with a couple of prosecutors in the area that have dealt with a lot of 'bad touch' cases and they absolutely hate them. Primarily because they're damn near impossible to get a conviction on for a good case - let alone yours.

I'm willing to bet you couldn't find me a single instance of an individual convicted of any crime for giving a kid a ride.

And if you can, I'm pretty damn positive you couldn't find me the several hundred thousand it would take to raise the level of probability to 'likely'.

You're accusing me of being an idealist when in reality, you're simply living in world born of ignorance full of dark alleys and trap doors.

Oh, it hasn't to do with knowing what goes in in actual fact. The media blasts these stories which has an influence on people. I don't know if I'd have given him a ride home myself but I would have called for help because, let's face it, it's pretty darn strange for a young kid to knock on your door looking for a ride.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Jenson71

Nope, live and learn. I bet that if the kid ended up being kidnapped after he was rejected, and then rescued, and it came out to police that you had rejected him, the parents would come after you with charges of a duty. You probably wouldn't be convicted, but the newspapers/community would smear you.

Next time, you know what to do.

I'm starting to think that the best option would have been for Chiefs Rool to simply kill the kid and bury him in the basement.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'm starting to think that the best option would have been for Chiefs Rool to simply kill the kid and bury him in the basement.

[ShortRoundChief]

So Cinnabon? good
Yogurt by the ounce? good
Chiefsrool? bad
Kevin? good

Does this adequately sum up this thread? Or was the midget disguised as a child a major theme?

[KurtCobain]

Originally Posted by FAX

I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, Mr. Rain Man, but this is actually the latest insidious scheme in the world of midget crime. That "3 year-old" you encountered was actually a midget pretending to be a little girl. Her "parents" were midget accomplices. You did not save a little girl. Rather, you inadvertently foiled an ingenious midget plot to steal the contents of the cash register and an untold number of Cinnabons. Had the midget been caught in the act by the Cinnabon girl, the "parents" were in the mall to help the midget escape justice.

In future, the best thing to do in a situation like this is to approach the midget as though you were offering candy in order to gain the midget's trust. Once you have sufficiently neared the midget, you then beat the midget mercilessly and repeatedly upon the top of the head with a chair or laptop computer or other solid object until the police arrive.

FAX

Why aren't you in jail yet?

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by The Meat Dragon

Chiefs Rool is just a ****ing moron....

anyone who lives their life is a ****ing creep...

I thought the best advice ended up being the neighbor one...

Walk the kid over to your trusted next door neighbor and then go from there...that's the best way to play it.

The worst way? Slam the door in the kid's face and say tough luck.

oh get off of your high horse dude, you think you are perfect?

[KurtCobain]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

oh get off of your high horse dude, you think you are perfect?

I bet he's not, but atleast he would help a poor kid instead of going nutso paranoid that the world is after him. Seriously dude, if this happens again, do you do the same thing?

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'm starting to think that the best option would have been for Chiefs Rool to simply kill the kid and bury him in the basement.

I'm in tears right now.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

oh get off of your high horse dude, you think you are perfect?

Atleast he'd help a 7 year old kid...