# "Little girls" in police cases: am I the only one who gets annoyed by this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717 "2012-05-22T14:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/1 "2012-05-22T14:42:50Z")
I’m not sure how big a story this is outside California, but a 15-year-old girl disappeared awhile back and there’s been a huge hunt to look for her. Yesterday they arrested a suspect and are going to charge him with kidnapping and murder (even though they don’t have a body yet…but I think they know more than they’re telling at this point). I feel terrible for the family–that’s got to be one of the most horrible things that any family will ever experience. My comments here don’t relate directly to this case–it’s just the latest in a string. I was reading the local paper this morning and the Sheriff made the following comment: > [@Sheriff](#): > > “We have a lot of physical evidence” Smith said. She said the public’s safety is the main concern of her office, and, “we don’t want to see anyone else hurt or any other little girls taken.” Every time I see something like that it just makes my blood boil. Damn it, a 15-year-old is not a “little girl”! Think of any 15-year-old girls you know. Then think of how they might react if someone referred to them as a “little girl” (with the possible exception of finding it charming if their mom or dad called them “my little girl”.) This happens a lot in these kinds of cases. I’ve seen it in stories talking about everything from girls who actually _are_ “little girls” all the way up to 16- and 17-year olds. Ask yourself: Have you ever seen a story where a _male_ teen disappeared and the media got all over itself talking about “making sure no more little boys go through this”? No? Didn’t think so. I realize I’m probably a little overboard about this; it’s kind of one of my hot buttons. But does anyone else feel the same? I do feel really bad for the family of the girl around here, though. They’re going to have a pretty tough time of it, and I wish them strength. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/2 "2012-05-22T14:47:46Z")
That’s what you focus on? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/3 "2012-05-22T14:49:46Z")
I understand your point but I think the outrage is a little misplaced. The reason you only see diminutive terms used for ‘little (white) girls’ is that nobody really cares enough about any other group to even look for them very hard let alone put the case all over the news. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/4 "2012-05-22T14:55:46Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I realize I’m probably a little overboard about this; Yep. But you already know the reason why they do this…you posted in your op. Every girl that get’s abducted is some parent’s “little girl”. I expect my daughters to be strong willed independent women, but as long as I’m alive, they will be my little girls regardless of their age. The press and public officials are appealing to the emotional sentiment of the public. I see no problem with that in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/5 "2012-05-22T14:58:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That’s what you focus on? Really? No. Like I said in the OP, it’s just something I notice. It’s not “outrage,” (okay, the “blood boil” comment was hyperbole) it’s just one of those mildly annoying things that seems to happen a lot. It doesn’t diminish my _real_ outrage at the actual crime. \ Just an observation, and I wanted to see if anybody else agreed with me, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/6 "2012-05-22T14:59:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Yep. > > But you already know the reason why they do this…you posted in your op. > > Every girl that get’s abducted is some parent’s “little girl”. I expect my daughters to be strong willed independent women, but as long as I’m alive, they will be my little girls regardless of their age. > > The press and public officials are appealing to the emotional sentiment of the public. I see no problem with that in this situation. Yeah, but my question is this, then: Every boy is “somebody’s little boy,” too, but they never do it for boys (at least not boys over the age of 10 or 11). Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/7 "2012-05-22T15:11:18Z")
I think you may be imagining the phenomenon. I’ve never heard anyone refer to 15 year olds as “little girls”, other than the one guy you quoted. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/8 "2012-05-22T15:13:18Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think you may be imagining the phenomenon. I’ve never heard anyone refer to 15 year olds as “little girls”, other than the one guy you quoted. Maybe it’s not widespread (I don’t make a habit of following every missing person case I come across) but I have seen it on more than one occasion. It’s entirely possible I just happened to notice the few that were out there and extrapolated incorrectly. I actually hope this is true. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/9 "2012-05-22T15:15:17Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I think you may be imagining the phenomenon. I’ve never heard anyone refer to 15 year olds as “little girls”, other than the one guy you quoted. You must not know any fathers. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/10 "2012-05-22T15:17:13Z")
I’ll throw in with the OP on this one. I’ve noticed it a few times and also found it jarring/annoying. The crime is bad enough as it is; there’s no need to further sensationalize it by referring to a nearly-grown teenaged girl as a “little girl,” which is a phrase that evokes a 2nd-grader in pigtails. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/11 "2012-05-22T15:16:54Z")
Among high school teachers, it’s my experience that both boys and girls are referred to this way. I think it’s our way to remind ourselves that even though they look like huge, lumbering adults, their brains are still as close to 5 as to 35. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/12 "2012-05-22T15:17:43Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > You must not know any fathers. Let me just clarify one thing: I’m absolutely not referring to parents. Of _course_ parents and other relatives are likely to refer to a kid regardless of age as “our little girl” or “our little boy.” My annoyance is reserved for law enforcement, media, etc. (Sorry I seem to be pouncing on this–it’s a slow morning at work. :P) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/13 "2012-05-22T15:21:16Z")
Most parent’s don’t refer to their 15 year old sons as little boys, but they do refer to their daughters as their little girls. Even parent’s have a gender bias. So what? Daughters are considered deserving of more protection than sons. It’s human nature. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/14 "2012-05-22T15:31:22Z")
I’m sorry; but even after reading the thread twice, I don’t see how this has a negative impact on your life. Honestly, why are you even mildly annoyed? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/15 "2012-05-22T15:40:32Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I’m sorry; but even after reading the thread twice, I don’t see how this has a negative impact on your life. Honestly, why are you even mildly annoyed? What difference does it make? Shall I go through the archives of the SDMB and find all the strange things that annoy various folks? (I’m not going to do that, btw.) \ You don’t agree with me, that’s fine. I’m not asking you to. I offered an opinion and asked if anyone shared it. I’ll put you in the “no” column. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/16 "2012-05-22T15:40:48Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I’m sorry; but even after reading the thread twice, I don’t see how this has a negative impact on your life. Honestly, why are you even mildly annoyed? Because it’s infantilizing. That’s pretty annoying if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of it. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/17 "2012-05-22T15:42:19Z")
In this case, at least, it would seem the girl in question is past caring that she is being infantilized. Nice of you to take up for her, though. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/18 "2012-05-22T15:45:46Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Among high school teachers, it’s my experience that both boys and girls are referred to this way. I think it’s our way to remind ourselves that even though they look like huge, lumbering adults, their brains are still as close to 5 as to 35. I’m not a teacher, but I do work at a high school. Most 15 year olds are far from looking like adults, let alone acting like adults. Take a look at consecutive yearbook photos, and it’s pretty obvious there’s a lot of growth between 15 and 18, even without accounting for behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/19 "2012-05-22T15:53:12Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Because it’s infantilizing. That’s pretty annoying if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of it. Exactly. And the source of my annoyance isn’t particularly that they do it for girls–it’s that they _only_ do it for girls. Annoyances don’t always have to be rational–and sometimes things that are done in the name of “human nature” (like **Omar’s** comment about people naturally being more protective of girls than boys) are annoying to me. This is one of them. > [@Scumpup](#): > > In this case, at least, it would seem the girl in question is past caring that she is being infantilized. Nice of you to take up for her, though. Is the snark really necessary? I’m sure we all feel terrible about the case in question (I know I do–it’s right near where I live, so I’ve been kind of following it more than I would some other case. I was really hoping they would find her alive, though fearing that it wasn’t likely). But my comments are more general in nature. I only brought up the case because it was the latest one I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717/20 "2012-05-22T16:01:02Z")
This may be a result of POV. How old are you? Do you have any kids? I am 50. I have a daughter who is 11 years old. I am a teacher, this year of 7th graders. To me, 15 \*is \*a little girl. My guess is that the sheriff is from closer to my demographic than what I suspect is yours. I may well be wrong, but my guess is that you are closer to 15 than to 50. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-girls-in-police-cases-am-i-the-only-one-who-gets-annoyed-by-this/622717.md?page=2)