-=> On 08-13-96  10:40, Robert White said something about Child abuse.... to 
der.......
 Hello, Robert...
 
 -=> Quoting Dennis Mccunney to Delores E Rowe <=-
 
 DER> As someone who suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse as a
 DER> child, I guess I have the mentality that the more people are made aware
 
 RW> I have to agree with Delores that casting a lot more light on the
 RW> problem may be part of the solution to a large and persistant crime and
 RW> social problem. 
 DM> Is child abuse *really* more prevalent, or is it simply more likely
 DM> to be *reported*?  That emphasis by papers looking to build
 
 RW> But I also agree with Dennis that a lot of the coverage is simply due
 RW> to the sensational side of the issue.
 
IMO, unfortunately, it depends on whether or not it's a slow news day.
:(  If there is no natural disaster or politcal muck-raking to write
about, then somethings are likely to be "enhanced" for sensationalism.
There will also be cases that will be reported before the sources are
checked for authenticity, which, in the long run, does more harm than
good.
 
 DM> so it *appears* more prevalent.  But I suspect this may not be the
 DM> case, and that actual abuse may not be all that much greater than it
 DM> used to be. It is simply more likely to be discovered.
 
 RW> Fortunately, I was not abused as a child; but I can now look back and
 RW> recognize that other kids that I knew were being abused, many of them
 RW> sexually. At the time I was growing up, society tended to turn a blind
 RW> eye on such things unless it got really public.
 
Not only that, using a belt as a means of correction was not unusual in
many areas.
 
 RW> Today the kids are selling their stories to Jenny Jones and the
 RW> parents are on Oprah.  Is this good or bad? I really don't know, and I
 RW> suspect we will have to wait a generation or so to see how this
 RW> exposure works. 
 
IMO, another instance of where "journalism" takes things too far in order
to gain audience shares and ratings. OTOH, I have seen some shows that
have been handles tastefully, and in such a manner that the material
presented was informative, and could have been beneficial to a person
looking for help.
 
 DM> difficult to break.  There are large numbers of folks out thre who
 DM> are really unfit to be parents, but how do you identify them and
 DM> prevent problems?
 
 RW> All too true, and I'm not sure what the solution is here either.
 RW> Perhaps classes in parenting in high school?
 
I do believe that this is being done in many highschools.  As most
States require both parties to obtain a blood test prior to marriage,
why couldn't they also provide class - say 8 hours over two nights or
something - that teach problem solving and resolution and parenting
skills?  I know, probably wouldn't help and the costs would be
prohibitive! :(
 
To get this back on-topic, I just finished reading Tami Hoag's Cry Wolf
and was quite disappointed.  Certainly not up to the standards of Night
Sins and Guilty As Sin. :(  Am now reading Grisham's Runaway Jury.
 
der
 
... ...Talk is cheap....until Congress does it!
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