tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post8409746894206506084..comments2024-03-20T19:17:02.285-07:00Comments on IN THE NEWS: Halloween "security theater" enduresKaren Franklin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-88188544745134480722009-11-14T22:26:48.902-08:002009-11-14T22:26:48.902-08:00Mandatory meetings for SO's on Halloween night...Mandatory meetings for SO's on Halloween night - what a farce for the law to do this so they'll look like they're doing something to protect society. Jill Levenson's PhD. study shows statistically SO crimes are not a problem on Halloween.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08252443740177888511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-25963462425843956992009-11-02T17:56:09.008-08:002009-11-02T17:56:09.008-08:00Understand completely the issues that you speak ab...Understand completely the issues that you speak about. I am a forensic psychologist practising in Australia. We have yet to achieved that kind of hysteria that the US has over terrorism, we are hot on your tails. Immigration (boat peopl) is another area where you analogy of the theater can be applied. The fear of boats loads of terrorists arriving on leaky boats, just ready and willing to blow up the nearest building. Whils ignoring the reality that the majority of potential terrorists are well educated nationals, groups of dissafected youths.<br /><br />I also responded to your post (October 22nd) on the jury expert- "the effect of graphic evidence", as my thesis research examined the effects of gruesome evidence on jury decision making in a criminal trial.FpsYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16018044055514649768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-45821434638651511582009-10-31T18:47:40.345-07:002009-10-31T18:47:40.345-07:00DJ Fatima: The theater analogy can be applied to o...DJ Fatima: The theater analogy can be applied to other security theaters as well. Consider the airports, with their silly color-coded threat levels. The stated goal is to "protect us from terrorism," but in reality they amp up public anxiety and promote a siege mentality without addressing the causes of terrorism.Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-9005376435848138082009-10-31T16:42:18.134-07:002009-10-31T16:42:18.134-07:00I really like the analogy of the theater. Hallowee...I really like the analogy of the theater. Halloween is a theater and exaggeration of death, danger, gore and the fear of the old "boogeyman".<br /><br />Sex offender hysteria is much the same thing, the fear of the danger and the overwhelming emphasis on stranger danger and the enforcement and security control to ensure the "boogeyman" doesn't take advantage of halloween night.<br /><br />When the reality is far from the truth. All that money is misspent. Overwhelmingly the majority of Sex offenders are family members, or known to the families of victims. Not predators roaming the street looking for children to prey on. Sure they do exist, but they are in the minority. The vast majority are hidden away in families or know the victims in some way. Unfortunately the majority of the public are uneducated about who the real boogeyman is, and that also includes many politicians. It makes for easier policy to address the stranger danger, instead of addressing the real concerns, of poverty, lack of education, training, health etcFpsYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16018044055514649768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-10814326046016768552009-10-31T08:36:22.395-07:002009-10-31T08:36:22.395-07:00Neuroskeptic: You are certainly correct that many ...Neuroskeptic: You are certainly correct that many of the public servants implementing these policies think they are protecting children, and have not considered whether the evidence supports their approaches. I think they are partly driven by fear, too. What would happen to them if one of "their" sex offenders was accused of doing something – no matter how trivial – on Halloween? They fear losing their jobs and being vilified in the media. (Think of what Phillip Garrido’s parole agent must be going through.)<br /><br />In using the term "security theater" I am trying to touch on the larger issue: We have dramatic productions aimed at reassuring the public that children are safe, while under the radar hundreds of thousands of children are being abused and/or neglected at home, and many more are being permanently damaged by the defunding of the public schools and the health care system. (Plus, on Halloween, we've got kids getting run over and, less seriously, eating candy that gives them cavities and contributes to the obesity epidemic.) Public displays of pseudo-protection are simplistic, cost little, and – for politicians – are a great way to get votes without addressing the real roots of the problem.Karen Franklin, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01032855743077403199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-71490943916442314702009-10-31T08:00:13.382-07:002009-10-31T08:00:13.382-07:00This is a very well written and factual article. ...This is a very well written and factual article. This is the first Halloween that I have been in the sex offender "loop," and I have become more and more amazed with every letter, posting, and article about the restrictions placed on Halloween. This probably ranks right up there with the enforcement of inclusive sex registries and court-mandated "therapy" sessions as ways to totally waste community resources while making the public believe that these ridiculous programs actually make them safe. Yes, parents, your children are much, much more at risk from speeding cars and from someone who lives in or frequently visits your home than they are from the evil stranger luring them in with carved pumpkins and candy. If you doubt this, please go to the sites and studies cited in Dr. Franklin's article and read the research for yourselves. Shelomith StowShellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14300463480811768264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361358365193630538.post-17401159091717015962009-10-31T02:08:52.330-07:002009-10-31T02:08:52.330-07:00How bizarre. Scare make-believe dangers on hallowe...How bizarre. Scare make-believe dangers on halloween - you couldn't make it up.<br /><br />Is this really "security theatre" though? Presumably most of the people instituting such measures really believe it's protecting children. It sounds to me like the main story here is how law enforcement / child protection is so often driven by knee-jerk "common sense" thinking rather than any kind of evidence.Neuroskeptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06647064768789308157noreply@blogger.com