Little girls getting snatched...a true increase OR simply more coverage?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Okay, this is getting REALLY, REALLY out of hand. You literally cannot turn on the news these days and NOT hear about a child (always seems to be a little girl) getting grabbed up and taken away.



:confused:



This week ALONE saw the little girl in L.A., the baby in Texas and (as of tonight), the girl in Virginia (whose parents were both murdered).



Add to that the van Dam, Smart, Runnion cases, the two chicks abducted in Lancaster, CA a couple of weeks ago and a few others I've seen mentioned (was it Missouri?), and it's just crazy.



So, my question: has it ALWAYS been like this, and somehow the Danielle van Dam/Elizabeth Smart cases seemed to trigger everyone's interest in this.



OR, has there been a legitimate rise in child abductions in 2002? Are the abductors getting bolder and more brazen?



OR, since we have all of these idiot 24/7 news channels who have to have SOMETHING to talk about over and over, are they just made bigger and more visible than in the past?



Or, is it a little of both?



I don't know. I'm asking. But it's something, right? I mean I don't think a day has passed in the past several months that CNN, MSNBC and Fox haven't made a "young girl gets kidnapped..." story one of their big banner stories of the day.







So what is it?



Personally, I think it's a bit of both. I think it's a hot, popular topic right now and every instance is being picked up and reported.



But I ALSO think people are more ****ed-up and mean and brazen in their evil, so kids are getting plucked out of their own bedrooms, minivans, playgrounds, etc. EVEN if other children and adults are RIGHT THERE!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    I also think it's a little of both, but I have different reasoning than you.



    I think these are "copycat" crimes, where some low-life sees a report on TV and thinks, "what a great idea", and goes out and kidnaps someone. After that person is captured/killed, the cycle continues.



    -Mike
  • Reply 2 of 16
    thttht Posts: 5,420member
    You better not go near the ocean at all pscates or the sharks will get you! Heck, don't even go near a river close to the sea or ocean too since sharks have been known to attack in fresh water rivers too!



    I think it's all media reporting. They don't report, they sell. There is a possibility of feedback loop egging things on like MTV and music (and music culture), but the people abducting kids isn't getting anything out of it so I don't really think there is a feedback loop.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Don't be a smartass. I asked a legit question.



    FYI, I don't live a fearful, sheltered life. And sharks can go to hell.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    These seem to be copy-cat crimes for the most part. Whenever [child abductions / murders] get [national] media attention, more of the same invariably follows during the next year or so. It happened in Atlanta and elsewhere in during the "child murders".



    This country has more than its fair share of sick fvcks, that's for sure.



    [ 08-15-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 16
    marsmars Posts: 51member
    This will be a call for children to be inserted with tracking chips to "protect" them from snatchings.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    artman @_@artman @_@ Posts: 2,546member
    The President pointed out that the Government has a pamphlet that they'll mail you on how to protect your children...thanks President.



    What he should have done was alot money into the Amber Program to be installed and used Nation Wide. How come whenever their is solution to a problem the Government doesn't recognize it and make it a local/state/national program?



    Or would it become a buraucratic mess like most programs...



    Honestly, I think the total amount of abductions last year are the same as last year. But the solution is there and as usual the government has no clue...



    Oh, and if it is a growing trend (abductions of children) there's one reason why...the Internet. I don't need to explain that...
  • Reply 7 of 16
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    [quote]Originally posted by pscates:

    <strong>Don't be a smartass. I asked a legit question.



    FYI, I don't live a fearful, sheltered life. And sharks can go to hell.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I think his point was that the media tends to report on a story repeatedly when it's hot, not because the incidence rate has gone up. I'm generally very skeptical of the media, and I'm sure that they all know it's the "hot" story right now.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    Ditto THT.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    [quote]Originally posted by pscates:

    <strong>

    So, my question: has it ALWAYS been like this, and somehow the Danielle van Dam/Elizabeth Smart cases seemed to trigger everyone's interest in this.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Apparently, it's the media:



    <a href="http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=life&s=cottle073102"; target="_blank">http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=life&s=cottle073102</a>;
  • Reply 10 of 16
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Ahh...I just got THT's shark reference. Sorry, THT.







    Yes, last year that was all you heard about. This year, it's the kidnapping stuff.



    It's all these 24/7 news channels, having to fill time and space with stuff.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    eepeep Posts: 17member
    It seems to be an international phenomenon.

    <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2201641.stm"; target="_blank">Holly & Jessica</a> and a week ago it was <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2201641.stm"; target="_blank">Milly</a>

    I know you're going to say 'But that's only three kids?' and then I'll reply with 'yeah, but it's only been the last two weeks.'*



    *note: It probably wasn't the last two weeks, maybe a month or two. but it's not like kidnapping isn't always on the news. (is that one of those pesky double negatives?)
  • Reply 12 of 16
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    I don't watch news on television . . . .maybe once in a blue moon . . . and it seems to me like there is really something on the increase here



    there must be statistics somewhere.





    The last case in Virginia just breaks my heart . . . its so sickining I can't believe it <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />
  • Reply 13 of 16
    sharks suck.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    Also, maybe it's also because were in an economic downturn and there are more and more people left without jobs... Masses of people with no jobs always ends up with a rise in overall crime. Or so the news tells us...



    [ 08-18-2002: Message edited by: MrBojanglez50 ]</p>
  • Reply 15 of 16
    I was just in Ireland for 2 weeks

    and while I was there two little girls went missing, it took about 10 days for them to finally learn that they were kidnapped, then in the end, they were murdered.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    [quote]Originally posted by MrBojanglez50:

    <strong>Also, maybe it's also because were in an economic downturn and there are more and more people left without jobs... Masses of people with no jobs always ends up with a rise in overall crime. Or so the news tells us... </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I don't buy that at all. Okay, MAYBE crime like "robbing a convenience store" because you need rent money or whatever. Money-oriented crimes, okay. Whatever.



    But I can't see how an "economic downturn" might make people want to go out and kidnap some kids.



    <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
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