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.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by Brock

That's quite a leap. I give it a 9.2.

Yeah I'm done even trying...the dude is obviously a dipshit.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Brock

That's quite a leap. I give it a 9.2.

[Hootie]

and I don't know where you assholes live...but "society" must be different there than it is here.

[Hootie]

and the Rainman situation is much different...

since he was alone at the mall eating a yogurt when he found a lost kid...that's way creepier than a 7 year old kid needing help in your neighborhood.

but hey slam the door in the kid's face and tell him tough luck...that's the right thing to do! Otherwise you'll get the death penalty and gang rape.

[38yrsfan]

Not specifically referring to the 7 year-old encounter or commenting on what should have been done, I'd like to add ...

It would be nice to act in the spirit of goodness and nobility at all times, however the reality of even a false accusation is that your name is publicized, you have acquired a new labeling and are convicted by many of your community causing problems not just for you but for your family - and all before you have even had a trial, if it even goes that far.

Your first responsibility is to you and your family. Scout leaders are trained to never have isolated one-on-one encounters with any child. This is not for the protection of the child but for the leader.

I would have walked the child over to a neighbor and then both of you call 911 and explain the situation. A 7 year old isn't the best decision maker and something is wrong when he has to walk a couple miles home.

IMHO

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

it's funny what you mentioned here:

Afterall, banter at work could be construed as harassment. - seen it happen. Some friendly talk at work led to a sexual harassment by a girl who overheard the conversation, which was nothing about her. The poor guy got fired after many years of good work.

Bumping someone in the aisle of a Safeway could be seen as sexual assault.
-A girl indeed got bumbed into kind of, the guy walked behind her and kind of touched her back, not in any sexual way, just like "I'm coming right behind you" She made a huge stink about it and it took weeks for corporate to handle this and the guy got fired.

So, you don't have a very good grip on reality my friend. You're an idealist.

What? No rebuttal for the slipping on the ice part?

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

It's a ****ed up world we live in when we're afraid to help children. I don't blame the individual, I blame society.

I agree with this. However, I would have called the police and asked them to handle the kid. I would not have let him go off by himself.

[Demonpenz]

I would like to think I would do the right thing no matter what the consiquences

[seclark]

damn penz, you need to get that cat to a f@ckin orthodontist!
sec

[Jenson71]

Contrast these actions with the infamous David Cash/Iverson killing.

Cash and a friend were in a Vegas lobby when they saw a seven year old girl whose father was gambling. Cash and the friend start playing tag with her. She runs into the women's bathroom. The friend follows. Cash follows. The friend puts her in a stall, rapes her, and strangles her. She's dead. In the stall next to them, Cash was standing there, watching it all. He never reported it. He was never charged with any crime. He had no legal duty to stop the rape or report it to anyone. He was interviewed, said he felt as bad about it as he feels for African kids that die everyday (so, not at all).

[ROYC75]

A job well done Kevin, but it is sad that society has changed so much that innocent people are looked upon as evil now days.

It's a sad ,sad world we live in now.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Jenson71

Contrast these actions with the infamous David Cash/Iverson killing.

Cash and a friend were in a Vegas lobby when they saw a seven year old girl whose father was gambling. Cash and the friend start playing tag with her. She runs into the women's bathroom. The friend follows. Cash follows. The friend puts her in a stall, rapes her, and strangles her. She's dead. In the stall next to them, Cash was standing there, watching it all. He never reported it. He was never charged with any crime. He had no legal duty to stop the rape or report it to anyone. He was interviewed, said he felt as bad about it as he feels for African kids that die everyday (so, not at all).

I just took her straight to the Cinnabon girl.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

not long ago I helped an elderly lady who was having some sort of diabetic attack. I was on my front porch smoking and 2 20 somethings approached me and asked for a ride to a gas station to get gas. I did that and then came back and the lady in their car needed her medication, she lived on the other side of topeka and I quickly drove her home so she could get her meds. I'm all for helping out other people, but other people's kids are dangerous to help them out. Even just talking to another kid in public raises eyebrows.

But the case of the child, there are a lot of parents out there who would press charges against someone who put their kid in their car, even though it was just to help. Just because you wouldn't, that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of people who would do the same as you. I'd probably have had to go to court and possibly prison if I chose to help the child out. That's the society we live in today. Now if I was out somewhere and this kid needed urgent medical attention and nobody was around, I wouldn't hesitate to put him in my car and drive him to the nearest hospital.

Should I have just called the police, yes. But the kid said he would fine walking and I didn't. But there is no way I'm putting a strange kid in my car and driving him somewhere in this day of age, you will get arrested and you will have some dip shit DA who looks at the case on paper and assumes pedophile and goes all out to ruin your life.

20 years ago, it would have been fine, but not today.

"Probably have had to go to court..."

Dude - you're out to lunch, that's all there is to it.

There is an extremely remote chance that that could've happened. It's not impossible.

But for you to honestly state you "probably" would've been charged with a crime had you given the kid a ride says all that needs to be said.

You're absolutely frozen with paranoia here.

Blaming 'society' is a copout. The big bad world hasn't turned you into a jittery douche. You have.

[ShortRoundChief]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

"Probably have had to go to court..."

Dude - you're out to lunch, that's all there is to it.

There is an extremely remote chance that that could've happened. It's not impossible.

But for you to honestly state you "probably" would've been charged with a crime had you given the kid a ride says all that needs to be said.

You're absolutely frozen with paranoia here.

Blaming 'society' is a copout. The big bad world hasn't turned you into a jittery douche. You have.

You're not being very nice.

[Chiefs Rool]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

"Probably have had to go to court..."

Dude - you're out to lunch, that's all there is to it.

There is an extremely remote chance that that could've happened. It's not impossible.

But for you to honestly state you "probably" would've been charged with a crime had you given the kid a ride says all that needs to be said.

You're absolutely frozen with paranoia here.

Blaming 'society' is a copout. The big bad world hasn't turned you into a jittery douche. You have.

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.