The worst argument against the Stranger Danger message that I've ever heard.
I was researching stranger danger posts on the internet, when I came upon this one, which offers an 'anti-stranger danger' message. Here are excerpts from the article from a woman who says she invites traveling strangers to sleep on her couch, invites refugees to stay in her home, and takes her 5 year old little girl along with her when she goes hitchhiking through Europe. (you can read the article in its entirety at the link below).
"Why Stranger Danger is a Crock of Sh*t" (by: Diane Vukovic)
When I grew up, they taught kids a program called “Stranger Danger.” The goal of stranger danger was to warn kids that bad people are lurking around every corner so you should never get into a car with strangers, take candy from someone you don’t know, or even speak to strangers on the street because they are probably out to kidnap and kill you. Maybe that wasn’t the intended message, but that’s the message which I remember!
The first reason that the Stranger Danger message is a load of crap is because most crimes are NOT committed by strangers. The majority of crimes are committed by people we know. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2011 strangers committed 38% of nonfatal violent crimes including rape, sexual assault, and robbery. Between 1993 to 2008, 21-27% of reported homicides were committed by strangers. The rest were by people known to the victim. The FBI stats for 2011 show that 11.7% of homicides were committed by strangers. When it comes to crimes on children... only 10% of child victimizers in the USA are strangers.
What about kidnappings? Despite sensationalized videos showing how vulnerable kids are to kidnapping... the Department of Justice reports that... only 115 kidnappings [annually] are the result of a stranger snatching the child.
Okay – the stats don’t reflect the reality of our fears. But you can never be too safe as a parent, right? As my obnoxious mother tried to warn me about hitchhiking with my daughter, “it only takes one bad person. And how could I live with myself if anything bad happened?” But I consider [the] Stranger Danger [message] the real danger...
Stranger Danger leads to a world in which cops shoot unarmed black men and refugees are attacked in the streets. Because, as Feminist Killjoy points out, “Strangers are endangered by being recognized as strangers. We have a word for this: racism. There is nothing more dangerous than being perceived as dangerous.”
Stranger Danger leads to a world where politicians can easily divide and manipulate groups to create war. I live in what used to be Yugoslavia and my friends can attest to how this brought about a not-at-all civil war. Or, for an even more contemporary example, look how racism and stigmatizing of Muslims is causing them to flock to groups like ISIS and furthering a cycle of violence and hate.
What’s a Better Solution to Stranger Danger?
My radical view on how to keep children (and adults) safe is that we should do the EXACT OPPOSITE of Stranger Danger. We should be in contact with many strangers and seeing firsthand how wonderful and kind most people are.
By exposing my daughter to many situations where “strangers” are present – such as by accepting Couch-surfing guests, bringing refugees into our home, or hitchhiking – I teach her that most people are good and kind.
Each time my daughter and I get into a stranger’s car when hitchhiking or accept candy from some nice person we meet, she is getting a chance to develop instincts about what is correct behavior and what isn’t.
http://momgoescamping.com/stranger-danger
