Unpleasant old man in the park, yesterday.

[cjd]

That's such a twatty thing to say.
QUOTE]

Really...? a matter of opinion I suppose.

I do though, resent your post....particularly as you first descibed him as 'old'....i.e.70+, which seems to indicate that the elderly are somehow an unacceptable face of society. Ask most elderly people about grand-children and you may notice a smile comes to their face instantly. It's not a smile just because they're blood relations.......the elderly just seem to get so much more pleasure from seeing children than younger adults do. Why they do, I don't totally know...(albeit I worked with the elderly for 30 years), but I do know, that the state of their dress has very little to do with their intentions.

Never judge a book by it's cover.

 

[clippedgull]

People tend to over exaggerate the 'stranger danger' when most abused kids are abused by family members. The press also tends to highlight any abuse of children so therefore the danger is blown out of proportion. Kids are in no more danger now than they were 50 years ago when it was the norm to be playing out in the street.

Exactly this.

Too much stereotyping in this world sadly.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I don't recall boasting about it all. Neither do I recall swearing at him. Neither were my young children with me.

I'm certain you swore and I know you boasted about your confrontation - I have a memory like an elephant - sadly the characteristics finish there, although I am quite adept to teamwork - I was hoping trunk, but who am I kidding?

It wasn't a slur on your parenting skills - more a confrontational rebuttal of the claim that Stat Brother was lacking - I probably should have minded my own business. Always a weakness of mine.

Sorry.

Whilst we ARE on the subject of stranger danger, I do think the tabloids have played an important role in spreading unecessary fear. It is quote sad when people get their cameras confiscated at swimming pools/beaches and are treated as a possible danger.

However, Stat Brother was best placed to judge in this instance, and perhaps his first post did not do the situation justice.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

The OP obviosly judged as he felt best with the info he had so i'll not condem him.

However, it is an issue that I'm aware of, as a guy who likes to talk, it's something we are 'no longer suppose to do' even though I'm a dad & G/dad.

Funny how that a football ground is one of the few places where it doesn't seem 'strange' for adults and kids to chat.

 

[cjd]

I'm certain you swore and I know you boasted about your confrontation - I have a memory like an elephant - sadly the characteristics finish there, although I am quite adept to teamwork - I was hoping trunk, but who am I kidding?

It wasn't a slur on your parenting skills - more a confrontational rebuttal of the claim that Stat Brother was lacking - I probably should have minded my own business. Always a weakness of mine.

Sorry.

Whilst we ARE on the subject of stranger danger, I do think the tabloids have played an important role in spreading unecessary fear. It is quote sad when people get their cameras confiscated at swimming pools/beaches and are treated as a possible danger.

However, Stat Brother was best placed to judge in this instance, and perhaps his first post did not do the situation justice.

For the second time BOF, I neither swore at Ken Brown......or 'boasted' about it on here. I did, defend my corner on this Board after reading critisism. I was actually there.

With regard to Stat Brothers original post (whose posts I normally enjoy), it would surely have made far more sense to talk to the 'old' man. I can't imagine ignoring somebody and 'shooing' my children away just because they were talking to them, particularly if they have passed a compliment ("oh, they are lovely at that age"). A two minute conversation with the 'old' man would have enabled Stat Brother to make a more informed judgement......perhaps taught his children, that 'old' and 'grimy' doesn't mean they are a peadophile........and may well have made a lonely 'old' man, struggling with day to day life, happy.

He made the original post...presumably to gauge re-action to his actions. He got it.

 

[BadFish]

I am interested to know if you considered calling the police?

 

[El Presidente]

Did your children see you laying into Ken Brown? You boasted about how angry and sweary you got. The chap made mistakes that night, but a good example to set..?

To be fair to cjd (and I was standing right behind him when it happened, it was worth the admission fee by itself), Ken Brown did have suspicious shoes on that evening.

 

[Kazenga <3]

One of my grandad's favourite stories is how he and his mates used to exploit the local paedo. He would give them a small bit of money every saturday morning to get him a paper in order to get them to come into his house later to drop it off. Every week they took his money and SQUANDERED it on sweets and he never saw any of it back In later years the guy molested a young girl and got sent down

 

[dingodan]

I felt sad reading your post.

 

[Kazenga <3]

dude stop posting that video

 

[Barrel of Fun]

To be fair to cjd (and I was standing right behind him when it happened, it was worth the admission fee by itself), Ken Brown did have suspicious shoes on that evening.

Dancing shoes?

Apologies to cjd. I was convinced that he swore and I was certain that there was some boasting about his confrontation, on line - maybe we suffer from different definitions.

What was clear that night, was that the stewards were utterly clueless. There is a big open gate and they ignore my calls to have three/four of them sorting our tickets. "No/ I've been told to stand 'ere'" Grow a brain, you prat.

Not as bad as the marathon stewards. God, they needed an injection of common sense/courtesy and life.

 

[cjd]

No worries BOF.

No one is perfect and I constantly have El Presidente to remind me of my failings...LOL.

 

[dingodan]

dude stop posting that video

It happend to be relevant in both threads.

And I reserve the right to post what I damn well please

 

[Lord Bracknell]

In quite unrelated news, today I met an old lady aged 101. She was lovely, bright and alert, and full of lively conversation. Had she been a man, would she have raised the suspicions that have been the subject of this thread?

 

[NMH]

That's such a twatty thing to say.
You have no knowledge of me or my kids, but you have decided on the strength of my unease in one situation that I have no compassion/empathy that I can pass on.
And yet I'm the one that fookin blinkered.

You have no knowledge of this man or his aspect on life, he's entitled to exist in a public park, but you have decided on the strength of his staying in the same place that he's dodgy. It's actually unlikely that a pervert would express out loud to a parent that he thinks their children "lovely at that age", and more than likely he said that completely innocently.

But regardless - you posted this on this website so you are open to comments like the one criticizing your compassion.

Do you REALLY need everyone to STROKE your mindset so you feel better, and if so - why? I suspect you harbour a little guilt at rushing to judge this person so you need that endorsed by others. If not - why bother that someone fails to endorse you?
Have a conversation with yourself.

 

[KneeOn]

In quite unrelated news, today I met an old lady aged 101. She was lovely, bright and alert, and full of lively conversation. Had she been a man, would she have raised the suspicions that have been the subject of this thread?

No.

Social norms are roughly - old man talking to children = perv. Old woman talking to children - old batty but kind.

Sad, but its the state of our country.

 

[Stat Brother]

That's such a twatty thing to say.
QUOTE]

Really...? a matter of opinion I suppose.

I do though, resent your post....particularly as you first descibed him as 'old'....i.e.70+, which seems to indicate that the elderly are somehow an unacceptable face of society. Ask most elderly people about grand-children and you may notice a smile comes to their face instantly. It's not a smile just because they're blood relations.......the elderly just seem to get so much more pleasure from seeing children than younger adults do. Why they do, I don't totally know...(albeit I worked with the elderly for 30 years), but I do know, that the state of their dress has very little to do with their intentions.

Never judge a book by it's cover.

I live on the Sussex coast how can I possibly think 'the elderly are somehow an unacceptable face of society', more worryingly how can you jump to that conclusion.
The reference to his age was more about placing him as someone who isn't going to 'do a Roy Whiting', an inflamatory name, I know.

As for the rest of your post, as I've said before I fully agree with, but not for this man.
When it comes to broad minded woolly liberalism, thanks to growing up under Thatcher and Blair, I'm your man, but that doesn't mean when my entire being is going wooooh hang on this ain't right, I'm going to hang around, with my kids, to prove myself wrong.

 

[Stat Brother]

I am interested to know if you considered calling the police?

A fair question, and no I didn't.
As a rule it's never my 1st thought anyway, very much a case of they have to much to do sorting out 'real' crimes not my suspicions.

 

[Stat Brother]

Do you REALLY need everyone to STROKE your mindset so you feel better, and if so - why? I suspect you harbour a little guilt at rushing to judge this person so you need that endorsed by others. If not - why bother that someone fails to endorse you?
Have a conversation with yourself.

Nope as in this case I don't feel in anyway wrong.
Being a new parent it was my first and only time where I have felt the need to act as I did, so I put it up on here to gauge opinion.
It seems to be proving an interesting and lively debate, is that not what an open forum is for?

 

[Shegull]

There are times when you have just got to go with your gut feelings and if it doesn't feel right then maybe its not. If, in looking out for his children, Stat was not rude or offensive to the old man then there is no harm done and he felt that he was protecting his children. Every parent looks out for their children thats natural.