I was on a tube train last week, sitting next to a family with two small children, and the dad was taking a picture of his daughter.
"I don't know if you should do that" cautioned the mum "apparently some bloke got into trouble with the police recently for taking a photo of his child".
"Why?" asked the child. Repeatedly, for the next five minutes. "Is it because the government think we children are too ugly to have our photo taken?"
"When I grow up and have my own children I'm gonna take a photo of them in front of a policeman to see what he does" added the other child.
"Why is this wrong?" the kids kept asking while the mum awkwardly wondered what she could possibly say to explain this problem to an innocent child: of why an innocent family photo can now be viewed as a possible serious crime.
Obviously this is all down to the near-hysterical climate of fear of child-abuse, where children are being confused, and possibly frightened into thinking that any adult is a potential threat, while perfectly normal family activity is compromised, and many adults are probably too frightened to go anywhere too near children, perhaps leading to children feeling shunned and further problems.
I don't know the details of the alleged case of innocent family snaps being subject of police intervention, or even whether there is any truth in it. However, it is clear that a climate of fear exists, and the consequences of that are profoundly negative.
"I don't know if you should do that" cautioned the mum "apparently some bloke got into trouble with the police recently for taking a photo of his child".
"Why?" asked the child. Repeatedly, for the next five minutes. "Is it because the government think we children are too ugly to have our photo taken?"
"When I grow up and have my own children I'm gonna take a photo of them in front of a policeman to see what he does" added the other child.
"Why is this wrong?" the kids kept asking while the mum awkwardly wondered what she could possibly say to explain this problem to an innocent child: of why an innocent family photo can now be viewed as a possible serious crime.
Obviously this is all down to the near-hysterical climate of fear of child-abuse, where children are being confused, and possibly frightened into thinking that any adult is a potential threat, while perfectly normal family activity is compromised, and many adults are probably too frightened to go anywhere too near children, perhaps leading to children feeling shunned and further problems.
I don't know the details of the alleged case of innocent family snaps being subject of police intervention, or even whether there is any truth in it. However, it is clear that a climate of fear exists, and the consequences of that are profoundly negative.
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