Winter Observations

[mmagidow]

There is a corner near my home that I pass each morning on the way to the bus stop. Often there are small clutches of tykes waiting for their school bus. Sometimes their parents and assorted family dogs linger with them until it arrives. The children range in age from first grade right on up to tough and seasoned upper classmen, the fifth-graders

Comments

[cakmpls]

Do you wonder how many children have been harmed by being afraid of going to a stranger for help when they were hurt, bullied by other kids, or in some other difficulty, compared to how many have been harmed by being friendly to a stranger? I do.

[laurel]

I had the stranger avoidance thing so impressed on me as a child, that I'm afraid I still have some sort of fear of strangers. Or, at least, I don't talk to them and feel weird if any talk to me. (And with my generation, it is possible to only speak with folks you "already know" from online interactions so then it seems okay).

I don't walk far alone, it's part of why I prefer driving to walking or public transit, I think. That fear of People I Don't Know. I'm sure this is made worse by the news usually showing negative things and most TV series being about crime. Far too easy for the perception to be that the majority (or at least a lot of people) are dangerous. At least, that's my experience. Seems to me this is only gonna get worse.

[cakmpls]

To quote the inimitable minnehaha B, "There's a reason they call it 'news.'" Yes, in every survey I've ever seen, people's estimates of crime occurrences are dramatically too high.

[mizzlaurajean]

It's not helpful for children to be afraid to exchange friendly conversation with strangers.
They need to learn how to discriminate b/w "Hello" and "Wanna go for a ride in my car."

Anyone you run across could be dangerous but we can't or shouldn't go through life assuming that everyone is. Is gives one a perverted sense of the world.

I heard something not long ago in the news, they are working to change this with kids so kids can learn to be friendly but also safe.

Riding with strangers

[alexinamman]

Heck, as much as this is a great thing to tell your mom, I actually got in a car with a stranger- I was running after the bus(unsuccessfully) on 8th St. SE when this guy in a pickup pulled up next to me. He threw open the passenger door and yelled, "Showing a little effort is good enough for me. Get in, I'll get you to the next bus stop before the bus" I sized him up, figured he seemed like a nice guy(besides, I couldda taken him :-) so I hopped in, got a ride two bus stops, jumped out of the car, and calmly got on the bus.

See, strangers can be pretty helpful sometimes. Most people aren't out to screw you- it's just we have such a taboo about making contact with anyone we don't know already unless it's under very controlled circumstances that whenever anyone breaks that taboo, for whatever reason, we label them creepy and dangerous.

PS- I don't really get in cars with strangers often...I promise, ma!

Re: Riding with strangers

[alexinamman]

Welcome back to LJ! You have been missed. I trust you, completely. heh, heh. Actually, one day as I was driving to the U I passed a group of very frozen looking students waiting for their bus. I pulled over and asked if anyone wanted a ride to the East Bank. They looked at me like I was completely insane and everyone shook their heads and remained silent. Oh well.

Re: Riding with strangers

[mmagidow]

ps - that was from me. Forgot to log in :-o