OT - The last of the Few. RIP.

[SithHappens]

I think you make a fair point, Sith. Never forget, when I first started working in the area of child protection, my late mother telling me ‘there’s nothing new about these *****philes you know’ and proceeding to tell me of encounters she’d narrowly avoided as a young girl in Liverpool ninety plus years ago now. Maybe one difference was that her brothers (my uncles) sorted it their way in those days.
Likewise I grew up on the edge of Saddleworth Moor and we all know what Hindley and Brady were getting up to in the 1960’s there - despite which I still remember ‘playing out’ with a freedom that I rarely see my own grandchildren enjoying today.
As you say, eighty plus years ago millions of our young men, like Paddy Hemingway, were being sent off to war and knife crime was relatively prolific in our 19th century cities.
So maybe we do overreact these days, partly as a result of the bombardment of 24/7 news, although I do think that, politically, we are in very dangerous times and that the internet - which in many ways should be a force for good - has become a dangerous beast in the hands of the unscrupulous.

Playing out. Yes I was the same, out down the park etc , no adult chaperones. I can't imagine any of the young people in my family circle doing that, or being allowed.

I'm not sure there is more danger from 'bad' people wanting to do them harm, though traffic is totally different today which could be a factor.

Growing up we used to play football, tennis, kerby out on the street and hardly saw a car. Kids couldn't do that now on the same street, either because too many parked cars, or cars up and down the street all the time.

Then again we only had 3, then 4, channels on TV, none of which seemed to show anything kid friendly on Sundays so less incentive to stay in i guess. I was probably the 1st generation who had access to games on computers ( loved my spectrum), you could go out and play for a bit while your game loaded mind.

[Andy_Faber]

MA and Ramshank excluded you just couldn't help yourselves...