Comment It's not only in your country (Score 1) 1228
I'm from Belgium. In August 1996, my country was shocked by the discovery of a network of child kidnappers and molesters. CNN covered some of this in the early days of the discovery (what a way for Belgium to hit the world news). This gang (called the Dutroux gang after it's infamous leader) kidnapped children (aged 6 - 17) and "sold" them to paedophilic networks. Some of the children were rescued which lead to the discovery of some that weren't. They were found buried in the backyards of some of the gang's members.
Social life has never been the same after this event. Anything which seems only slightly suspect (regarding the paedophilic tendencies of the gang) could result in a true witch hunt towards innocent people. Just recently, a father was arrested and nearly condemned to prison because one guy who was working in a photo lab found a few pictures of this father's daughter (aged 3) playing naked on the beach or in the bathtub amongst otherwise completely innocent holiday snaps. Nowadays, fathers are watched strangely if their children sit on their lap.
With the events in Colorado and the 1996 events in Belgium, the conscience and the behaviour of a complete society is being shaped into something which is not of this age or world. Paranoia is not something that thrives in healthy societies. It can only survive in societies where freedom is no longer a certainty. Freedom is not having to defend yourself all the time. Events like this kill freedom, and there is nothing that will change our society "back to the old ways".
Social life has never been the same after this event. Anything which seems only slightly suspect (regarding the paedophilic tendencies of the gang) could result in a true witch hunt towards innocent people. Just recently, a father was arrested and nearly condemned to prison because one guy who was working in a photo lab found a few pictures of this father's daughter (aged 3) playing naked on the beach or in the bathtub amongst otherwise completely innocent holiday snaps. Nowadays, fathers are watched strangely if their children sit on their lap.
With the events in Colorado and the 1996 events in Belgium, the conscience and the behaviour of a complete society is being shaped into something which is not of this age or world. Paranoia is not something that thrives in healthy societies. It can only survive in societies where freedom is no longer a certainty. Freedom is not having to defend yourself all the time. Events like this kill freedom, and there is nothing that will change our society "back to the old ways".
