BBC NEWS | Politics | Fear of paedophiles 'a tragedy'
I'm not sure.
I remember my father describing a journey home when he witnessed a young boy struggling to get the chain back on his bike, but was in a dilemma what to do. His instinct was to leap out of the car And replace chain in two seconds flat. Anyone who knew my father would say he was the gentlest kindest man. But also wise. He knew better than to leap out of the car and help.
And what a tragedy that is; that a nice kind engineering type man can't help a small child with a simple task.
A few years ago, just after the Jamie Bulger murder, I encountered a toddler in WH Smiths, distressed at having lost his Mum. In a very very loud voice I soothed him, calmed him down, told him we were going to go the nice lady behind the till, that Mum was looking for him, everything was going to be okay. I was all right, a twenty something woman with a loud voice telling the entire shop what I'm doing. Mum turned up within moments, frantic with worry. No bloke could get away with that.
A few years back I read a blogpost of some youngish bloke who saw teenagers torturing a small child and did nothing. To his relief a middle-aged woman turned up and read the riot act. He was wracked with guilt. I commented he could do nothing, despite his intentions. Middle aged woman was the right person. I'm generally the disinterested onlooker. I am confident that Middle Aged Woman "Grandma" is in control. I'm uneasy at Young Bloke, even though I know Young Bloke is more likely to care about children than be a paedophile.
But there are sick fuckers out there, and I think they should be chemically castrated.
