Comments

Clive Robinson • August 5, 2025 9:09 AM

Is the Global MSM to blame?

Is a question I find myself asking not just more and more frequently but when ever I hear parents doing what would have caused surprise, shock and consternation in my parents.

And no it’s not just “helicopter parenting” which usually comes about for two reasons, one of which is the social disapproval by other parents (parents of any child with the now numerous mental disabilities will know this social horror for what it is “discrimination”).

We get to hear of parents being criminalised because they did not cover their children with SPF50 enough to please some incompetent and similar.

Curious children in new and interesting places will scoot away from parents and it’s actually a sign of intelligence in the child, a desire to learn and know. But to the Guard Labour types it is seen as heinous dereliction of parental duties in part because it’s a crime that has now comeback if they allege it.

Why do they get away with such false accusations, well in part it’s the Global MSM. They have a business policy towards profit, thus they have to attract eyeballs, to get advertising money. How to get eyeballs, well to not go through all the steps much profit is earned by,

“If it bleeds it leads”

The actual figures show that “child abduction” is incredibly rare by population size and their are other factors that need to be in place before it happens.

Thus a child scooting off in the zoo to get a better look at the penguins is not unexpected and almost predictable. But the odds of it being an abduction are so small the chances are it will never happen to you, anyone you know, or anyone they know or anyone in your home town / city.

Yet fear, uncertainty, and doubt “sell product” when pushed with “dog whistle” memes such as “think of the children”

And as we know Politicians just love their dog whistles[1] and people in the UK are genuinely in fear that what they say will get the a late night “knock on the door” and “excessive prison sentences”. Under what is now called “two tier justice” and is seen as political authoritarian behaviour by successive UK Governments that became more than noticable under Boris Johnson when the “Covid Crisis” enabled him to push through highly questionable legislation.

So parents, under fear of authoritarians using “Might is Right” policing not just enabled but driven on by the Global MSM are getting bullet proof backpacks mobile phones with tracking apps and now air-tag ready shoes, just so they can be seen as “behaving as responsible parents”…

[1] The UK technology minister Peter Kyle who is an unsavoury individual at best, has very recently accused anyone who questions the “Online Safety Act”(OSA) as being the equivalent of a child molester. The OSA is Something that Elon Musk has indicated is unwarranted overly broad censorship and a restriction on free speech.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgery3eeqzxo

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/musk-x-online-safety-act-uk-government-overreach-free-speech/

Chris • August 5, 2025 1:17 PM

“Since Skechers only makes this product in kids’ sizes, it’s unlikely that these shoes could be used to surveil adults against their will”

Is it just me or am I the only one who doesn’t recall being bestowed my own will at my 18th birthday party? Of course, this is a nit with the editing of the article and not the technology itself. What’s your guess on the over/under on how long it’ll be before a non-custodial parent abuses this?

Robin • August 5, 2025 1:20 PM

@Clive, All: there is another massive risk: that children start to treat their parents as “the enemy”. Kids naturally rebel, it’s part of growing up and is a solid part of the challenge of being a wise parent. But the moment you start surveilling kids as if they are spies or criminals you fall into deep shit.

anon • August 5, 2025 1:22 PM

Why? Just stick a peace sign sticker on the front and a pin on the back and they’ll wear it proudly. Or if you want, use an ‘I Hate my parents’ sticker.

If you’re really serious, you’ll have them implanted with a pet tracker before they leave the nenonatal care ward.

Glen • August 5, 2025 3:54 PM

I can’t wait for when the children start swapping AirTags to just confuse their parents.

Not really anonymous • August 5, 2025 4:26 PM

I remember when American culture ridiculed societies that didn’t allow anonymous travel. Now a days most people think all adults carry a tracking device with them all of the time.

Clive Robinson • August 5, 2025 7:53 PM

@ Chris,

With regards,

“only makes this product in kids’ sizes”

Two issues,

1, For now, if they become a success than other designs and sizes will probably come along, and may not be “kids sizes” (if you believe TV, what dad would not want to bug his teenage daughters stilettos…).

2, Some adults still get into “kids sizes” a friend has a Brazilian wife, who passes herself of as a Portuguese teenager because she can wear the larger kids sizes and thus gets to save quite a bit on sales tax etc. Fun thing her teenage daughter has inherited from her dads side and is well over a foot taller than her mum but looks even more slender thus can fit into some kids clothing.

@ Robin,

You make the valid point of,

“children start to treat their parents as “the enemy”
“

At the foundation it is one or both of two issues,

Firstly and potentially most damaging is a trust issue, and if you lie to your kids without real cause they will spot it at some point and will nolonger trust you. From there it’s almost always a very long way down before it bottoms out.

The other is in effect discouraging them growing up it’s a mistake helicopter parents make all to often. If kids are to become adults they have to challenge life, society and their own values. Part of that is rebelling against their parents life and values as a way to find out what is real and what is not. Part of growing up is experimenting. It can be sad when your little princess becomes a Goth etc but realise that if as a parent you try to keep pink over black you are just going to build resentment for something that’s going to change anyway. If you say why you think something is a bad idea and be open to discussing it you might learn from them.

However there are some things you have to be the adult over tattoos and teeth are but two and from either side of the fence. Tattoos and piercings are medically risky and effectively self inflicted scars that can be near life long woth disease like hepatitis being a life long disablement. So reasonably should be discouraged by reason untill at least they are paying for their own health care. Dental care however is the other way around, yes wearing teeth braces is hideous and can be for most of a childs adolescence. But setting teeth right whilst young can stop having a lifetime of hurt and early misery of dentures.

You just have to be honest, grit your teeth and cross your fingers and always try to treat them as being a little more adult than they are.

A friend who is sadly nolonger with us pushed his children a little bit but also let them run. His son went off and became a squatter artist, and his daughter went to a well renowned design collage. His son now has a successful building business, his daughter well she popped up in the New Years Honours one year for contributions to the British fashion industry and is thus now a “Dame”.

On balance they both have done well for themselves by following their passions but “kept on the rails” by gentle direction and patience.

Give me twenty years and I’ll let you know if I’ve made a success or not 😉

@ anon,

Not sure if you are joking or not with,

“If you’re really serious, you’ll have them implanted with a pet tracker before they leave the nenonatal care ward.”

But consider if we do it to our pets as many do, and we do quite similar with our older parents who have supposedly got a little “wooly in the head”.

So I’m sure,

“Enforced Cradle to Grave tracking”

Is already a serious political policy somewhere.

Especially as not everyone has or 100% of the time carries their mobile phone with them…

Remember as some say,

“You voted for it, now you have to live with it!”

Just hope it will be easy to remove without life destroying injuries…

@ Glen,

With regards,

“I can’t wait for when the children start swapping AirTags to just confuse their parents.”

The equivalent has already been happening for a number of years in London.

Basically the “local government” has given “travel cards” to all school children 11years or older.

Each card has it’s own serial number that acts like a “primary key” in the London and home counties area.

Less than honest children have realised that they can “swap travel cards” to establish false alibies etc.

Ray Dillinger • August 6, 2025 12:03 AM

@Clive, you’re using the phrase “Global MSM” in a way that indicates you might be in an information bubble. I had no idea what you meant, so I consulted a number of Search Oracles, and discovered that they have no idea either.

Pretty sure you’re not talking about MSM global, which is a consultancy about managing web traffic.

Also pretty sure you’re not talking about Malignant Skin Melanoma, which is what comes up in a medical context.

Pretty sure you don’t mean MSM Global Education, which is a workforce-training company based somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere.

And you definitely don’t mean Methylsulfonylmethane – which is literally the first fifteen or twenty hits, all pointing at people trying to sell it as some kind of supplement or drug for something.

And after getting that far, I realized that if something has entered your routine, assumed-known vocabulary, in a sense that has not yet penetrated the zeitgeist enough to even make a mark on a search engine index, and particularly if you’re blaming it for a lot of things that don’t at first blush seem to be connected to anyone in particular…

You are probably used to communicating exclusively in some very rareified, closed group that has developed its own code words and jargon for things and idiosyncratic ideas about how and why the world works. You may need to reconnect to the rest of the world before you try to unpack that worldview for people who live elsewhere in the infosphere.

MohammadReza P. • August 6, 2025 4:10 AM

I totally get this. It brings back memories of my own childhood. I got a basic phone at 15 so I could contact my family if something went wrong during a trip. The funny thing is, a problem never came up. Instead, the phone created a problem: my family would get into a panic if I missed their call. Before the phone, there was no anxiety.

Now, with these tracking tags, it’s the same deal. Parents are getting anxious over things they never even knew about before.

It’s crazy how technology is often used in the most absurd ways. It’s like we’re competing to see who can use it most foolishly.

Not really anonymous • August 6, 2025 5:38 AM

MSM stands for mainstream media. That phrase has been commonly used in the US for a number of years now.

Bear • August 6, 2025 11:09 AM

Not as commonly used, according to available evidence, as talking about some employee training firm based in India. Which I wouldn’t have expected anyone living in the US to be talking about, unless they work for a company that is actually a customer of that employee training firm.

If the number of people talking about an employee training firm based in India is greater than the number of people using that phrase in that particular way, then I’d say that’s a pretty damned obscure use, and your idea of “commonly” may need adjustment.

dfprovine • August 6, 2025 3:20 PM

Just last week I read a book about this, Averil Offline by Amy Noelle Parks. Averil is a teenager whose parents installed a tracking app on her phone. She chafes against the constant spying, works with a friend to evade being tracked (successfully), and tries to appeal to the app developer because that seems easier than talking to her family.

I liked how it showed some really obvious ways to break the security (tell your parents that you’ll be at a friend’s house and then give the friend your phone), and also how if you can’t talk to your family about this stuff, it’s not really the app that’s the problem.

Clive Robinson • August 6, 2025 5:14 PM

@ Ray Dillinger,

With regards you claim of

“[Y]ou’re using the phrase “Global MSM” in a way that indicates you might be in an information bubble.”

No I’m not living in an “information bubble” and the rest of your statment suggest you might have led and still be leading a very sheltered life because you realy are thinking wacky baccy thoughts about,

“Global MSM”

MSM is a well recognised TLA for,

“Main Stream Media”

Which covers news and similar outlets to the public that are usually “for profit” and subject to the authority of an “Editor” who holds the “buck stop” legally for “publishing” the information and that it falls within the legal strictures for publication.

When talking of an MSM Publication’s stories / information coverage there are generally four descriptors that are I would have thought are fairly self explanatory,

1, Local (town)
2, Regional (county)
3, National (country)
4, Global (world)

Terry Pratchett explained them quite nicely to me one Saturday Evening at a friends party in Oxford in the 1980’s

“Mrs Smith wins first prize for her cake at the village fair. This is only of some interest to those of the town. Judges become ill after tasting Mrs Smiths cake, is of interest to most people in the county at any time, but in “slow news season” of summer it might make front page in a national paper. Judges die because Mrs Smith’s cake contains rat poison thats national news at any time and a contender for the front page. Mrs Smith caught smuggling barrels of gun powder into Parliament’s cellars, well that’s in every national news paper in the world thus it is global coverage news.

Back in May 2007 three year old Madeleine McCann, of the village of Rothley close to the town Melton Mowbary where her parents worked as Doctors, in the county of Leicestershire, of England disappeared from a room in a ground floor holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal.

For various reasons it became international news and still gets reported on world wide,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Madeleine_McCann

It’s been widely reported in the MSM and from a academic research that it has effected millions of parents and how they view the risk to their children.

Similarly with regards the Australian case of the baby Azaria Chamberlain presumed lost to dingos in August 1980, but subject to further legal cases and miscarriages of justice due to poor investigation and questionable expert witness testimony,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain

There are other examples I can give of Global MSM reporting of what are very rare cases that have caused parents to think that very rare events are in effect common and thus they act in ways that are disproportionate,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21399709

https://news.sky.com/story/fox-could-have-ripped-baby-to-pieces-in-attack-at-familys-home-11250657

Bear • August 6, 2025 7:29 PM

And yet, none of these people used the phrase “Global MSM.”

We are well aware that news is often biased or slanted toward whatever is most sensationalist. But it’s not such a frequent topic of discussion for most people that we need some in-talk or jargon to refer to it. It hasn’t gotten too tedious for most people to say what they mean without resorting to some phrase that doesn’t make sense to most of the world, and treat it as though it were some deliberate conspiracy to effect harm instead of a simple market effect.

News companies favor sensationalist takes on things? Yeah, we know. It’s been that way since news of any sort has existed.

Winter • August 7, 2025 12:24 AM

@bear

It’s been that way since news of any sort has existed.

Indeed, it is the root of myths and fairy tales, hagiographies, and was an early business model just after the invention of the printing press.

However, I think you are right when you say it is used nowadays by conspiracy theorists who do not distinguish between Fox News and CNN.

To me it signals an unwillingness to engage with the information that is broadcast and apply sense.

Clive Robinson • August 7, 2025 1:59 AM

@ ALL,

The TLA of MSM has been used on this site for quite some time and nobody has objected or asked about it…

But a claim of

“… using the phrase “Global MSM” in a way that indicates you might be in an information bubble. I had no idea what you meant, so I consulted a number of Search Oracles, and discovered that they have no idea either.”

The funny thing I just made a single search and asked “the recommended” search engine here DuckDuckGo for use of MSM here and it’s AI assistant replied with the following,

—–
Mainstream media (MSM) often amplifies the emotional impact of rare events, leading to a distorted perception of risk in society. This can create unnecessary fear and distract from more common issues that may pose greater threats, such as everyday dangers like car accidents.
schneier.com

Overview of MSM Reporting
Definition and Role

* Mainstream Media (MSM) refers to traditional news outlets like newspapers, television, and radio.

* It plays a crucial role in shaping public perception and informing citizens about current events.

Criticism of MSM

* MSM is often criticized for sensationalism, exaggerating risks, and failing to provide balanced reporting.

* Reports can amplify emotions surrounding rare events, leading to public fear that may not align with actual probabilities.

Impact on Public Trust

* The reliability of MSM can influence public trust in information sources.

* When MSM reports are perceived as biased or misleading, it can lead to skepticism among the audience.

Examples of MSM Influence
Reporting on Security Issues

* MSM coverage can sometimes misrepresent the severity of security threats, leading to public panic.

* For instance, the portrayal of quantum computing as a significant threat has been debated, with some arguing it is overstated.

Censorship and Control

* There are concerns about censorship within MSM, where certain narratives may be suppressed.

* This can create a perception of bias, affecting how information is received by the public.

Conclusion
Mainstream media plays a significant role in shaping public discourse but faces criticism for its approach to reporting. Understanding its influence is essential for navigating information in today’s digital landscape.

schneier.com
—–

So I’m curious as to why people claim MSM as Main Stream Media is unknown… Yet a simple search shows it’s meaning on this site is well established…

So I have to ask about,

1, Peoples failure to use a search engine for a simple enquiry and get a nice AI reply…

2, The dog-piling behaviour[1] of others who likewise obviously can not do a simple search or perhaps for some reason have chosen not to…

3, Having failed in a simple search, have chose to make obviously false claims.

Perhaps those dog-piling would care to explain their behaviour?

[1] Because of the clearly displayed failings, and so to reduce the chance of it being pushed again and so going on endlessly,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogpiling_(Internet)

Winter • August 7, 2025 5:09 AM

@Clive

So I’m curious as to why people claim MSM as Main Stream Media is unknown…

The use of a word and it’s “definition” do not fully overlap, and sometimes don’t overlap much.

For instance, dog whistles are rampant. “Law and order” almost never is used to mean the rule of law, quite the opposite. It is most often used to signify selective use of legal force.

In the same way, MSM an empty “word”. Anyone who labels all of Fox News, CNN, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Frankfurter Algemeine, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera as “MSM” says literally nothing about the reporting or content.

In my experience, almost anyone who says to “not use MSM” immediately follows that up by regurgitating talking points from Breitbart, Fox News, or other “fringe” sources, often by intermediation of Facebook or Xitter. Which is inevitable as you have to get your reporting and “facts” from some news outlet.

You cannot get all your news from personal experience or direct eye witnesses.

The fact that “news” by definition is the unexpected, and we all are biased to signs of danger, is not “corruption”, but simply a fact of life.

When I get “reports” from neighbors, friends, or relatives, I know how to interpret these as I know these people. When I get reports from any news outlet, I apply the same logic.

Just dismissing all news outlets because they are all imperfect “MSM” is illogical and deprives you of sensible news and information.

James W • August 7, 2025 6:33 AM

Black Mirror has a great episode about surveilling children. It is a continual disappointment how science fiction seems to serve as a preview for things to come instead of as a warning of what not to do.

Clive Robinson • August 7, 2025 7:14 AM

@ Winter,

With regards,

“In the same way, MSM an empty “word”. Anyone who labels all of Fox News, CNN, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Frankfurter Algemeine, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera as “MSM” says literally nothing about the reporting or content.”

1, MSM is not about content but naming the industry.
2, Global MSM is about geographic coverage or the reach of an event by some or all of the industry members.

There are other terms such as “bias”, “slant”, “positioning” for what you are trying to express poorly.

Your argument indicates that perhaps you should think in a manner that is more appropriate, as at the moment it reads like,

“Argument created for arguments sake”

Which is behaviour very close to that which has earned the title “sealioning”,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealioning

Winter • August 7, 2025 9:06 AM

@Clive

1, MSM is not about content but naming the industry.

So “Newsmedia” would do the trick? That is more neutral. Words do get soiled by association and MSM has been soiled thoroughly.

In my experience, MSM is always used derogatory, implying “bias”, “slant”, “positioning” in a devious way (as you do now). Your choice of words describing MSM is not neutral. My impression of your use of the word “MSM” is neither.

The fact is that perfectly unbiased and positionless or viewpointless reporting is impossible and reporting always involves selecting a context and a target audience. So demanding perfect impartiality, global viewpoint, including all information, and addressing all humans and all interests in equal amounts, is demanding a superhuman reporter and an unreadable news report.

2, Global MSM is about geographic coverage or the reach of an event by some or all of the industry members.

I don’t understand this point. The addition of “Global” does imply global coverage. If you mean media take reports from each other, that is not only natural, but effective as not every news outlet can have representatives on the ground everywhere.

“Argument created for arguments sake”

You are implying a duplicitous intention. But I simply want to defend news reporters. These are the people who literally risk their lives to report from everywhere, even from the hell-holes of this earth. [1]

[1] 122 media professionals were killed in 2024
‘https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/ifj-publishes-2024-annual-report-on-journalists-and-media-staff-killed

Bear • August 7, 2025 12:28 PM

Well, you’re right, last time around I looked at Google and Yahoo. when I go to DuckDuckGo, the main difference is the lack of links to people trying to sell Methylsulfonylmethane as a drug.

For what it’s worth, I keep every speck of AI slop turned off everywhere I can turn it off.

The hits on the first page, in order, are:
“MSM Global Consulting” – a workforce development company

“MSM” – a Sports Marketing Agency

“MSM Global LLC” – A web marketing company that is proud of using cookies to track website visitors

A different page on the MSM Global Consulting website

“MultiChannel Supply Chain Management” – some kind of rare-parts sourcing company

“MSM Global Enterprises” – Different URL, based in India, apparently also in parts sourcing.

“MSM Global Group” – providing something they call “integrated solutions” which could mean just about anything, based on just the preview paragraph.

And another different page on the MSM Global Consulting website.

lurker • August 7, 2025 2:30 PM

@Bear, ALL

If you just enter MSM in the search bar the machine thinks you want to buy it, whatever it is. An old trick when wanting to know what something is, is to put in the search bar “define: MSM” without quotes.

Using duckduck I get a 50:50 split between Methylsulfonylmethane and Main Stream Media.

thoughtcrime • August 7, 2025 7:48 PM

@Winter
Re: killed media professionals

The curious thing to me is that such things receive relatively little attention. You’ll get the nice obit, along with expressions of regret and remorse. But what you rarely get is any serious expose about trying to bring killers to justice, or taking account of why the police/the foreign ministry/NATO/anyone? are not doing more to right this wrong. You have to wonder why not.

They say you can tell who the powerful are buy who you are not allowed to criticize.

I recall Noam Chomsky, bless him, questioned the objectivity of a certain newspaper in the 1980s (“all the news that’s fit to print” or “all the news that’s fit” ?) — and I haven’t heard anyone claim Chomsky was soiling language by doing so.

So…if I’m not allowed to say MSM, do I say newsmedia or “the media”?

What am I allowed to say, dear Kommentariat?

(Again, they say you can tell who the powerful are buy who you are not allowed to criticize.)

thoughtcrime • August 7, 2025 7:57 PM

Further to my earlier comment about Noam Chomsky:

from:
https://perspectivesinanthropology.com/2021/01/01/the-chomsky-chronicles-wild-man-in-the-wings/

quote:

“Some of Chomsky’s critics have claimed that his political and media studies portray journalists as actively engaged in a kind of conspiracy—an extremely unlikely conspiracy, of course, given the degree of coordination and control it would require. Chomsky’s response is simply that the assumption of conspiracy is unnecessary. The behaviour of journalists in the mainstream media is exactly what one would expect, on average, given the power structure of the institutions in which they are employed, and it is predictable in the same sense and for the same reasons that the behaviour of the president of General Motors is predictable. In order to succeed—in order to be hired and promoted—media personnel must avoid questioning the interests of the corporations they work for or the interests of the elite minority who run those corporations. Because journalists naturally do not wish to think of themselves as mercenaries (no one does), they engage in what amounts to a form of self-deception. They typically think of themselves as stalwart defenders of the truth (as suggested by the slogan of the New York Times, “All the news that’s fit to print”), but when state or corporate interests are at stake they act otherwise, in crucially important ways. In short, very few of them are willing or even able to live up to their responsibility as intellectuals to bring the truth about matters of human significance to an audience that can do something about them.”

Winter • August 7, 2025 11:57 PM

@thoughtcrime

The curious thing to me is that such things receive relatively little attention.

It is in our national 8 o’clock news regularly, as well as in the national newspaper I read.

Maybe not in the news media you use?

Chomsky: “The behaviour of journalists in the mainstream media is exactly what one would expect, on average, given the power structure of the institutions in which they are employed, and it is predictable in the same sense and for the same reasons that the behaviour of the president of General Motors is predictable.”

Again, that might depend on the news media you follow. Personally, I will avoid any media/journalists who don’t criticize every government, administration, party, and politician about their failures, errors, and misdeeds.

From what I hear, it seems I am privileged that I have indeed a choice of media to do so. But then, if you can read English, you can easily find media outlets that critically follow any administration or politician you choose.

ResearcherZero • August 8, 2025 1:58 AM

@thoughtcrime

But what you rarely get is any serious expose about trying to bring killers to justice, or taking account of why the police/the foreign ministry/NATO/anyone? are not doing more to right this wrong. You have to wonder why not.

Prosecuting such crimes would require admitting that the police, the courts and the government knew about it, yet in many cases did nothing to prevent those crimes, and in fact allowed those same violent individuals to escalate their crimes despite well documented evidence. If the public finds it may then become a scandal.

The media are reluctant to get involved in such matters if it involves police coverup, a dysfunctional justice system, ineffective courts, government oversight inaction or a whole list of influential people who knew about it (including the media) – yet not a single one of them did anything about it. The media prefer a more presentable “package” without the risk of government blow-back. One that their lawyers would approve for publication.

The Children’s Court is a hell hole. The Supreme Court and High Court are not much better. In dozens of violent kidnappings and sexual assaults of children, I never saw a single police officer attend and give evidence in court. All day, week after week.

The indexing of those termed “Persistent Offenders” excludes the well-heeled, well-connected or the influential.

A system designed to maximize profits cannot produce good social outcomes. A technical fix removes the obligation of responsibility, freeing business and government from having to care about the negative outcomes of the decisions taken. Minimising the impact of harmful behaviour towards others.

Shifting blame towards or on to victims. Institutions seldom like to admit that those who seek authority may abuse their privileges in order to exert force over others. To take rather than to assist, or to inflict harm rather than prevent it.

Despite extremely high attrition rates, contentious and deeply misleading claims about enforcement persist.

‘https://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/crime-persistent-offenders-and-justice-gap

Attrition can happen at three stages once a formal complaint has been filed: police decision-making, prosecutorial decision-making, and court outcomes.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15248380241261404

“Less than 10% of violent-crime victims get assistance from victim-services agencies”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/violent-crime-victims-criminal-justice-reform/675673/

ResearcherZero • August 8, 2025 2:41 AM

The first thing kidnappers do is take off the shoes of children, stuff their socks in their mouths and tie the children’s hands (with the shoe laces if need be). Kidnappers are often hooked-up and very few are ever charged as a result. Not that you see any adults giving evidence in kidnapping cases. (AirTags may be useful for identifying legs in war zones.)

Children are absolutely destroyed on the stand inside the courtroom. The predators are treated with “kids gloves”. The offenders know all the legal tricks because they are police officers, detectives, court registrars, lawyers, or work within a government department because they also know the right cops and prosecutors. Such individuals remain in their positions for decades. Adults are just as wary as the police in getting involved.

Despite peoples’ opinions about crime, cowardice continues to have a long and healthy tradition of preventing most from giving evidence in a court or risking their own necks. The police and the media are no exception to being lily-livered pieces of chicken s–t!

(Unless the story avoids exposing a litany of failures by police and the justice system.)

Former Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services and former Parliamentary Secretary for Education, resigns at the last minute before being expelled from parliament.

‘https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-08/mp-gareth-ward-resigns-ahead-of-parliament-expulsion-vote/105627050

Gareth Ward tried to legally block expulsion, while he awaits sentencing for sexually assaulting an intoxicated parliamentary staffer at at Parliament House event in 2015.
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2025/08/05/gareth-ward-jail-parliament

Mr Ward had a habit of finding himself in his underwear.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/mp-denies-being-drunk-and-in-underwear-outside-parliament-at-4am-20240925-p5kdk3.html

Mr Ward had a habit of finding himself in his underwear abroad and at home.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-31/state-mp-gareth-ward-targeted-in-us-scam/8858466

ResearcherZero • August 8, 2025 3:01 AM

@thoughtcrime, @ALL

I should add that all of the above applies when government leadership gets an intelligence report or a military assessment delivered to them that contains bad news. They avoid it.

And then there is some kind of atrocity, your towers explode and fall down, invasion starts (that was warned about for years/decades), top secret blueprints are stolen again, housing unaffordability, flood/fire mapping proves correct, drought and algae blooms wreck the coastline and the fishing industry, contest over depleted resources, rising inequality etc.

Meanwhile everyone has been ignoring those two guys who keep murdering people, ransoming your children, stealing your secrets, bombing, assassination and political interference.

(Did I mention the police and the federal police are lily-livered pieces of chicken s–t?)

This one is just the wife of a vice captain within China’s Public Security Bureau. Now if she had a gun and shot a few people it would likely not end up in the news or the courts.

‘https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-04/chinese-national-charged-under-foreign-interference-laws/105611300

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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.