# I don't care about the child aduction **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493 "2003-07-14T22:13:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/1 "2003-07-14T22:13:23Z")
Why does the emergency broadcast system keep breaking into normal broadcasting about a child abduction? The alert is not a crawl at the bottom of the screen, every channel goes out and the voice from the War Games’ computer reads off the information. And this alert is totally useless. First the abduction was Missouri and I don’t live in Missouri. Second, yes too counties in my state are part of the alert. But not the county I live in. Third the alert is so vague it would not help me recognize these kids. So why the fuck do I need to know about them? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/2 "2003-07-14T22:17:45Z")
Because it could be your kid? ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/3 "2003-07-14T22:24:18Z")
The alerts are not totally useless. The abduction was in Missouri. Okay. Perhaps the authorities have information which leads them to believe the abductor is heading toward your area, and they are asking the citizenry to keep a look out for a boy/girl who looks like (insert description here) accompanied by a man/woman who looks like (insert description here). This happens frequently when the child is abducted by a non-custodial parent. It is possible that the abductor has relatives in the counties listed. The alert is vague. Probably unintentionally, and will be updated as soon as possible. But the more quickly word gets out, the sooner those children get home safely. The longer they are missing, the higher the odds against that they will be found safe and alive. So getting the word out early is important. I’m sorry to hear your disinterest…this is every parents’ nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/4 "2003-07-14T23:33:21Z")
I don’t care if they send out the information But they should use a crawl across the bottom of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/5 "2003-07-14T23:33:38Z")
I’m not gonna go into the rest of Major Kong’s points, but if the descriptions given aren’t useful enough to identify the missing children than what is the point? ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/6 "2003-07-14T23:45:42Z")
Yeah! The possibility (however small) of saving a child’s life shouldn’t take priority over your enjoyment of Judge Judy! Heartless fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/7 "2003-07-14T23:49:54Z")
Sorry, my last post was directed to Major Kong, not brujo. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/8 "2003-07-14T23:55:02Z")
Because while it might not be your state, eventually the people involved might show up around your area. And while you don’t care about abducted children, the parent(s)/family of the child in question might just give two shits if you are able to identify their missing child. Selfish, I know.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/9 "2003-07-15T00:00:29Z")
I think that public broadcasting should serve the public good. ::runs from the marketers and their pitchforks and torches:: Missing kid alert? There is NOTHING on tv I am that addicted to that I would mind missing that much. Maybe it’s the one person who is flicking through channels that sees the kid in a gas station and makes a call. The fact I missed a few minutes of Stargate SG-1 pale in comparison to the potential upside. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/10 "2003-07-15T00:09:51Z")
Why can’t it be a crawl like a tornado or flood warning? Which is more important? I say the weather report, but they don’t stop shows for these. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/11 "2003-07-15T00:11:04Z")
Because it gets your attention more than the damn crawl at the bottom!!! DUH!!! ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/12 "2003-07-15T00:14:40Z")
[quote] Because it gets your attention more than the damn crawl at the bottom!!! DUH!!! [quote] And what is more likely to save a person’s life, a weather warning or a hopelessly vague report about a child abduction? ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/13 "2003-07-15T00:15:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Why can’t it be a crawl like a tornado or flood warning? Which is more important? I say the weather report, but they don’t stop shows for these. \*\* I say you are a complete and utter asshole. The fucking _weather report_ is more important than a missing child? Get bent. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/14 "2003-07-15T00:19:48Z")
Considering that torando and flood warnings save people’s lives (including children), I would say they are pretty fucking important. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/15 "2003-07-15T00:24:20Z")
I don’t care much about the child adduction either, unless it can be used as a divining rod or something. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Major Kong_ > **Why can’t it be a crawl like a tornado or flood warning?** Maybe they can just flash a picture of a baby’s head up in the corner, like with a tornado watch? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/16 "2003-07-15T00:24:25Z")
**Major Kong** , Please tell me you expected to get flamed for this. Please tell me this was your intent. If it wasn’t, I pity you. With that said: they’re not going to use a crawl because the minute someone reads _missing_… they’re going to ignore it, you idiot. It doesn’t matter where the information is broadcast, those children could be headed in your direction. So they’re not from down the street? Most abductors don’t hang around _the area they kidnapped the kid from!_. These alerts _bringing_ children home, like it or not. The Amber Alert system, which has recently been started in California has already had 2 successes that I know of. Those alone make it worth having the system in place. I really do hope you’re doing this for effect and aren’t _really_ this much of an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/17 "2003-07-15T00:27:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Major Kong \* > \*\*Considering that torando and flood warnings save people’s lives (including children), I would say they are pretty fucking important. \*\* I’m sorry, were you under the impression that a kidnapped child’s life _isn’t_ in danger? You really _are_ an idiot. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/18 "2003-07-15T00:35:48Z")
My point is to break into broadcast TV over and over to give a vague description is not going to help. In an area with millions and millions of people, you should have a good description. And if you have a good description you can put it into a crawl, which I would read. But what the hell am I going to do with the vague information they gave? A crawl will work just as well. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/19 "2003-07-15T00:36:58Z")
A crawl is not appropriate during an emergency. A crawl only gets the attention of people who are actually looking at the screen at that time, while interrupting the broadcast with an audio and video alert is much more likely to get the viewer’s attention if they are in another room or looking away from the set (it got yours, right?). When a weather emergency warrants it, broadcasters interrupt programming with a live alert from the National Weather Service. This is mandated, I believe, by the FCC. For weather alerts of lesser importance, a crawl will do the trick. Some people aren’t aware that the airwaves are owned by the public–NOT by the companies that hold the broadcast licenses. Therefore serving the public interest is the PRIMARY raison d’etre for broadcasters. Entertainment is of SECONDARY importance. When a TV station has to decide between entertaining lazy couch-potato slobs on the one hand, and benefiting the community interest (say for example, by helping police find a child abductor) on the other, it is the broadcaster’s LEGAL imparitive (as well as ethical, I think) to choose the latter. A no-brainer really, for anyone who HAS a brain. (paradoxical, no?) I suggest you grow one quick, **Major Asshole**. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493/20 "2003-07-15T00:41:43Z")
um… i mean IMPERATIVE. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-care-about-the-child-aduction/188493.md?page=2)