Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Revisiting the 70's Part II

CHILDREN THEN COULD WALK OUTSIDE ALONE.    A 10-year-old out alone today prompts do-gooders to call police and social services to investigate the family.  One Massachusetts town counselor proposed prohibiting children from even walking to the school bus without parents.  Children of the 70's and 80's were permitted and encouraged to travel 4 to 8 blocks alone.  Really, even decades before.    CHILDREN OF THE 70's  PLAYED WITHOUT ADULTS.  Parents weren't supervising outdoor play, they were at home enjoying their free time.  According to a 2014 survey, a majority of Americans support criminalizing preteens playing outside without adults.  Paranoid neighbors have called social services for kids playing by themselves.  They were in a field next to their house.  Homes aren't less safe, but news reports indicate that neighbors today are.  Some have called police upon suspecting that children under 12 were left home alone, even for a few hours.    IN THE 70's BABYSITTERS WERE AROUND 12.  Today , kids age 12 need a sitter.    PEOPLE WALKED ALONE AT NIGHT.    In a 2014 survey, America's new #1 fear is taking a walk alone at night.  Public speaking has dropped to #5, right behind being the victim of a mass/random shooting.  Those most fearful were people who watched a lot of talk shows and true-crime TV shows.  Because nationwide crime rates are well below what they were in the 70's.  These people remember the scary stories something the 24/7 media provides.       Insurance.com

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