CAMPOS: A nation of hysterics
By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published April 30, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Lenore Skenazy, a columnist for The New York Sun, caused quite a stir earlier this month when she wrote about letting her 9-year-old son take a subway and bus by himself across Manhattan. The boy had been begging her to allow him to test his big city commuting skills on his own, and she finally agreed, handing him a map, a subway token, some quarters, and a $20 bill.
She didn't give him her cell phone, nor did she secretly tail him as he sallied forth across Gotham alone.
Within days Skenazy was on various television news programs, explaining why she was not, contrary to the opinion of many commentators, America's Worst Mother.
Skenazy pointed out that for a child to be abducted by a stranger is literally a one-in-a-million event (there were about 115 such abductions in the U.S. in 2006, of which about 50 resulted in the child's death. There are about 75 million children in America).
She emphasized that New York is a very safe city, with the same crime rate as Boise, Idaho. And she insisted that not allowing children to go anywhere without adult supervision is bad both for the children themselves, and for parents who give free rein to their neurotic obsessions with risk and safety.
These are excellent points, and reminded me of something a friend told me recently. She lives in an upscale Denver neighborhood, with her husband and two small children.
Another of the neighborhood's young mothers (needless to say discussions of this topic always focus on the responsibilities of mothers, as opposed to parents) had asked her if she had checked the Internet to confirm the precise location of the neighborhood's registered sex offenders.
My friend had not, but she soon realized that failing to do so could well mark her as a negligent mom among her hypervigilant peers. And of course by doing so her own anxiety level regarding her children's safety was raised, even though at a rational level she realizes (she's a lawyer) that a sex offender address registry doesn't tell you much of anything about actual risk.
All this reflects a more general problem: the many cultural and political forces pushing us to behave like a nation of hysterics.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the typical American suburb is just about the safest place that has ever existed in the history of the world - yet it's full of terrified people.
Statistics have little power in the face of a media environment in which extraordinarily rare events, such as strangers kidnapping children, are presented as commonplace by profit-hungry "news" outlets, for whom the bottom line is that fear sells.
Politicians realize this too. The ongoing overreaction to the 9/11 terrorist attacks is only the most vivid example of how our leaders cynically exploit our fears by making wildly exaggerated claims, such as that Islamic terrorism poses an "existential threat" to America.
Indeed, the reactions to Skenazy's column are a nice example of how the personal is political, and vice versa. Skenazy notes that one acquaintance told her that he requires his daughter to call home after she has walked the one block to her friend's house, even though they live in a typically crime-free suburb.
Other parents informed her they don't allow their children to walk alone to the mailbox.
This kind of thing encourages children to see the world in fear-ridden terms, and to grow up to become the sort of people more interested in having their government protect them from largely imaginary threats than in preserving their civil liberties.
At this point, we should be more afraid of having our children stolen from us by Republicans than by kidnappers.
Paul Campos is a professor of law at the University of Colorado. He can be reached at paul.campos@colorado.edu.
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April 30, 2008
12:35 a.m.
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MrPeabody writes:
I'd better check myself into the nearest mental health facility. I actually agree with most of what he wrote here.
April 30, 2008
4:14 a.m.
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JohnSWren writes:
Fear is the great motivator, selling everything from newspapers to new government programs. Tired of being afraid? Join us Sunday for the new Denver Speakers Corner in Civic Center. More info and optional RSVP at http://cocacop.meetup.com/2
April 30, 2008
6:34 a.m.
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freethinker07 writes:
Campos is right. If the media is going to quote statistics, we need to teach people how to read statistics.
April 30, 2008
7:22 a.m.
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Miseslover writes:
I agree with most of this, until the end. Yes, Republican's will take your children so they can be used in wars around the globe. But don't forget that it is Democrats who love to take children away from parents who they deem unworthy. Those not raised in the proper "enlightened" manner of the 21st Century--"look into the light and repeat after me--Children must be schooled in a state run institution, Children must be schooled in a state run institution."
April 30, 2008
7:33 a.m.
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Mike_In_Hartsel writes:
Wow, Paul. I can't think of anything to say except, "Good article", and the proper wording for the last sentence should be, "At this point, we should be more afraid of having our children converted to conservative ideas by Republicans."
April 30, 2008
8:42 a.m.
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irisman writes:
Campos is absolutely right on this one. I was raised in Brooklyn New York, until we moved to Pennsylvania when I was 10, but we would still visit N.Y. to see friends and relatives. It was considered a basic part of of a child's upbringing to learn to use the public transit system. Kids would travel all over the city with their parents and become familiar with the Subway lines and local bus routes. By the time kids were 8 years old, they would be allowed to ride the local buses, and by age 10 they could ride selected subway routes. By the age of 12 they could ride the Subway all over New York City, but not at night.
Just yesterday, Vince wrote an editorial about the absurdity of the airport security system. The purpose of all this nonsense is to terrorize the people into giving up their Constitutional rights, and it seems to be working.
April 30, 2008
9:26 a.m.
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crhotz writes:
This was a PC article I actually agreed with!! Until he threw in the 9/11 thing. Why did you have to take a very good point and ruin it with your tired, liberal rant about 9/11 being no big deal?
April 30, 2008
9:28 a.m.
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Konyok writes:
Professor Campos skillfully demonstrates the non-sequitor argument for the class today. He painstakingly describes the sunrise, flashes that annoying rooster and then helpfully underscores the conclusion that the reader is *suppposed* to come to: roosters cause the sunrise. (Republicans in camel hair coats trolling Americas sidewalks for unwary children to kidnap.)
I am still wondering if he is pulling our legs with this column.
I'm also very curious why his column from last week was never posted on this on-line forum. Was it his decision or the Rocky's?
April 30, 2008
9:30 a.m.
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Ted_in_Vegas writes:
If, all you look at is 9/11 and none of the other several dozen attacks and attempts on the US by Al-Queda and others, then - and only then - can you come close to seeing a non-war like Campos does.
He should give up law and become a better student of history, even recent history.
April 30, 2008
9:45 a.m.
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Marshdale writes:
Gene, Who are the ones telling us to be vigilant? Who are the ones calling other countries the axis of evil? Who are the ones who came up with red, green, blue, and whatever color days? Who diverted the war from the real culprit of 911 to Iraq? Who are the ones who say we have to sacrifice our civil liberty in order to be protected? Those who use fear as a power tool are those we should fear the most. I'll take my chances with Muslim extremists before I ever would with this bunch in White House.
April 30, 2008
10:21 a.m.
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4gColoNative writes:
Would be a very good piece if the paragraph referencing 9/11 and the last sentence were taken out. Doesn't Campos bounce this stuff off anyone else? Isn't there an editor? Seems like rookie journalistic errors.
April 30, 2008
10:23 a.m.
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Konyok writes:
Jeez Louise, people!
Don't confuse the rooster with the sunrise.
The culture of fear is much bigger and more pervasive than our political parties. Indeed, fear has become the principal lever that BOTH parties use to promote their agendas. They are merely adapting to the environment created by the media.
If it isn't the headchoppers to fear, then it's Bush and Cheney coming to waterboard you. If it isn't global warming it's immigrants taking your job.
The state of Colorado is now going to require that 4'10' be the minimum height to ride in a car without a child seat - that means my 80 year old mother ... Why? Fear.
Second hand smoke, transfats, predatory lenders, secular humanism, e coli, mad cow disease, government AIDS conspiracies. Fear!
Don't confuse the rooster with the sunrise.
April 30, 2008
11:21 a.m.
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peterpi writes:
I rode a bus by myself when I was 9. Nowadays that would be considered child abuse by some.
I agree with Paul Campos' comments about suburbs. They're very safe, yet filled with people who are scared to death. I live in Central Denver, and until recently often walked or took the bus late at night. I felt perfectly safe. My suburban cousins act like I was commiting suicide. Hell, some suburbanites act like even being in Denver is enough to get you killed. Suburbs are insular cocoons that make their inhabitants very afraid of everywhere else.
Campos took some cheap shots, I agree, but the gist of his column is right on.
April 30, 2008
11:37 a.m.
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jay writes:
campos is right...your children are far more likely to die in an unnecessary repoublican war in the middle east than they are to be abducted and senselessly killed by a stanger...if there is a difference.
April 30, 2008
12:17 p.m.
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Jeff writes:
peterpi,
Well put. Yes, Campos injected some of his political views into this column (which predictably made those with other political views foam at the mouth), but I really don't see how anyone could disagree with the point of this piece.
I was raised in a middle-class suburb, about the most mundane and typical upbringing imaginable. Although we lived in a very safe, low-crime area, it was inculcated into my head very early that venturing more than a block or two away from my home would result in an abduction and subesquent molestation. When the occassional news story emerged that seemed to validate such fears, the item was eagerly shared and discussed among the neighborhood mothers, educators, etc.
I hate to pull the blame-the-media card, but I think that has a lot to do with it. The other night I saw a teaser for an expose piece on Fox 31. It was about a black guy whom the government had somehow classified as dead. The teaser explained how this guy's life had become really screwed up and at the end the announcer added "Could it happen to you!?" real ominous-like. I (and probably most people) found the melodrama laughable, but I know there's an audience that's absorbing those fear tactics like a sponge.
Yeah, when it comes to news, fear sells.
April 30, 2008
12:23 p.m.
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ImYourHuckleberry writes:
Can anybody explain to me why SASQUACH says Campos is proof that affirmative action doesn't work at the end of his posts?
April 30, 2008
12:40 p.m.
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jamesdenver writes:
agree. suburbs isolate one from another by creating walls of cul de sacs and closed garage doors. real communities know their neighbors, elderly folks, kids, and singles. most know each other - and know that when a kid is out playing or exploring one watches our for another.
i grew up walking/biking from school alone, and took the bus downtown (grand rapids) at 10-11 to see my grandparents. and my parents let me run around the neighborhood with the other kids exploring creeks, baseball fields, and other kid stuff.
i'd hate to be a kid now stuck inside a "media" room in front of a TV/game console with an overprotective mom afraid to let me leave the yard.
james http://www.futuregringo.com
May 1, 2008
12:33 a.m.
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HolierThanThou writes:
Funny thing about rights. You take them away from one person. Have others just go along with that. And they all end up loosing their rights. Ask any German who has graduated from gymnasium with acceptable marks in history.
So, let's start with Guantanamo, America's favorite gulag. It contains a small population of strategically insignificant unfortunates whose sole purpose for being there is to terrorize other captives who are not there. It violates the Geneva Convention. It's illegal under our own laws and constitution. It makes nonsense out of due process and habeas corpus. It's a practice run for bigger and better ideas that place uppity Americans in the fascist crosshairs.
Bush hates FISA. His G-Men illegally got hold of my phone records and they probably have yours, too. They did this without a warrant. It's not only a violation of my privacy and a breach of contract with the telecom who illegally acquiesced to this violation, it's theft. Those are MY phone records and no one has a right to copy them without a warrant. The G-men who stole those records broke the law and belong in jail. The executives who assisted them in violating the law belong on the bottom bunk.
So, to answer the question of whether Bush has taken our rights away. We can safely say yes he has. Bush has trampled the rights of foreigners and Americans with theft, perjury before Congress, illegal kidnappings, false imprisonment, and mass murder.
He has so far gotten away with it by leveraging the hysterical fears that run rampant in the American public.
May 1, 2008
1:28 a.m.
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epaminondas writes:
This forum is obviously the meeting place of the brightest minds in the World.
May 1, 2008
7:29 a.m.
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GetaReal writes:
How in the Hell can you morons look at a goose and see an Elephant?
Liberals tell you that you are stupid and must be taken care of, by them of course because only they know the truth.
Conservatives tell you to work hard and be responsible for yourself because no one knows better than the public at large.
You guys choose which one you like. If you believe yourself to be stupid I would go with the liberals.
May 1, 2008
9:40 a.m.
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Bookem writes:
Mr. Peabody & epaminondos:
Please, please do NOT post ever again! ;-) I about laughed myself to death with your comments!!
May 1, 2008
9:40 a.m.
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HerbToEarth writes:
Holy moley! Is Campos morphing into a conservative? But for a couple of left jabs at Republicans in this column, it could be John Stossel debunking the fear mongering of sundry activists and pseudo scientists. Throw in a few sentences about "the dumbing down of America," and it could be social commentary by any conservative columnist who comes to mind. I would love to believe that those left jabs are nothing more than unintentional lapses, if only I could overcome the suspicion that they are nothing less than the blinkered perceptions of a die-hard liberal.
May 1, 2008
1:46 p.m.
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golffanatic777 writes:
Well Campos ALMOST got it right. The article hits the proverbial nail on the head...we are a nation of hysterics. But to suggest that this is a partisan issue only highlights Mr. Campos' tunnel vision. This is about the nanny state vs. freedom. Republicans HARDLY have a monopoly on telling people what to do and creating a climate of fear. While the "right" is doing their damndest to make us terrified of islamo-facists, the "left" does more than their part to sow fear here at home. Until we get out of this meaningless "republican/democrat" paradigm we're stuck in and start looking at this as liberty vs. state control of our lives, people like Campos will continue to keep missing the mark. The difference isn't between people like McCain and Hillary...at their core they're statists and nearly identical. The real difference is between politicians like Al Gore and Ron Paul...it's fascist nanny-state control vs. liberty.
May 1, 2008
3:48 p.m.
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HerbToEarth writes:
Well, golf fanatic, you would have gotten it completely right, if you would have left Ron Paul out of it. All that he has to offer is a tyranny of the misanthropes - who constitute the great majority of his supporters. Seriously, I've encountered quite a few of them, and they were all losers and bigots. No offense intended to you, if you don't fit that description (and judging by your literacy level, you probably don't).
May 1, 2008
7:35 p.m.
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golffanatic777 writes:
Let me see if I get this straight HerbToEarth...you think people who love freedom, liberty and believe in adherence to the Constitution hate and mistrust all people?? That's an amazing non sequitur. Nothing screams "loser" like suggesting we shouldn't have an empire abroad huh? And it's certainly "bigoted" to believe in a smaller constitutional-sized Federal government I suppose?
If you disagree with a philosophy of liberty and non-interventionism, then I suggest actually offering arguments for your side (whatever it may be) rather than resulting to name-calling.
And to get this post back on track to comment about Mr Campos' article, only Ron Paul (and Dennis Kucinich to a great degree) has refrained from praying on the fears of the American people when talking about issues like terrorism and our national security. Dr. Paul puts liberty first, and consistently points out that you never have to give up liberty to have be safe. Misanthropes, bigots and losers indeed.
May 1, 2008
9:11 p.m.
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HerbToEarth writes:
Your whole post is a non sequitor, golffanatic. I acknowledge that libertarianism, or "paleoconservatism," is within the legitimate political spectrum, but much of Ron Paul's base isn't - and I'm not sure that he is, either. I'm more than a little leery of a guy who spreads his message through the kind of hate rags that Willis Carto puts out. When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. And Paul has kept company with quite a few of them over the years. If you're the sort who thinks that the only real Americans are those of European-Protestant ancestry who hate everybody else, then I regard you as one of them. If not, no offense intended. If you're interested in more detail, here's a link that will give it to you:
http://formerspook.blogspot.com/searc...
Be sure to scroll down, because there's more than one article.
May 1, 2008
9:48 p.m.
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HerbToEarth writes:
By the way golffanatic:
If you read my original post, just above yours, you should have a rough idea of where I reside on the political spectrum.
May 1, 2008
10:48 p.m.
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daRock writes:
I am far more concerned that our children will be kidnapped and brainwashed by the liberal, social engineering education system than by Republicans.
My 2¢
May 1, 2008
11:14 p.m.
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golffanatic777 writes:
I'm so glad HerbToEarth that you have deemed the philosophy of freedom and liberty to be within the legitimate political spectrum. You in no way in your response explain why my post was a non sequitor however. I understand though that it's much easier to slander and name-call than it is to actually present arguments.
I am not concerned with what you consider Dr. Paul's base, any more than I am concerned with Obama's base or McCain's base. I'm concerned with the message itself and the actual candidate and his or her positions. You have yet to make any arguments refuting the philosophy that Dr. Paul espouses in almost 3 decades of speeches, votes and writings.
You may not like the people that are attracted to his message, but does that invalidate the message itself? I think not and I think in your more sober moments you would agree with me. If you're interested in more information on the Ron Paul revolution, here's a fantastic interview with John Stossel that the misanthropes at ABC kept from airing. Maybe it was just fit for losers and the bigoted. I offer a link to part I and you can take it from there.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UJz81lAwY0M
May 2, 2008
12:03 p.m.
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HerbToEarth writes:
Well golffanatic:
The reason that your previous post was a non sequitor is that it presupposes that I am discrediting libertarianism along with Ron Paul. I thought that was self-evident. I'm unable to disassociate any politician from his base, because I think that they represent his agenda even better than he does. Politicians leave a lot unsaid in their public statements, in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience. But the base knows how to fill in the gaps. Perhaps we can agree that this country would be a lot better off with a lot fewer lawyers. By my lights, they have abused the powers of all branches government to encroach on our liberties, with a vengeance like no other. But, even if we assume that Ron Paul is about liberty for all, I wouldn't care to live in Nineteenth Century America. And I doubt that such an America could live very well in the current century. For me, life is about what can be, not what was and can never be again. I want to live in an America that shapes the future for the better, even if that requires some interventionism. Be well!
May 3, 2008
9:15 a.m.
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Roader writes:
I agree with HerbToEarth; Except for the gratuitous and irrelavent jabs at Republicans, this column could have been written by Mike Rosen.
Way to go Professor Campos! I look forward to more columns that combine facts with common sense.
May 3, 2008
6:14 p.m.
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rjnova writes:
Campos’ real purpose here is exposed when he knocks Bush and Republicans, which makes no sense or connection at all with this story of some woozy liberal NYC broad and sycophant of Campos. Moreover, that hole in the ground in lower Manhattan where the WTC stood is evident more than an existential Islamic threat exists. Only your basic leftist, blame America First socialist thinks we are over reacting to this monstrous attack on America. Only Campos and his ilk can put any other face on this attack.
Campos and Skenazy sending a child by himself on the NYC subway is insanity. I go to NYC on business and I do not feel safe when alone there. There are far more dangers than a random abduction to worry about. The boy could be caught in the cross fire of a shootout between rival gangs over drug trade rivalry. Then there are your normal miscreants; queers, cross dressers, pimps, weirdoes, panhandlers and your basic NYC hustler, which includes a good portion of the population.
While it is true Middle American suburbs are generally safe and crime free NYC is not your normal city. These people do not live in the real world. Many do not know most of this country exists beyond New Jersey, which they think is farm country. One guy ask me “Illinois isn’t that where they have those big pig ranches?” Anything more than a 50 x 100 ft. lot is a ranch to these isolationists. And I deal with supposedly educated technical and engineering people.
NYC like Mexico City is an example of a city that is so corrupt and huge it is unworkable. Some city organization is always on strike. You cannot depend on getting anything accomplished if you do not pay a bribe to someone or other. If they ever give the US an enema the tube should be inserted in NYC.
Campos probably fantasizes over being abducted and ravaged time and again in some back alley and thinks anyone would welcome it. I could not at first believe he really supported this crazy mother but the more I think about it he surely does. It is scary to think impressionable young college students are exposed to this guy’s warped sense of values.
May 5, 2008
1:53 a.m.
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Patron_Drinker writes:
Am I the only one who missed the end of the story? Did the kid make it home safe? did she really have a kid?
I can't believe that Paul's not on some diatribe about obesity. Isn't that why his beloved terrorists want us dead this week?
May 12, 2008
4:19 p.m.
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News_Editor writes:
"Another of the neighborhood's young mothers (needless to say discussions of this topic always focus on the responsibilities of mothers, as opposed to parents) had asked her if she had checked the Internet to confirm the precise location of the neighborhood's registered sex offenders."
"My friend had not, but she soon realized that failing to do so could well mark her as a negligent mom among her hypervigilant peers. And of course by doing so her own anxiety level regarding her children's safety was raised, even though at a rational level she realizes (she's a lawyer) that a sex offender address registry doesn't tell you much of anything about actual risk."
Lovely, now do we want to talk about how the real deal goes down and how mistakes are sometimes made and how the numbers are compiled out of inaccurate reports and such mistakes? How people are sometimes falsely accused and then given plea deals so that they won't go to jails and prisons if they will just take some mental health treatments?
I appreciate this article and especially these paragraphs. Not to say that sexual abuse never happens, because we obviously know that some small amount does and sometimes some really severe abuse happens, where kids are kidnapped, beat, and raped. However, we are minimizing these kinds of horrendous events by fear mongering and building numbers for profit. We are dousing our minds with fear and hate.
It is really terrible when we can't go anyplace without looking at every child as being potentially victimized or abused in some way or looking at every person as a potential abuser. This is right it is mostly moms being done this way. It is getting way out of hand, really it is.
We are making a nation of fear mongerers that are scared to get out of the house and live normal lives, but then what is a "normal" life? Today being "normal" means living in fear of everything and everyone and seeing harm every place we turn. Also of having a "mental illness" or "brain disease" made out of all of this. Because it means people being treated by mental health laws in one way or another. The thing about this is that all of this is making this a nation of mentally disabled people, more then likely drugged on addictive mind altering drugs since they are now being considered the best treatment, causing even more problems.
Thank you for this fine article. I don't see this as a Democratic or Republican thing, I see this as an economic stanglehold on this country where much of the bread and butter is coming from the jobs and the social economic benefits of the psycho-social-court systems, and the people that are prospering from it in one way or another as so many are now, admittedly or not. Thanks again for this fine article.