blog # 5 does media promote a culture of fear

Blog #5 does the media promote a culture of fear? Jason Sylvester

When I was a child my parents allowed me to do a lot of things that today might be considered dangerous. From the age of at least eight years old I was aloud to ride my bike alone as long as I stayed in the neighborhood. When we would summer on the cape we were aloud to take walks through woods or go to the beaches alone. My parents had no fear of us being abducted or lured by a sex offender. In fact they were more worried about us hurting somebody else.
Today there is so much media hype about child abductions that parents are being forced to fear for their child and their safety. I have an eight year old brother and for my parents to even think about letting him have the freedom that his older brothers had is forbidden. Maybe they are being overprotective and I can understand why. If I had children I would probably be just as paranoid about leaving them unattended as my parents are. I understand that the media has a huge influence on the way my parents are raising my brother. Although sheltering will keep him from harm it will also keep him from healthy childhood adventures like riding his bike with his friends or exploring the trails in the woods, or building forts. Sheltering him will most certainly keep him alive but it will also distance him from life.