By admin
Parent kidnapping is an oxymoron that is on the rise in our society. This is definitely a sign that our culture has hit the skids. Those of you around in the 1950’s or 1960’s would never have heard of such a thing back then. The very idea would have been absurd. How can a parent kidnap their own child? Not possible. And to some degree, that holds true today - at least from a logical viewpoint.
But not from a legal one. And because most people will gravitate towards the logical viewpoint in their mind, it tends to defeat the legal one. This is because the cry wolf effect reduces public aid for law enforcement.
A good example of this concept is car alarms. When you hear one go off, what is your first reaction? Do you run out towards the car to stop the thief? More than likely you are annoyed at the knucklehead that owns that car, as obviously they did something to trip the alarm (such as open the door before disarming it). I like to imagine a car thief during broad daylight in a crowded city area running into no resistance because everyone assumes he is the owner.
Where I live there is something called an Amber Alert. This was developed a few years ago due the rising rate of kidnappings in our wonderful state. The way it works is, a witness to a kidnapping (or anyone who has any information about a suspected kidnapping) gives a description of the car and/or kidnapper to the police, relatively quickly after the incidence takes place. An Amber Alert with this description then interrupts every radio and television broadcast in the area as an attempt to get public help.
It’s a good idea, it has worked, and no doubt saved a few kid’s lives. But what has been happening recently is that they are using it for parent kidnappings. Meaning that a parent who is involved in a nasty divorce takes the kid when they are not supposed to, or perhaps even the reporting parent simply does an Amber Alert on their ex-spouse as their retaliation for whatever spat they are having that day.
So responsible citizens who perk up at the amber alert, ready to take notes and keep an eye out for the vehicle, hear that the suspect is the child’s mother or father and then just say oh and completely disregard it. It ends up becoming a waste of a great emergency tactic. By allowing parent kidnappings to be included in Amber Alerts the effectiveness is greatly reduced. Pretty soon we all start thinking another parent kidnapping every time we start to hear an amber alert and pay no attention anymore. It’s really too bad.
Papa Riah
Technorati Tags: Amber alert, Society, Culture, News
Technorati Tags: Amber alert, Culture, news, society
By admin
Have you noticed that nothing cool is coming out of our culture these days? It’s almost as if we have run out of creativity. The newest thing is reality TV shows, and even those are starting to get old. Lets face it they were never really that good. The winner of the first Survivor was an openly homosexual man who insisted on walking naked in front of everyone (while being filmed) and credited his win towards being sneaky, underhanded, dishonest, and the best liar. What a great testament to our modern culture, huh?
Then there is American Idol. Certainly some great singers have made the finals over the years. But how many of them have inspired you to go out and purchase their CD’s? My guess is none. Why not? Probably because none of them are different enough to make any real mark on our cultural landscape. Somehow they are just another singer and there is nothing innovative about their music. Oh sure - it’s fun to watch the competition, but when the season is done you are pretty much done with the contestants.
Contrast this back to twenty years ago, say 1979. Think about the TV shows Midnight Express (with Wolfman Jack) and Don Kirshners Rock Concert (which came on right afterwards on Friday Nights). Remember Saturday Night Live when it was actually good? We all used to plan our weekends around it. Have you even dared to watch it lately? Probably not, because it has gotten so bad that it’s embarrassing.
What about kid’s toys? Certainly technology will have improved on those, right? One would think. After all, by now we are all supposed to be driving flying cars. But if you compare today’s video games with the old Atari system and even the first Pong game, there is something missing. I remember the little handheld football and basketball electronic blip games -those were great. Today’s Nintendo DS units with all their technology don’t have anywhere near the interest that those things did.
Oh sure we have really trick cell phones now. To say nothing of the internet, portable email devices, and every other way to make sure you are never away from work that you can think of. And I am a big fan of those things. But what have they added to our culture, really?
Movies are not getting any better despite incredible advances in technology. Even when a good movie is made they cannot sell it unless they use cheesy tactics to attract the masses of brain-dead idiots. Music is only getting worse, as evidenced by the fact that classic rock stations are the most popular places on the radio dial. Literature by it’s definition is a thing of the past and art isn’t far behind.
I really cannot think of one single aspect of modern society that has improved in the last twenty years, with the notable exception of communications. And it’s arguable that the communication advancements we have made are actually a large contributor to the degradation of our culture.
Papa Riah
Technorati Tags: Society, Culture
Technorati Tags: Culture, society
By admin
If you are the parent of teenage girls, or girls who will soon become teenagers, you have my sympathy. Unless they have their heart set on becoming nuns, you are going to have your hands full. Even if you think you are doing a good job as a parent and have perfect little princess teenage girls, you can never really be sure. They are not about to tell you all about their developing hormones and what goes on in their social circles. It’s a safe bet that they have a certain part of their lives and thinking which they would just die if their parents ever found out about.
After all you were the same way when you were a teenager, regardless of your gender. Your kids are going to be no different. No matter how much you tighten the reigns they will find ways to act out as irresponsible teenagers (who think they should be able to make the same decisions that adults get to). The only difference between them and adults is the system society has bounded them by, in their view. And they will take every opportunity presented to them, no matter how brief, to break those bonds and express their independence.
Papa Riah is fortunate enough never to have been the parent of a teenage girl. I inherited a step-daughter who was well past that stage when I got involved in the deal. However Mama Riah tells me all the time of her efforts in that era. Basically she was the most strict parent in the world when it came to letting her daughter out of her site, but the most generous when she had control of exactly what she was doing. Because her daughter was very popular in high school, her garage became the hangout for her click. All her friends used to tease her when the street lights came on as that was when she usually had to be home.
Does that sound like a little too much? Well this girl so respects her upbringing that she constantly affirms to her mom that she will be raising her own children the same exact way. And she is the most well-adjusted person I have ever met, in spite of coming from a broken family.
It all starts well before the teenage years of course. If you are letting your 5-year old run your household, it’s a pretty safe bet that you will have major problems with them as a teenager. Have you seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Remember the spoiled brat little girl? Now how do you think she would have been as a teenager? You can expect some phone calls from the police during the teenage years if you are going to allow your little girl to act like that at a young age.
Looking around when you are out in public, you will no doubt notice that teenage girls who are unescorted by parents seem to be magnets for trouble. Especially ones who are apparently aware of their recent transformation into the adult-looking female form. They are throwing it out there as bait in the water, just to see how many different species of fish are interested in it - completely unaware or unconcerned of the dangers associated with this behavior. They are discovering themselves in a way that puts their very lives in danger, and flat-out don’t care.
Much too often in our society does an adult male well into his twenties find himself approached and tempted by a teenage girl who is 16 or 17 years of age. This is a dangerous situation for the guy, the girl, and the parents of the girl. But it’s something that happens all the time out there and the parents of the girl have no idea what’s going on. This is trouble. And this trouble is started by the promiscuous teenage girl, not the happy-go-lucky guy who becomes ensnared in the trap.
I’m sure you have noticed that anytime you drive by a teenage girl who is less than moderately dressed and you happen to innocently glance in her direction, she is always looking back at you. Now how can that be? It can only be because these girls are looking through the windshield at the driver of every car that drives by. If you happen to be a male less than retirement age, their gaze will stay with you longer than just a quick glance. Why? Because teenage girls are trouble. Real trouble. Good luck with your daughters, America.
Papa Riah.
Technorati Tags: parenting, society, teenage girls
Parent kidnapping is an oxymoron that is on the rise in our society. This is definitely a sign that our culture has hit the skids. Those of you around in the 1950’s or 1960’s would never have heard of such a thing back then. The very idea would have been absurd. How can a parent kidnap their own child? Not possible. And to some degree, that holds true today - at least from a logical viewpoint.
