Hysteria
Is it just me or do other people feel that sections of the media have lost the plot over the Madeleine McCann thing in Portugal? I was hearing quotes (read to me as I don’t pay attention to this nonsense) of people saying they were scared to bring their children to out of the country!
Over the last few days I saw the “Look into her eyes” posters in Bray and Charles De Gaulle airport. People need to get a grip on reality. Child abductions are vanishingly rare. More children will be killed by family dogs than kidnapped in any time period.
Just look at Ireland. Since the start of the year three children have been killed by their own parents (that we know of). There are a load of media outlets out there stoking up fear and hysteria in the interst of circulation. Don’t buy it!
The media is out to sell newspapers and hysteria is good on that front.
For myself, I think that the way this story was reported initially – I have been avoiding it lately – is shocking, particularly given the impression I have of a certain amount of anti-foreign bias in reports in the UK, for example. From what I can make out too – hugely public appeals like this rarely, if ever, result in the return of the child still alive. I think that there was a hysterical bandwagon response and perhaps, if it hadn’t hit international headlines on 24 hour TV, but had a softly softly approach, she might be better off.
But I can’t know for sure. In any case, when you go down the road of “doing everything possible”, that should include “not further endangering the missing child”. I’m not sure that mass hysterical publicity and the bringing of UK based police officers in comes under that heading.
I feel for the parents; I can’t imagine what they are going through. But nor am I convinced that they are being well advised here.
Has anyone suggested that MAYBE she woke up and wanted to find her parents so she left the apartment herself?
This “snatched through the window” story is completely unbelievable to my mind.
Children wake up. When they do the first thing they do is go to look for their parents.
Maybe she got out herself. Maybe it was only then that something happened her. Maybe NO ONE abducted her!