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The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

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Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#351

Post by ElliotM »

Symbiote wrote: post #217
fatnoah wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I know I’m behind the times, but I was surprised recently when, at an elementary school in the US, they showed me painted lines on the floor of the classroom, indicating the zones out of the line of fire for somebody shooting through the small, jail-like window in the door It all seems overdone and ridiculous, but when you get a phone call from your child as they sprint from the school building to the safety of the…

So about 12 people were curious but not too surprised when our American friend told us her experience of a school shooting at her university. She was in a different building to the shooter. The room was shocked into silence when she said "oh, and there was the time at my elementary school..." and had another experience of guns at a school. We had been surprised by this: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/o…

These numbers don't remotely pass a smell test. The same study claims 2% of Americans have been injured in a mass shooting, and cites 500 mass shootings a year.

2% of 340mm = 6.8mm injured in a mass shooting Conservatively assuming that's equally spread across all ages, and assuming a lifetime of 80 years, implies 6.8mm/80 = 85,000 people injured a year 85,000/500 mass shootings a year = 170 people injured per shooting

This is absurdly high - the Pulse nightclub shooting for instance injured 60 people.

It's obviously harder to analyze the number of people that 'witness' a shooting, but it also seems implausible that an average of ~595 people are witnessing each of these 500 shootings.

The problem here is that self-reported studies like this are incredibly unreliable. Interestingly, the same effect appeared in a pro-gun study, which cited an insane 2+ million defensive gun uses a year.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#352

Post by throw0101d »

aerostable_slug wrote: post #207
mitthrowaway2 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is if you consider cultures, poverty levels, and crime rates to not be immutable geographic traits, but a result of policy choices. The US can't take a giant leap to kids having Tokyo-like freedom, but it can look at what Japan does differently that results in such a society (eg. its public education system, public transit, policing, street design, typical vehicle size, etc).

You cannot legislate positive cultural attributes into being. There's no way to fine people into reading to their kids, picking up trash when they see it, deciding to put the grocery cart back, prioritizing academic achievement, etc.

> You cannot legislate positive cultural attributes into being.

You can legislate environment, e.g., when all you have is car-centric sprawling suburbs, it's harder to walk / cycle to school.

I grew up in a 'streetcar suburb', and was walking to school on my own (or with friends) by grade four (my dad woke me up, made breakfast, and then left for work: I knew I had to leave for school after G.I. Joe finished (at 8:30, for 9:00)).

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#353

Post by strathmeyer »

lvl155 wrote: post #98
Aurornis wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry for your experience, but this is extremely location dependent. Walking home from school in many areas is perfectly safe. In other areas it's not. Making blanket statements or restrictions without context doesn't make sense.

So you’re conceding this is location dependent. So in effect you’re saying the article is also location dependent? Pick one. If you knew the statistics on kidnapping or missing children in the US, you would not think of this as a “life-style” choice. By the way, 80% of US population live in urban areas so your experience living in 20% is not representative.

The statics on kidnapped or missing children in the US say most are taken by a family member, not by a stranger in public. I rode my bike to school in fifth grade but had to stop because of my mom's anxiety.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#354

Post by naijaboiler »

crooked-v wrote: post #187
aqme28 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why are schools farther away now? That's interesting.

It's in part because every major US city has spent decades underbuilding housing (usually through zoning and permitting that makes middle-density housing implicitly or explicitly illegal), pushing everyone out into the burbs just to find homes they can afford.

I think we have cause and effect mixed up. The greater of highways post WW2 and the riots of the 60s, and increased affordability of vehicles drove suburbanization.

With less people putting housing pressure in cities, of course you get unbuilding of houses in the cities

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#355

Post by mmooss »

ryandrake wrote: post #347
mmooss wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, but ... those people may not be 'concern trolls' at all (whatever that means).

I think in this case ‘concern troll’ means someone who can’t mind their own business and chooses to troll someone by stirring up unnecessary drama or conflict, using insincere concern as a pretext. We know the concern is insincere because the OP’s example (children playing in their yard) cannot be considered concerning by a reasonable person.

I think you're creating a fine definition but based on context and your own intellectual sophistication; we don't know what the author of those words meant.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#357

Post by op00to »

rdtsc wrote: post #162
mmooss wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

That wouldn't work in US until the whole culture changes. An individual family may do this, and then someone will call child protective services because there is a lost, unaccompanied child. Happened to my coworker: kids were playing outside and a neighbor called the authorities on them. Not clear if they really thought the kids were in danger, or just did it out of spite, but what ensued was a nightmare of CPS calli…

This seems community specific. In my town, kids as young as 2nd or 3rd grade walk home alone, and one of the biggest issues in town are the roving gangs of bike kids riding through town en masse. This is mostly only possible due to tight zoning. No big yards or huge McMansions, but it allows independent kids without child services being called.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#358

Post by op00to »

abenga wrote: post #338
mmooss wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is trying to do that?

People who call CPS just because children are outside unaccompanied? It's obvious taking children away from the parent is a possibility when one makes that call.

Based on my experience with children who actually need protective services help, calling about kids playing outside is not even close to getting a home visit let alone anyone taking your kids. Maybe it happens, but not in my east coast state.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#359

Post by op00to »

mmooss wrote: post #125
aklemm wrote: post #5

Well that headline sums it up. After 10 years of dealing with it and wondering "how the f did we get to this point", it's satisfying to hear it called what it is. A small win in our family was in my son's final year of elementary school when he finally decided to try walking home 1.5 miles; that Spring was a delight for him. He was properly decompressed and had logged a minimum amount of physical activity for good sl…

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

This show makes my spouse anxious! It’s a blast to watch from time to time.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#360

Post by watwut »

bluGill wrote: post #231
rdtsc wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That wouldn't work in US until the whole culture changes. An individual family may do this, and then someone will call child protective services because there is a lost, unaccompanied child. Happened to my coworker: kids were playing outside and a neighbor called the authorities on them. Not clear if they really thought the kids were in danger, or just did it out of spite, but what ensued was a nightmare of CPS calli…

> The sad part is everyone involved can turn around and claim As a mandatory reporter if I don't report such a thing I can be put in prison. Many activities now make all adults mandatory reporters (only mandatory reporters are allowed to go camping with scouts). I'm specifically told not to think, if there is any possibility I must report it and let the experts figure out if there is a problem or not. This of course…

You are mandatory reported for kids playing outside?
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