Comments on: How To Become a Hero & Help Find Abducted Children using Mobile Amber Alerts http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/ Cool Websites, Software and Internet Tips Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ryan Dube http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385301 Ryan Dube Tue, 05 May 2009 20:56:44 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385301 Hi Patrick - thanks for your comments, and excellent points. I do see what you're saying, and can certainly appreciate the danger of having a system that's overly costly and inefficient (and induces fear, as you mention as well), however on the flip side, it's hard to slam a system if it has the capability to save even while child's life. Could it work better or more efficiently - yeah, I think you and others here have certainly made that point well. I honestly didn't realize there was such a concern about the Amber system - but the info you've all provided was helpful...I'm certainly a bit more educated about the Amber System now. Thanks everyone. Hi Patrick – thanks for your comments, and excellent points. I do see what you’re saying, and can certainly appreciate the danger of having a system that’s overly costly and inefficient (and induces fear, as you mention as well), however on the flip side, it’s hard to slam a system if it has the capability to save even while child’s life. Could it work better or more efficiently – yeah, I think you and others here have certainly made that point well. I honestly didn’t realize there was such a concern about the Amber system – but the info you’ve all provided was helpful…I’m certainly a bit more educated about the Amber System now. Thanks everyone.

]]> By: Patrick http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385221 Patrick Tue, 05 May 2009 09:54:57 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385221 I appreciate you commenting on this, Ryan. Questioning the system obviously can't be equated with not caring about saving children's lives. And even if we reference personal experiences with abductions, the question is whether the Amber system would have (or has) done anything about them. The point here is: 1) the Amber system sucks up resources (not necessarily money, but personel and public attention) that could be employed in other ways, including those that save children's lives, too. 2) the system induces widespread fear (in parents and kids) about something that is very, very unlikely to happen to a child, as opposed to a plethora of things that *are* likely to happen, but noone talks about (like that driving in a car is the number 1 killer of kids, or that initiatives promoting wearing a bike helmet could save a lot more lives). Here's a Boston Globe article about the Amber system: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/20/abducted/?page=1 I appreciate you commenting on this, Ryan.

Questioning the system obviously can’t be equated with not caring about saving children’s lives. And even if we reference personal experiences with abductions, the question is whether the Amber system would have (or has) done anything about them.
The point here is: 1) the Amber system sucks up resources (not necessarily money, but personel and public attention) that could be employed in other ways, including those that save children’s lives, too. 2) the system induces widespread fear (in parents and kids) about something that is very, very unlikely to happen to a child, as opposed to a plethora of things that *are* likely to happen, but noone talks about (like that driving in a car is the number 1 killer of kids, or that initiatives promoting wearing a bike helmet could save a lot more lives).

Here’s a Boston Globe article about the Amber system:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/07/20/abducted/?page=1

]]> By: Ryan Dube http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385163 Ryan Dube Mon, 04 May 2009 22:43:02 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385163 LJ - thanks for the feedback, do you have documentation to support that most children reported abducted were falsely reported? I'd like to see that. LJ – thanks for the feedback, do you have documentation to support that most children reported abducted were falsely reported? I’d like to see that.

]]> By: Ryan Dube http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385162 Ryan Dube Mon, 04 May 2009 22:41:05 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385162 Thanks Patrick - you're right, the European statistics came from a different source and seem a bit low, but I think that's just the scale...in other words the time period that the numbers represent, I might have gotten that off. I do believe the US numbers are accurate though - and troubling. I know a number of families who've had their kids abducting (in one case a girl was murdered) - so I find the attitude above disturbing - toward a system that is at least attempting to engage the public in staying vigilant against the sort of people who would do this. Thanks Patrick – you’re right, the European statistics came from a different source and seem a bit low, but I think that’s just the scale…in other words the time period that the numbers represent, I might have gotten that off. I do believe the US numbers are accurate though – and troubling. I know a number of families who’ve had their kids abducting (in one case a girl was murdered) – so I find the attitude above disturbing – toward a system that is at least attempting to engage the public in staying vigilant against the sort of people who would do this.

]]> By: Ryan Dube http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385160 Ryan Dube Mon, 04 May 2009 22:37:10 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385160 Thanks for the feedback guys...didn't realize there were people out there who take issue with a system set up to save children's lives, if it's possible. :) I'll keep that in mind with future articles. ;) Thanks for the feedback guys…didn’t realize there were people out there who take issue with a system set up to save children’s lives, if it’s possible. :) I’ll keep that in mind with future articles. ;)

]]> By: Dylan http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385157 Dylan Mon, 04 May 2009 22:22:49 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385157 Glad I'm not the only one who was going to link to the Cracked article. Glad I’m not the only one who was going to link to the Cracked article.

]]> By: LJ http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385154 LJ Mon, 04 May 2009 22:06:19 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385154 This system is totally ineffective, the statistics reported are a joke. Most of these "abducted" children have in fact just been reported missing by a parent because they went to play at a friends house or similar without telling mommy This system is totally ineffective, the statistics reported are a joke. Most of these “abducted” children have in fact just been reported missing by a parent because they went to play at a friends house or similar without telling mommy

]]> By: Lou Carey http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385142 Lou Carey Mon, 04 May 2009 20:40:12 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385142 Couldn't you have just called this article "How To Help Find Abducted Children using Mobile Amber Alerts" to promote helping others rather than promoting heroism? This would make it about others rather than self. Just a thought. Couldn’t you have just called this article “How To Help Find Abducted Children using Mobile Amber Alerts” to promote helping others rather than promoting heroism? This would make it about others rather than self.

Just a thought.

]]> By: Patrick http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385112 Patrick Mon, 04 May 2009 17:54:30 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385112 Sorry, but as the commenter above me has pointed out, this system does pretty much nothing about the actual problem. What it *does* do however, is add to the incessant scaremongering (about kids' safety in particular) that's going on everywhere - just take a look at the numbers of "abductions", for example, and tell me why the US with five times the population of the UK supposedly has 269 times the abductions... someone has to re-read their statistics. Sorry, but as the commenter above me has pointed out, this system does pretty much nothing about the actual problem.

What it *does* do however, is add to the incessant scaremongering (about kids’ safety in particular) that’s going on everywhere – just take a look at the numbers of “abductions”, for example, and tell me why the US with five times the population of the UK supposedly has 269 times the abductions… someone has to re-read their statistics.

]]> By: Charax http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-become-a-hero-help-find-abducted-children-using-mobile-amber-alerts/#comment-385104 Charax Mon, 04 May 2009 16:39:06 +0000 http://www.makeuseof.com/?p=16684#comment-385104 http://www.cracked.com/article_17216_5-most-popular-safety-laws-that-dont-work.html #3, the Amber Alert http://www.cracked.com/article_17216_5-most-popular-safety-laws-that-dont-work.html

#3, the Amber Alert

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