Disney emplyees arrested in under age sex stings

[morningstar]

Must be a slow news day. They did some digging in arrest records for the past 8 years and cross-referenced sexual predators with employment records. Using the same technique one could write an article about how CNN reporters beat their wives.

 

[Gomer]

Must be a slow news day. They did some digging in arrest records for the past 8 years and cross-referenced sexual predators with employment records. Using the same technique one could write an article about how CNN reporters beat their wives.

And if they did so, it wouldn’t make domestic violence any less of an issue worth talking about.

I don’t see anything wrong with shining a light on something that needs more attention. Yes, abuse happens everywhere, not just at Disney. But the story got people talking about the issue. So, what is the harm exactly?

 

[morningstar]

And if they did so, it wouldn’t make domestic violence any less of an issue worth talking about.

I don’t see anything wrong with shining a light on something that needs more attention. Yes, abuse happens everywhere, not just at Disney. But the story got people talking about the issue. So, what is the harm exactly?

No harm. I'm just poking fun at the sensationalism in the news. They could have reported on all the predators arrested in that sting who work for the Fish & Wildlife Service. It would have cast as much light on the issue but it wouldn't have been as salacious.

 

[Gomer]

No harm. I'm just poking fun at the sensationalism in the news. They could have reported on all the predators arrested in that sting who work for the Fish & Wildlife Service. It would have cast as much light on the issue but it wouldn't have been as salacious.

Agree completely on the sensationalism, but at least here it is being used for a good cause. They used Disney to get attention. Disney won’t take much of a hit from this. So, I think in the end, it’s a net positive in the increase of visibility and discussion on the topic.

 

[draybook]

Don't feed the trolls, people!

 

[pupster]

I've got stories.

I used to intentionally give surveys to older men sitting across from child fountains. Most of them got up and left.

Not every old man is a peodophile. Some people just actually enjoy seeing children being children & are quite innocent.
One of my elderly relatives would get upset because we said he couldn't give children sweets ,He was from a different time & didn't understand.

 

[The Mom]

For cast members that work directly with children the fingerprint and background check are done annually.

Perhaps WDW should go further, and do this for all employees.

 

[rob0519]

Perhaps WDW should go further, and do this for all employees.

Using that logic, the government should fingerprint all citizens. Both ridiculous overkill. Many people have lead clean lived and kept their prints out of the system. They should not be fingerprinted with no justification if their job activities don't put them in sensitive situations.

 

[The Mom]

Using that logic, the government should fingerprint all citizens. Both ridiculous overkill. Many people have lead clean lived and kept their prints out of the system. They should not be fingerprinted with no justification if their job activities don't put them in sensitive situations.

Exactly. What you or I might consider overkill, others consider not doing enough to protect children.

And this is the problem. Anything that is done will only make parents feel safer. The predators will still be around, but will just go somewhere else. Every theme park, every playground, anywhere children gather could be closed, but there would still be predators because we (as a society) haven't figured out how to identify and stop them before they act - without, in effect, punishing someone for a crime he/she hasn't committed yet. Background checks and fingerprinting only identify people who have been caught.

But there are still people who will say " If it saves just one child..."

All a parent can do is use common sense (including trusting your gut instinct), educate your children, and, as someone mentioned, keep the lines of communication open. Let them know that you will love them whatever happens (predators will often tell children that their parents won't love them if they tell) and then, as you do for anything that threatens your children, hope that nothing happens.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Not every old man is a peodophile. Some people just actually enjoy seeing children being children & are quite innocent.
One of my elderly relatives would get upset because we said he couldn't give children sweets ,He was from a different time & didn't understand.

I'm going a step further and say that almost NO older people are pedophiles and I don't think that anyone will find evidence to contradict that statement. This is a young persons hormonal disease, something that is lacking in older people. Now they may think that they still have it... but they don't.

 

[Lucky]

And this is the problem. Anything that is done will only make parents feel safer. The predators will still be around, but will just go somewhere else. Every theme park, every playground, anywhere children gather could be closed, but there would still be predators because we (as a society) haven't figured out how to identify and stop them before they act - without, in effect, punishing someone for a crime he/she hasn't committed yet. Background checks and fingerprinting only identify people who have been caught.

But there are still people who will say " If it saves just one child..."

Very true. People like to pretend there aren't tradeoffs. You can always devote more resources to eliminating one source of risk. But if obsessing over that source leads people to be complacent about other sources, you may be saving one child but at the expense of a bunch of others. Media coverage that contributes to misunderstanding about where the real risks are isn't doing vulnerable children any favors.

 

[Polydweller]

Perhaps WDW should go further, and do this for all employees.

It probably would not add anything. Nothing will show up on checks until someone comes to the attention of legal authorities. Nothing will be on the record. And if someone does commit such an offence then they will be known publicly and no police info check is needed to find that information. Disney would be able to act based on charges anyway.

I used to work in the criminal justice system doing assessments for the courts and many were for this type of offender. What became clear reading the police reports over the years was that these offenders can be very skillful at hiding their activity from authorities for years and years and are often very hard to detect. One of the reasons why background checks aren't necessarily a panacea for the problem.

 

[WorldDad]

I'm going a step further and say that almost NO older people are pedophiles and I don't think that anyone will find evidence to contradict that statement. This is a young persons hormonal disease, something that is lacking in older people. Now they may think that they still have it... but they don't.

I work in law enforcement and I can tell you this is completely untrue. This is not a problem that only young people have. If you abuse children, you generally do not outgrow it without professional help. A good number of pedophiles are not caught until they are older after they have abused numerous victims.

 

[Master Yoda]

I'm going a step further and say that almost NO older people are pedophiles and I don't think that anyone will find evidence to contradict that statement. This is a young persons hormonal disease, something that is lacking in older people. Now they may think that they still have it... but they don't.

I guess you have never heard the name Jerry Sandusky before?

 

[seascape]

I guess you have never heard the name Jerry Sandusky before?

And that was at a state college. The entire football program knew about it and covered it up.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I work in law enforcement and I can tell you this is completely untrue. This is not a problem that only young people have. If you abuse children, you generally do not outgrow it without professional help. A good number of pedophiles are not caught until they are older after they have abused numerous victims.

I think that first we have to define "older". If you're talking about being in their 50's, OK. I'll even concede early to mid 60's, but after that all that happens (usually) is thought, with very little action. Common sense dictates that ages previous to that are more then likely the larger segment of offenders. But, I have no facts to back that up. Just a bit of a knowledge of what it is like to be "older". If my doctor told me to cut out half my sex life, I'd have to ask, "Which Half"... the talking about it or the thinking about it. Neither one are harmful to others.

 

[BufordTJustice]

Using that logic, the government should fingerprint all citizens. Both ridiculous overkill. Many people have lead clean lived and kept their prints out of the system. They should not be fingerprinted with no justification if their job activities don't put them in sensitive situations.

I am in finance and you would not believe what I have to go through each year to maintain my license (continued education, back-ground check, credit report, etc..). At a minimum, I would like to see an employer who caters to children to monitor the National Sex Offender Registry for employees who are predators. As for me and my wife, we signed up with Family Watchdog (http://www.familywatchdog.us/) which notifies you when a predator moves near your home.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I guess you have never heard the name Jerry Sandusky before?

There are always exceptions to everything. We are talking larger segments of people. I did know about JS, but, not enough to know if the charges against him were recent or from when he was younger. I don't know so I cannot comment on that one.

 

[WorldDad]

I think that first we have to define "older". If you're talking about being in their 50's, OK. I'll even concede early to mid 60's, but after that all that happens (usually) is thought, with very little action. Common sense dictates that ages previous to that are more then likely the larger segment of offenders. But, I have no facts to back that up. Just a bit of a knowledge of what it is like to be "older". If my doctor told me to cut out half my sex life, I'd have to ask, "Which Half"... the talking about it or the thinking about it. Neither one are harmful to others.

Unfortunately you are trying to equate normal sexual desires with abnormal ones. They just don't work that way. Those impulses don't always go away.

 

[Master Yoda]

There are always exceptions to everything. We are talking larger segments of people. I did know about JS, but, not enough to know if the charges against him were recent or from when he was younger. I don't know so I cannot comment on that one.

Jerry Sandusky

It would also be worth your time to Google "sexual abuse in the Catholic church" The vast majority there pass your Mendoza line of 60.