I have a theory - do you agree?

[Isabel]

Increased suspicion of people, which breeds more and more social services and mental health workers, which in turn breeds more and more suspicion, thus eroding community, has been caused by the media.

For one thing, soaps have dreadful things going on in them, and for another, we are hearing about abuse and pedophiles IN DETAIL every single day on the news and in newspapers - a child's first knowledge of sex is likely to be watching/ reading a pedophile case IN DETAIL on the news/ in newspapers. Without news and newspapers, you do not hear about abuse every single day in detail, obviously. It does happen, which we should know, but there is no need to bombard children and even adults with this detailed knowledge. Mary Whitehouse had a point?

Evidence that my premise that there are 2 many workers is correct:

Here is a link evidencing that children are being removed for extremely silly reasons, thus dooming them to a life in care where they will always be damaged, probably because no one there loves them and are very very likely to be abused http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/articl...state.html

and here is a link evidencing that mental illness is purely a profit-making enterprise, a lot of it unproven, and stigmatises people - in my experience sometimes because they are eccentric or are suffering normal grief - for life. And once you are in the mental health system, you can be sectioned at the drop of a hat, creating more problems.
Link as described above: http://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-disorders/
@Katie: Let me explain the reasons for my opinion. I spent childhood split btwn England and Jamaica. In UK, 2 much media and being warned about pedophiles pedophiles pedophiles - I didn't trust ANYONE. JA: we had no media - I trusted EVERYONE. (I was never left with strangers). Furthermore there is not the money in JA for all these workers - but people NEVER starve due to fruit trees, and look after each other more. Also interesting to compare Ireland - less of these workers, more community.
So Katie - if anything I am the one coming from a neutral place.

[Danial]

damages ur father mother fucker head first

[Katie]

I disagree with you on several of your "facts." I don't agree that a child's first knowledge of sex is from wtching/reading about pedolphilia. And for adults - TV have on/off switches. Use them. Don't like what you see? Turn the channel.

I work in the legal system. I don't see children removed from homes for "silly reasons."

I further do not agree that mental illness is a profit-making enterprise. It was before illnesses could be diagnosed and treated, when children and adults found themselves warehoused for life. I'm not seeing that now. No one is snatching anyone off the streets because they are "eccentric" or experiencing "normal grief" and sent off to an asylum. There is a legal system in place, and it does work.

I do not think there are "2" many workers. I don't know where you are, but I see homeless people, many of them veterans, on the street every day because there is no room for them and no money for care and treatment. Maybe a few more workers and a bigger budget would change that.

I see a lot of speculation here, adding apples and oranges, but I see little experience.

I do NOT think educating children about sexual matters at a level they can understand is harmful or causes problems for life. The World is a dangerous place, and children need to know that the friendly neighbor can be dangerous.

Who draws the line between enough and too much info? The parent.

And my other problem? I realize you have posted about your mental health issues and the "abuse" you believe you have suffered from "the system." You are not coming from a neutral place. I am.

[emanwelgwent]

While your "theory" has the attraction of being a neat simple explanation for perceived social problems, it has the disadvantage of lacking any credible evidence. The existence of social services and care workers does not increase the prevalence of child sexual abuse. Social workers are always damned either way by the media: if they don't take a child into care, and something happens, they get the blame. If they do take a child into care, the media complains that they're "stealing children".
It is not possible for social services simply to take a child into care on their say so. It requires extensive evidence and a hearing before a judge. Likewise, it is not possible to have someone sectioned at the drop of a hat.

Your "sources" are worthless. The Daily Mail is infamous of its alarmist and inaccurate reporting, while CCHR is a front for the cult of Scientology, pursuing its founder's irrational vendetta against the psychiatric profession.

There have been and perhaps always will be pedophiles. There were pedophiles in the 18th century for example - we know from the records of prosecutions against them. There are (whether you knew it or not) pedophiles in Jamaica and Ireland. "Community" is not a panacea. Indeed, with no media coverage, child abuse went on quite undisturbed for decades in certain institutions in Ireland.

[Jimmy]

You reference the Daily Mail that well regarded newspaper that is never known to print right wing crap or lies.

You have no knowledge of the mental health system (else you would know that there are far fewer institutions and mental health beds today than there were 10 years ago plus care in the community is the primary treatment system for people with mental illness.

The majority of children in care do not end up abused or hard done by.