Classic British Flight Sim

...Dave B wrote:
Anyone see a report on UK TV this evening about PC gone mad?? Esther Rantzen (ChildLine champion for many years) did an experiment in a shopping centre with 2 young actors (knee high to a grasshopper type age). They were told to look lost and distressed in an attempt to see how many 'good citizens' stopped to offer assistance. For those who missed it, you'd probably not be surprised at how many hundreds (eventually over the thousand mark) who passed these kids by


Dave - years ago when I was about 14, I was standing talking a the door to my cousin about 10.30 one winters' night when a young lad aged about 4 came up crying his eyes out - I managed to get his address, and picked him up and carried him home (he had wandered out a friend's house visiting with a sibling).

Then, when I was 17 I worked in a car spares shop in a shopping centre. Next door was a 'cheapo' (tabac aftershave and stuff) store... anyway, a toddler walked into the shop behind someone else - the door was too stiff for the wee lad to open himself. We thought this was his parent, but he subsequently left, After another TEN minutes, (no mobiles in those days) I looked out the door to see if I could see anyone. Cut a long story short, I asked a few people, no luck. I then took the lad by the hand to find a security guard, but the lad was screaming his mouth off (understandably). The lad's father was in the shop next door (in which I had already asked if anyone had lost a kid) - and was none too happy that I was holding his kids' hand, saying 'Let the boy go' - I got not one iota of thanks for showing any concern. These days, I would (sadly) not even think about doing anything similar, as times have changed too much. A work colleauge's husband is a taxi driver, and one night stopped and saw a woman (who was drunk and had been assaulted) lying near some bushes. He stayed in his car and radioed his base to call the Police. He did not approach or leave his car. He was told by the Police that if he had approached the girl, he would certainly have been arrested on suspicion and he did the best thing by remaining were he was.

As I grew up when virtually any adult would kick your a** for any minor tomfoolery (and if you mentioned it at home it would guarantee another hot backside) - this is sad, but sadly the way things have become.

It's a sad state of affairs when you have to think carefully about potential consequences of helping someone in need. :-(

yep try to help someone out, only to find out they had some personal agenda
of , I don't know what , serve themselves, unhappy souls

best advice .
steer clear. stay strong in the knowledge that the only thing that works
is that what goes around comes around, (others before yourself)
unfortunatly some will always think "their" way is the only way and will try and shread anyone that gets in their way.

No good deed goes unpunished.

take care to strike hands with someone who you really don't know.
specially if their smiling and promising you ...stuff
in fact . at the first glimmer of the sparkling incisors,......bid them a goodday and keep walking

they know full well the good man has a weekness.

Good men will continue to try and find the good in people.

Agree wholeheartedly. When my soon-to-be 16-year-old daughter was at junior school, parents just couldn't turn up and take shots of offsprings doing the egg and spoon race at an open day, permission had to be sought :roll:

On the other side of the coin.. I saw some 'Herberts' climbing all over one of the vehicles at Brooklands on Wednesday. Not only were they on the outside, they were on the inside too.. despite there being signs posted in all the vehicles asking visitors not to climb on them. So.. I departed EP sharpish and gave said herberts a *ollocking towit, they left the aircraft park. The volunteer off the Varsity came over and said he'd been 'worried' (he was on his own) when the same lot visited his aircraft. 'They were into everything' he said! :roll:
In the meantime.. the same group of asbo's (there were around 5 groups.. all unsupervised and each with half a dozen or so kids) had decided to crawl all over and into another old lorry parked some way off by 'SYD' so.. off I went again. They saw me coming and legged it. Next port of call, the front office where I reported several groups of 'Young Offenders' running rampage in the museum.. all of them unsupervised.. so could someone either round them up or supervise them while we still have the exibits intact!

Duty done.. I made my way back to EP only to find yet another group all over and inside another lorry and some were even inside the van on the back of the lorry! :roll: This lot were also oiked off the vehicle in short order and they decided to melt away. Someone DID eventually get the message and this lot disappeared. Needless to say, they will not be invited back again. Bottom line on this rather boring and infuriating story is that my better half said I was mad.. I could have been stabbed :o On reflection, I suppose she's right as folk have been killed in the street for a lot less. What do you do though?? I certainly couldn't stand by and watch these kids doing as they pleased. Had I tried the same when I was a teenager, I'd have expected a clip round the ear.

You don't feel comfortable taking shots of your kids at school for fear of being labled something vile and you don't feel comfortable telling unruly kids off for fear of being stabbed. Do you get the feeling times have been better?? :think:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Interestingly it's a common misconception that it's illegal to take pictures at schools, christenings etc. when in fact it is perfectly legal to do so. There are actually very few laws forbidding photography in the UK, the main problem is people believing it's illegal to take pictures of young children in case they fall in to the hands of paedophiles. Which if they took a minute to think about it is of course stupid a) it is in no way harming the child, b) pictures of children are available in all sorts of places, clothing catalogues for example. It is of course illegal to take pictures of children being abused etc. but if you're doing that at a school play there are bigger problems at hand.

Hi Skip

Yes mate.. understood. However, if the school in questions says 'no photography' or 'no unauthorised photography' without prior permission (written in some cases).. in the interest of not rocking the boat, one generally complies I'm sure no such 'local law' exists at the senior school she's now at. They tend to be more realistic about such things plus.. they don't have sports open days either which suits me as I don't have to make excuses for not going

ATB

DaveB :tab:

DaveB wrote:Hi Skip

they don't have sports open days either which suits me as I don't have to make excuses for not going

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Really? Don't you enjoy the Parent's Sackrace Dave? ;-)

Hell no mate I've never been one for 'audience participation' ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Its no different from a professional point of view either.

About eight years ago, I attended a domestic incident where a frightened and frantic woman called the police as she was being beaten to a pulp by her drunken husband who had returned from an all day session in the pub.

Upon our arrival we had to restrain a huge overweight man who was full of ale and wanted to fight the world.

Of course he did'nt come quietly and started fighting with us. My partner and I struggled to put the cuffs on him as his fat forearms would'nt reach around his back. Without warning, we ended up getting set upon by his hysterical wife who suddenly turned against us and attacked us with an large glass ashtray as we tried to arrest the man.

It used to amaze me how people can turn at the blink of an eye. Now its just something else to expect.

I then took the lad by the hand to find a security guard, but the lad was screaming his mouth off (understandably). The lad's father was in the shop next door (in which I had already asked if anyone had lost a kid) - and was none too happy that I was holding his kids' hand, saying 'Let the boy go' - I got not one iota of thanks for showing any concern.

Another sad fact about the society we live in is that in similar circumstances in finding a young boy/girl alone and distressed is that if you do approach and try to take them to a place of safety or stay with them, you could always be seen as a peodophile (sorry about the spellin', had a few glasses of whisky and not in full control of my fingers) :partyman: or some other pervert.

Just shows how things have changed to one of suspicion and distrust.

Eddie, I have seen incidents of your kind when on duty, a male having a domestic with a female in the street then when he decides to kick off with officers and is arrested....the female joins in....and women can be a lot more vicious than their male counterparts!! :o

Nigel.