TheAgitator.com
Just An Observation
Sunday, March 16th, 2003Why is it that every kidnapped kid seems to have parents whose “creep factor” registers off the charts?
I don’t follow these cases all that closely, but it seems that every time I see the father of a kidnapped kid talking on television, I feel like I’m on the receiving end of a sales pitch.
Pretty much every blog I regularly read has posted a similar comment. I’m sure that you will soon have a commenter say that you are making some sort of slam on the man’s religion. But really, he’s just creepy. I think you’ve nailed it by likening it to a sales pitch.
My question is this…is the reason she didn’t escape due to fear of the kidnapper, or was she happy to stay with him since she was out of her house? The more often I see the dad on television, the more I think about that.
I think it has to do with the relatively new phenomenon of victim entitlement. You see it in the courts — victim panels, victims compensation funds, victims statements to the court. It confers a special, exalted status on crime victims and gives them an inflated sense of self importance. It’s not necessarily their fault, either. Their emotional state makes them vulnerable to exploitation. Remember the horrible behavior of the TWA Flight 800 families?
The Smart family press conferences remind me of political rallies. All of the cheering and the “thumbs up” signs -it’s bizarre.