Stranger Danger
I was talking with a friend of mine who has spent the past ten years as a missionary in Brazil. She, her husband and three children are now living back in the U.S. One thing that has jumped out at her as a difference in the two cultures is the fear Americans have for their children. She said that Brazilians let their kids go anywhere, do anything. They seem to have no fear for their safety, even considering that they lived in the very big city of Rio de Janera. She was not advocating that Americans do as Brazilians, necessarily. However, she was just noticing the fear that Americans have for their children. One of those fears that seems to be out of proportion is the fear of strangers. She quoted statistics of the number of children abducted as opposed to the number of children who drown every year. There are significantly many more drownings (like 3000 more) per year, yet few people seem to be paranoid about drownings. What I have noticed is that if I am on a walk and see a child on a bike and say "Hi!" they usually ignore me. Or if I am in a store and try to help a young child who is having a problem they run screaming. Now, I know that I am a suspicious looking person, but it really hurts my feelings when they do this. I try not to take it personally though. I know that they have had it pounded in their head at home and school... "beware of strangers". Another sad thing to me is that adults have adopted that fear for themselves as well. How many of us stop to help someone who needs help on the side of the road? Especially if they look "suspicious" (Excluding my friend Clayton of course) If the story of the good Samaritan happened these days, we would totally justify walking right on by because, of course, it is foolish to stop and help a stranger. My friend and I decided that this whole "stranger danger" thing is a plot of the enemy to keep the church away from people. To keep them so afraid of strangers that they never meet one and instead "minister" within their holy huddle. I am not sure what the answer is for teaching our children to be safe, but I am getting the idea that God is not as big on safety as we are. Just my thoughts. That is what blogs are for. Right?
posted by Jill at 5:41 PM
5 Comments:
We are Italian, very culturally similar to Brazillians. We talk to everyone. It's so funny, I'll be in the store and just ask some stranger what she thinks of whatever. I don't care. I was in a store last Dec in DC and I was asking this lady what she thought of something and then we were there talking to her for like an hour. It was an awesome conversation. Just total HS stuff. I blogged about it actually. It was really cool. I have the greatest conversations on checkout lines too. It's much better than tabloid glancing...or the "oh so Christian" glance that isn't a glance. When I used to commute to Manhattan every day, it really annoyed me that it was a train full of completely silent, bored looking people. Why not just acknowlege the other humans. You would probably be less freakin' bored. When you actually talk to people they tell you so many things too. I was in Kohl's a couple a months ago and this lady who worked there was watching Thomas and I could tell she felt sad, so I engaged her and she started talking about her husband being an alcoholic and her son going the same direction and she was just really struggling with it. She started crying right there in Kohl's. I don't know. I don't really worry about it. If someone really wants to kill me, they probably can. I just tell my kids to follow their gut. If someone gives you an uncomfortable feeling, go. Now I feel bad about that email.
Don't worry about the email. I thought it had some good points. Good points just have to be ready to move over when He directs otherwise.
It's interesting that you should mention this. I read an article a few months back (I think it was an article, or maybe I heard it on the radio or saw it on TV. who know?!). Anyway, they said that 'stranger danger' was one of the most harmful campaigns out there because it gives this idea of a stranger being someone dark and scary. And most kids know to stay away from people that are dark and scary. But kidnappers know this and so they don't come across as that. They are generally the opposite, so kids are caught unaware. I think we need to teach our kids (all of thoses kids that I have) : ) how to be Christ in every situation, realizing that Christ was also able to tell when he needed to stay away from someone. I think what you said about Satan using that as a tool to keep the church from dealing with ''strangers" is very interesting. That's one of the things about living in another country. You get more opportunities to see how God can change the lives of "strangers" and you learn to trust him more in everything.
This is the longest comment I've EVER written. : )
Love,
Sara
Sara,
I am so proud of you for writing a long comment. And a good one at that.
Love ya.
you know, Jill, this really ties into several mixed messages that are out there.
You hit really well on this one: the stranger danger complex.
So we teach kids not to talk to strangers, yet teach them people in church are okay.
And now there are situations and stories of molestation past and present in church, and so...what?
Your mention of abductions and drownings is interesting, and right on the mark. But of course the media does nothing at all, and never would, to try and sway us with FUD, would they? (fear, uncertainty and doubt)
Reading this made me think of another one. The whole "stay away from drugs" campaign. For twenty years now there is a zealous marketing campaign aimed at youth about the dangers of drugs.
I'm not slamming that, because I've seen the potential destruction of that path occur. Rather, we're trumpeting this message at the same time prescription drug medications are at an all time high.
Pfizer, Merck & Co., et al are doing very well, and have been for years. Buying stock in them is quite profitable.
And so just as there's somehow this mixed message of strangers are bad, but okay in church, well okay maybe not in church...there's also going on this "stay away from drugs, but here take this for your cold, and this other thing for your that, and that other thing for your this".
It's like you said last month, our body temperature naturally elevates itself to kill off things making us sick...and we take medications so that our body temperature does not to rise.
Some of these thing we do for protection and comfort and ease have some mighty big swiss cheese holes in them.
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