A nearby urban school district did a study and found that teachers were far, far more likely to the the target of a false accusation than a student was to be the target of real abuse, physical or sexual. I can’t remember the statistics, but they were striking.

I don’t think it is paranoia to avoid problems. I used to have to cross a dark park and walk through a parking lot to get to my car. Was it paranoia for me to carry a monkey wrench that was over a foot long? I don’t think so. Nor was it paranoia for me to walk out of my way to avoid any men I saw.

I think that a man would be taking an unnecessary risk by driving a babysitter home unless he knew her and her family and they ahd an established positive relationship.

Any idea whether the prosecutor is still in office?

I often wonder when I hear these stories whether it’s the incidents of molestation that have increased, or if it’s the accusations for thrills or some sort of adolescent payback that have gone up…… Cries out for further study.

The danger of the babysitter (or by the Boy Scout or the Sunday school kid you are alone with) accusing you of assault is NOT straightforward. Even if you did nothing, the mere accusation is all it takes to ruin your life.

Plus, there is such hysteria over sexual assault of children that kids can easily fail to distinguish among good touch and bad touch and accidental touch…along with the all-purpose “he made me feel uncomfortable.”

When I was a babysitter, dads always drove me home. Never thought anything of it. Nobody did.

What adult male in his right mind, no matter how desperate for employment, would ever even entertain the thought of teaching, especially in a public school?

Quite honestly, it’s getting harder and harder for me to sympathize with anyone who asks for trouble.

Simple reason, the girl may not feel uncomfortable. I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. Nothing torrid would happen if I did drive her home.

But it doesn’t take much for the rumor mill among certain people to start.

It’s sad, but it’s a fact of life.

Me? I fear that, as the teen exits the car, I’ll notice the Gummi Venus de Milo stuck to her butt, and when I pull it off, she’ll mistakenly think I’m sexually harassing her.

Yes, society’s perceipts are out of whack, but I have no desire to sacrifice myself on that particular altar in an attempt to reset it.

In 2010, over 32,000 people died in automobile accidents; I’m sure that the serious injury rate (paralysis, chronic pain, loss of limbs) is also terrifyingly high. These are also tragic, life-changing (or ending) events.

I would suggest that the greatest danger of getting into a car with the babysitter is the chance of getting killed or maimed driving her home, and that if you are afraid of the babysitter, you should be even more scared of automobiles. Granted, you have every right to be frightened of the babysitter (though you probably shouldn’t let her be in the house alone with your kids if you think she might be unstable enough to falsely accuse you of rape); I’m just trying to help you to more accurately assess the risk.

Or, you could give people–even teenage girls–the benefit of the doubt and assume that they’re as decent and sane as you are.

I do not do this because I fear anything untoward happening or a false accusation, but because accountability is key to removing the ability to even consider sin which is always the first step in a long trail to actually committing a sinful act.

Even if one does not have a faith, they should consider this approach too. Just replace the word “sin” with “unethical behavior” and you should hopefully see the wisdom in this.

This is a very depressing thread. Do we also make it a point to avoid black people, who have at times been known to kill people? Or, if you prefer not to be racist about it, just avoid people in general?

Actually you made a good parallel there. Blacks actually do commit a disproportionate percentage of crime, but that is no reason to be suspicious of any particular black person you know. The only value in that knowledge is when you meet black people who fit particular cues that say they might fall into the categor(y|ies) of blacks who are likely to give rise to that statistical skew. People tend to either make far too much of the statistics or go out of their way to deny they mean anything.

In that spirit, yes, men are more likely from published statistics to rape kids than women. However, it’s not likely to be the case that any normal man would do that. Sure, there are predatory types who will avoid any impropriety in public, just like there are well-dressed blacks who actually have the same capacity to act like thugs as ones dressed like some thug from the ghetto. However, statistically that is not likely to be the case. You are much more likely to condemn an innocent person.

The only solution is to vigorously resist both those who play up and who really play down these trends. They feed off each other and like 2 lawyers in a one horse town ensure they’ll always have a reason for being there.

I knew a male teacher that was accused of improper contact with a female student. He was promptly fired, his Union wanted nothing to do with him, the local newspaper had it all over the front page and it lead the local television news. When the charge was investigated, the student admitted that she made it up to get back at him for her having received a poor grade. This caused her parents to prevent her from going on a trip with her friends. When his innocence was proven, it didn’t make the paper or the news and he couldn’t get his job back because State law had revoked his teaching certificate because of the ACCUSATION. He couldn’t go to another State to teach, because even though the accusation was public record, his being CLEARED of the accusation was sealed, due to his accuser being a minor. His reputation was trashed, his career trashed and people still talked behind his back about his “having gotten away with it”.

Cyto is right. These days you can’t afford to take even the slightest chance. Your entire life can be ruined because some whiny brat doesn’t get his or her own way. The only way to be sure is to do what Cyto does, to remove any chance of being in a situation that can be misinterpreted by anybody.