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GROUND ZERO, New York City, July 1--It's called the "creep
factor"--an old type of Terrorism wrapped in a new package.
It's a product of fame and fortune, infecting those who seek to rise above
all others in their sport or profession.
Jelena Dokie, for example, is about to appear in
a GQ photo spread. Russian Anna Kournikova was voted sexiest
woman athlete by FHM magazine in Great Britain and in the United States.
Kournikova has more hits on her web site
www.Kournikovasite.org than
Michael Jordan did in his prime. And everywhere one looks, women tennis
stars are appearing to endorse various products, often promoting their
sexuality and alluring beauty.
Terrorism of this kind has been part our society
for decades, most clearly represented by the presence of children's faces
on milk cartons. The "missing children" of America syndrome is
far more newsworthy than the stalking of tennis stars, but less able to
sell newspapers or gather headlines.
The night before we had been watching a
movie where a father took his son to a public swimming pool and in a
moment of innocent neglect, the child was snatched.
Back in California
where we lived for many years before coming to New York City two and a
half years ago, our neighborhoods bore signs on every street of a man in a
dark coat, an evil eye staring out and the words--Neighborhood Watch.
It was a warning to the "creeps" that we were Vigilant Parents, and that
we knew our children were subject to their invasion. These
signs were posted in a very exclusive part of Laguna Niguel, California,
and always struck me a sign of Terror for a child who might look upon them
and wonder why society broadcast the presences of evil so boldly.
Our real enemy is within society's
perspective. If we look at Terrorism from only one
viewpoint--protecting the children--we come up with a far more important
set of facts. We find the real "creeps of Terrorism" are the
children stalkers, the child molesters, the child abusers, and, worst of
all, the Complacent parent who is far "too busy" to get to know his or her
child's Fears, Intimidations and Complacencies.
If it comes down to a matter of money and
fame, our children possess both. If one were to project the
collective wealth and collective fame of all the children who are
Terrorized by the "creeps of society," that sum would far outweigh all the
tennis and movie stars.
Vigilance demands that we keep the "main
thing the main thing." We need, as a society, to look at all "adult
Terrorism" as a symbol of neglect. Whenever "adult Terrorism"
is being reported, we need to ask: "So where are the headlines about
our children's Terrorism?"
It has been a long time since I've seen a milk carton with the picture of a missing child. While I didn't like them because they smacked of the ugliness of human nature, at least they reminded me of the importance of never taking a Vigilant eye off my own children, and, to keep an alert eye on other children's safety.
I also miss the dark, ominous signs of the
Neighborhood Watch stalker. Those signs offended me, but at
the same time reminded me to remain Vigilant.
If society is more concerned about a tennis star being
stalked than a child being neglected, we have little to worry about from
bin Laden and a lot to worry about from our own Complacency.
Go To June 30--The Torture Of Vigilance
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