Well, it's been overkill this week. Our area newspapers have provided us with much disturbing food for thought.
After reading the ongoing series of Spokesman stories exposing the Spokane mayor for abusing his power to gain sexual favors and seeing a story this morning about the sentencing of another individual, whom I know personally, for downloading thousands of pornographic images, I'm struck with one discomforting question:
Whom can we trust these days?
An ironic example of how much these continuing revelations have begun to skew our thinking occurred yesterday while I was watching the latest TV reports on the mayoral scandal. When a Catholic priest representing Morning Star Boys Ranch stepped to the microphone to dispel an earlier Spokesman story that the mayor had been scoping out boys for sex at the facility years ago, a bizarre notion hit me square in the face.
"And why should we believe what a Catholic priest says about an alleged pedophile?" I said out loud to my husband. I'm a lifelong Catholic! Then, I caught myself, shocked that I'd ever think, let alone say such a thing. My, how our world has changed during my lifetime!
My main concern with these revelations lies with the majority of teachers, coaches, politicians, priests, ministers, Boy Scout leaders, policemen, et. al.. who go to work every day with no hidden motives other than to do their job and to serve humanity.
As more and more of these instances of deviant behavior become public, how will people in these positions, who do not harbor hidden sexual motives, become shackled in carrying out their daily work in an atmosphere of understandable public skepticism toward them?
Will their chosen careers become more difficult as they're burdened with adapting to a more restricted environment with every moment they spend on the job scrutinized to the finest detail? Will good people leave these professions because it's just not worth it anymore? That's a sad thought.
When these individuals who are exposed for preying on others (be they gay, straight, Republican, or Democrat), claim they're being persecuted, I wonder if they ever think of how their actions indirectly and adversely affect innocent people far beyond themselves and their victims.
Probably not.
5 comments:
yeah....if you volunteer to teach relgion these days - you watch a video about "child molesters"....you're fingerprinted and a background check is done....all it has done is make me very unwilling to go up to someone and say, "What a beautiful child you have!"
Please back-fire!
Glad you posted on this --
I was a little shocked at the local public sympathy that this Nicholls guy generated -- this man had over a thousand images and video of child porn on his computer. Just what did he expect to do with it all? I would have expected more concern and outrage instead. I am genuinely shocked that the community was so callous in regards to these children by depicting Nicholls as some sort of reformed "addict".
What gives with the community denial?
It sure will make people think twice before volunteering for anything dealing with children. Yes, you can be fingerprinted and etc. But just the looks of other people when you say you volunteer at any child connected event, is enough to make you think twice before you raise your hand and say yes.
So many sad stories about children lately. How do we keep our kids safe anymore?
Our world has changed in our lifetime, and some of it is good. Child molesters were unheard of, but they were there nevertheless. I'm just shaking my head about all the news lately, too. I have to ask you though, what did you truly think of the SR's sting? The work is impressive, but I need to work through the set-up from a journalist. Curious to know how you feel.
As a parent of two young children, I walk a fine line between paranoia and caution.
And you people who DO walk up to me to say "What a cute daughter you have!" Yes, it does make me wary.
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