First things first...for Ella...it seems to be kind of un-branded. The only brand is the store that it came from, which is a little sex toy/novelty shop nearby here. I didn't know that they had store brand sex toys, but apparantly they do...:-)
Not surprisingly, no one seems to think it is a good idea for a little girl to carry mace around... this, honestly, struck me as a terrible idea right off the bat (and I would never even remotely consider it) for several reasons.
1) Still Just Me is clearly the parent of a child this age... YOU CAN'T HAVE MACE IN SCHOOL!!! She would likely be shown the door and never invited back. What's more, the school would likely need to call some kind of an authority, and I am pretty sure that my custody of her would become less...um..."settled".
2) She is 12 and everyone she knows is 12, and kids that age are not capable of "responsible use". She is extremely smart and mature well beyond her years, but she is still 12, and all of her friends are, too.
3) I don't want her thinking it provides her the security to go places she wouldn't otherwise. The way for girls her age to stay safe is to stay in groups, stick to public, safe places...and scream your little head off if someone tried anything...
4) Mostly, it is inconceivable to me that there would be a situation where she would be able to use it effectively. Someone is going to corner her and she is going to go into her backpack, find it, point it in the right direction and use it correctly? If you have ever been in contact with kids that age, you know that there is just no possible way that it could actually be used in real life as it is intended.
Anyway, it was never really an idea I would ever entertain...but I did want to see if there were anyone else with an alternative view on it. But so far, it looks like there isn't.
Today is Thursday, and we all know what that means:-) The last chicken finger Thursday of the summer (that shouldn't imply that they stop once school starts...they don't). We are headed to the beach for the long weekend, even though it looks like it may be a little bit on the chilly side down there. And then next week, school starts...man, summer goes by fast...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Didn't he used to rap with Puff Daddy?
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11 comments:
I said it! I called you STUPID! I have worked in the "criminal justice" system for a bit of time now and I SEE the horrific things that happen to people. MACE, on a key chain is a deterrent. It can also buy you just enough time to draw attention and get help. Not to mention blind the guy so she can run/scream/kick etc. It can be easily used and I'm pretty sure at the fancy school if you wanted to do it she could leave her keys in the office or something.
And by all means, I think you should rely on SCHOOLS to determine what is and is not safe. Maybe call Columbine or if you need a higher authority Va. Tech.
The point is, you can be responsible with things like Mace. She's 12. I think she could handle it. And if she can't, then as mentioned prior, don't let her walk alone.
And I wouldn't suggest using a blog poll to determine what's the best idea. Obviously I'm a gun toatin' Texan and we look at things a bit differently. I'd listen to the vibrator review board when it comes to safey.
I'm not going to touch this subject.
Enjoy your weekend and your chicken fingers.
And to revive an earlier, but better topic, I think of primarily one thing, okay fine one thing and one person.
I'd like to dish a massively acerbic diatribe against Mr. Criminal Justice up there for insulting AM, but I will save everyone the time and just point out the obvious:
It is illegal to carry mace in Massachusetts if you are under 18.
Didn't WHO used to rap with Puff Daddy?
Anon - Mace, or "Ma$e"...he was on Mo' Money Mo Problems with Puffy and Biggie:-)
I have no words! :)
"Big Sis"...be as biting as you'd like. Some laws, many laws are stupid. Whether it be a law against carrying mace or a gay couple marrying, laws aren't always "perfect"....and the thing that most normal folks forget is that the criminal element obviously doesn't follow the same "code" the rest of us do.
Here's a little article from yalls neck of the woods.
Students Carry Mace Illegally
Published On Monday, October 18, 2004 12:00 AM
By LIZ C. GOODWIN
Contributing Writer
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When living in Cambridge last summer, Brittani S. Head ’06 carried pepper spray to ease the late-night walk home, halfway to Central Square.
“During the summer the campus is much more deserted, and carrying the pepper spray made me feel a lot safer,” Head said.
Many students on campus purchased self-defense chemicals in the wake of more than a dozen sexual assaults in the vicinity of the campus last year, despite the fact that carrying mace or pepper spray is illegal without the proper license.
Head, who no longer carries the spray, said that she was vaguely aware of the law against carrying mace without a license, but felt that her safety was more important.
“I think it’s kind of a stupid law,” she said.
To legally carry mace or any chemical irritant in Massachusetts, you must obtain a valid firearm identification card (FID)—a process which, in Cambridge, requires proof of U.S. citizenship, proof of Cambridge residence, fingerprinting and background checks. There is a fee of $25 for the license and an extra $20 fingerprinting fee.
“It’s a dangerous chemical if used improperly,” Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokeswoman Peggy McNamara said. “You can blind and permanently impair people with it.
Police officers all have to be personally sprayed with it to understand the impact of it.”
A junior in Dunster began carrying mace last winter, after a student was assaulted in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Church.
“I felt like that could have happened to any of us,” said the junior, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she knew the mace possession was illegal. “So my blockmates and I ordered pepper spray on keychains over eBay.”
The junior said that the mace, for which none of the students had a license, makes her feel more confident walking the streets, and reminds her to be aware of her surroundings.
Prompted by two recent rapes in the Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods, the Boston Police Licensing Division stayed open late, earlier this month, to field increased demand for licenses to carry chemical irritants.
Susan Marine, director of the Office of Sexual Assault Response and Prevention, said she has seen an increased student interest in obtaining mace over the past few weeks, possibly due to these same rapes.
“If people call us about how to get mace, we refer them to the police,” Marine said. “We don’t take a stance on mace either way, but I understand it’s very controversial because it is often used against the victim in assaults.”
Others started carrying spray for personal reasons. Annelisa H. Pedersen ’06 said she carries pepper spray to protect herself from a potentially dangerous ex-boyfriend.
“I don’t know if I should be carrying this around because you have to have a firearm ID card,” Pedersen said. “I’m from Georgia where it’s completely legal if you’re over 18.”
Pedersen said she didn’t even realize mace was illegal in Massachusetts until she tried to board a plane, forgetting about the mace hanging on her keychain.
“A policeman talked to me at the airport, but I didn’t get into any trouble,” Pedersen said. “I just think it’s more important to be able to defend yourself.”
Coalition Against Sexual Assault Board Member Laura E. Openshaw ’05 said that the process of getting an FID is too difficult.
“Mace is primarily a defense weapon,” Openshaw said. “A fee and fingerprinting seem extreme.”
McNamara urged students to explore self-defense alternatives to mace and other chemical irritants.
“We sell shrill alarms for ten dollars, you could carry a whistle, or take Rape Aggression Defense classes,” McNamara said. “Travel in groups, walk in well-lit areas. The shuttle service and the walking escort services are all ways to stay safe.”
Some students feel so safe that they’ve ignored mace sent by concerned family members.
“I don’t carry around the mace my parents gave me because I haven’t even thought about it,” Tiffany T. Niver ’08 said. “I feel safe and it wouldn’t even be natural to carry around. It wouldn’t be much use in the bottom of my bag anyway, if I did get attacked.”
“My mother sent me up a new can of pepper spray, but I just haven’t carried it,” Head said.
Most parents would agree with you on this one.
As for Allbilly? I am guessing he doesn't have chilren?
Besides the obvious reasons why children shouldn't be given mace, I think that doing so would make her think the world is worse/more dangerous place than it actually is. I know she's seen a lot for a kid her age but no point in making her think there is a predator around every corner. I think you're right on track with this one AM! And I love your title for this post! :-)
Billy - Seniors in college...sixth graders...
SJM - He does...two little boys (under 6).
INCB - I think you can teach people to be careful without being paranoid, and that is what I am aiming for!
I'm telling yall if you've ever watched a young girl, say 10, testify against her attacker in a sexual assault case, you'd be for giving little girls AK-47's.
OR, if you watched a man who was into bind/torture/kill/rape, testify in his own behalf that during his day job, AT&T telephone repairman, he had the urge to attack some of the women whose homes he was in to fix their phone. It really can be a scary world.
Most people live in a nice, comfy bubble. While most people are relatively normal, the kinda folks that kill/rape/assault children are sick and twisted. If one of these sick bastards ever gets into your bubble, then you'll change your opinion.
As for my sons, if someone ever did harm them, the attacker should pray that the authorities can find him before I do.
Finally, I feel quite confident that Munchkin is more mature than many, many college freshman. Give her some credit. She wouldn't just be Macing guys who didn't like her shoes or something.
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