The fear of this stuff is out of sorts with the reality. We live in one of the safest human societies ever created. The chance of you or anyone you know being a 'victim' of this stuff is darn near zero. But with the media and social media and movies of the week it seems much more prevalent that it really is. Ask someone if there are more or less murders than a decade ago; the answer is fewer by about 1/4. Most people you ask that question will answer that there are murders everywhere. Yet the DOJ says that if you are not a part of the illegal drug trade the probability of you being a crime victim are nearly zero. So, how do we fight this garbage and get everyone to tamp down the emotional over reaction?What makes me reconsider is articles like these, coupled with the reality of me living in a smaller town where reputation means quite a bit. It's sad to say, but the rape-allegations-stories make me immediately think, "Nah, not worth it right now". Even if they are rare. I don't know.
Totally agree -- I find myself repeating that sentiment to family, coworkers, etc. often. If that question was given to me, I'd say more people should take a risk and not reinforce these stereotypes in reality (in my case, go out and volunteer for BB). If enough people did that, those who read these hysteria-inducing stories would have a real life counterexample to call upon. "That's weird, all the men I know working in childcare are great people".