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How Far Would You Go?

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posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 01:45 PM
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My daughter and I just finished watching a movie. This thread is NOT about the movie, but about some very emotional question it left with both of us.

Here's a scenario to ponder: Let's say you encounter a child living in stark poverty. This child is dirty, starving. dressed in rags, has obviously never received any medical care and has little to no education. The child is surrounded by nothing but bleak, abject poverty and it is obvious to anyone who looks that this child's situation is part of an endless cycle that has existed for generations- with no hope of the cycle ever being broken. Could you take this child? Meaning, could you kidnap this child from the family that loves him or her, letting the child think it's family is dead and knowing that the family would suffer never knowing what became of the child, to give this child a better life and break the cycle of poverty? To give this child all that he/she requires in order to live a healthy and happy life and ultimately become a productive part of society?

Now consider this: Let's say the child is being severely neglected or abused. How would you feel about it then? Does this change your opinion and what you think your actions might or might not be?

Which is the more moral and ethical thing to do? Is there any morality to it at all? Leave the child be or do whatever you could to save it? If you had the chance would you take it?

I myself and my daughter are both torn on the issue. Could I take a poverty stricken child away from the family that loves him or her just to give it a better chance at life? I'm not sure that I could. I would like to think that I would do all that I could to help the whole family, but I wonder if that is being realistic. I maybe could call Child Protective Services, they would probably take the child away- but would the child be any better off? With all of the horror stories we hear about abuse and neglect within the system the child might be better off where it at least has love and family.

But what if the child was severely abused or neglected? I would like to think that in such a case I would be able to take the child, but is that being unrealistic? As much as I don't like to admit it I would fear the legal repercussions of such an action if I were to get caught. Also, what about the emotional trauma it could cause the child to be ripped from the only life he or she had ever known. Could I risk imprisonment to seek professional help for the child? What about doctors and teachers that would bound to ask questions eventually? I would always be having to invent more and more lies to cover my tracks. I'm not sure I would want to live that way.

So members of ATS- what are your thoughts on it? Would you or could you do it for the sake of the child?

It's a heart wrenching thought, and I wonder what you think about it.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:01 PM
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I definitely could take the child. And I would, too, if not for the legal repercussions. If there were none, I definitely WOULD take the child.

I don't know what that means about who I am, but that's what I would do, as long as the law wasn't going to come and take the child back, I would take it and raise it as my own.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:09 PM
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hrrrm very interesting thoughts and questions... I honestly think that in ANY situation a child is being abused (except with the possible exception of verbal abuse) weather it be physical, sexual or any other strange kind of abuse, these childeren should be taken from their parents IMMEDIATLEY! NO QUESTIONS ASKED! if you love your child (or anyone for that matter) you DON'T abuse them in ANY WAY! and if you do, then you don't love them... I don't care how you try to justify it, YOUR WRONG!

but lets say the child is not being abused, and is just from a poverty stricken family, assuming it is loved and cared for to the best of the parents (or carers) ability, then you have no right...... people can't help being poor (or in total poverty for that matter) 95% of the time it's not a choice that has been made...., it's a very unfortunate fact of life but in our current society, thats just the way things are...... and honestly If I was in the parents shoes and knew of someone willing to care for my child in ways I couldn't.... Then i'd give the child the choice after outlining all the factors that should make up their decision (basically guide them as best I can is what i'm trying to say)

but hell if it comes down to STEALING a child out of whatever emotional basis you want to call it (love if you will) and your THAT concerned about the child, and your worried about it catching up with you..... flee the country... put your money where your mouth is!

Love, Light, and all that crap....



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:10 PM
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reply to post by Benevolent Heretic
 


And there lies the quandary. I would like to think that most of us would take the child if there were no legal repercussions. The problem is that there always ARE. I also think that most people believe they would take the child anyway if they were in that position, but realistically when they thought about having to give up their life, go on the lam, create a new identity, start a new life somewhere unfamiliar and always be looking over their shoulder with the very real possibility of prison hanging over their head they might have a different opinion of the situation.

It's very thought provoking and has caused me to question myself deeply.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:13 PM
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Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by Benevolent Heretic
 


And there lies the quandary. I would like to think that most of us would take the child if there were no legal repercussions. The problem is that there always ARE. I also think that most people believe they would take the child anyway if they were in that position, but realistically when they thought about having to give up their life, go on the lam, create a new identity, start a new life somewhere unfamiliar and always be looking over their shoulder with the very real possibility of prison hanging over their head they might have a different opinion of the situation.

It's very thought provoking and has caused me to question myself deeply.



Like I said, put your money where your mouth is, if your TRULEY love the child, you will run around the world for ever and ever until the child can fend for itself. why you might ask? BECAUSE IT'S WHAT PARENTS WHO LOVE THIR CHILDREN DO!



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:14 PM
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reply to post by blazingdefiance
 


I applaud your honesty!

Thank you for your thoughts on the subject.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:18 PM
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Like I said, put your money where your mouth is, if your TRULEY love the child, you will run around the world for ever and ever until the child can fend for itself. why you might ask? BECAUSE IT'S WHAT PARENTS WHO LOVE THIR CHILDREN DO!


Aha! It is one thing if the child is someone you love, most of us would willingly take whatever risks necessary for the people we love. But would you do it for a child that you don't even know?



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 02:31 PM
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reply to post by littled16
 


well if you don't know the child (like at all) then thats pretty tough.... I mean so much of the situation comes into play in that regard. you have to ask yourself "How bad are things here?" "could I live this life?"

In those situations if you deam the situation to be livable, and you don't know the child (and i'm assuming the parents as well) then probably best to keep your nose clean

However, if you deam the situation to be unfit for even general living conditions, and it looks like it could be life or death for the child.... then yeah I'd take them..... but unless for some reason one forms some ENORMOUS bond (or love if you will) for the child I would take the child to some form of care agency, these systems are in place for a reason (how good they are or not I don't know, but you gotta have hope)

Hell drop the tucker off at Angie and Brad's house, they're allways lookin for more



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 03:44 PM
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Yeah, if it's so "heart-wrenching" for you, why don't you dingbats take a quick trip to any poor village in rural Mexico. It's not too far away. You can see dozens of little tots living in "heart-wrenching" grinding poverty and malnutrition. Their parents would love to have fat Americans take them away to the land of plenty. They will GIVE them to you. But you have to take ALL of them.

After that, try a quick trip to Africa. Then Calcutta. There are BILLIONS you fools.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 04:50 PM
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Originally posted by CaptChaos
Yeah, if it's so "heart-wrenching" for you, why don't you dingbats take a quick trip to any poor village in rural Mexico. It's not too far away. You can see dozens of little tots living in "heart-wrenching" grinding poverty and malnutrition. Their parents would love to have fat Americans take them away to the land of plenty. They will GIVE them to you. But you have to take ALL of them.

After that, try a quick trip to Africa. Then Calcutta. There are BILLIONS you fools.


yeah good call, (would love to take a trip to mexico, but i'm in australia, so not exactly fesable for me right this minute)

and yeah it is heart wrenching, and there are BILLIONS, but I think she was refering to a case in which it is unwillingly thrust upon you (correct me if i'm wrong) but ultimatley she was discussing a hypothetical scenario which anyone could find themselves in, and it was in responce to a movie which brought up the issues, calling people "Dingbats" and "Fools" is in no way constructive to the coversation IMO, and on a quick note if your not aware of the poverty occuring all over the world, then you've probably been in a cave on mars with your fingers in your ears


Love, Light and all that crap....



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 05:58 PM
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Originally posted by CaptChaos
Yeah, if it's so "heart-wrenching" for you, why don't you dingbats take a quick trip to any poor village in rural Mexico. It's not too far away. You can see dozens of little tots living in "heart-wrenching" grinding poverty and malnutrition. Their parents would love to have fat Americans take them away to the land of plenty. They will GIVE them to you. But you have to take ALL of them.

After that, try a quick trip to Africa. Then Calcutta. There are BILLIONS you fools.


Most people (myself included) cannot afford to travel the world rescuing starving children. Even if I could How would I get the child/children back to my home country without getting arrested? Could YOU afford it? All Americans aren't rich- the majority live paycheck to paycheck.

blazingdefiance was correct in that it is a hypothetical situation that could occur to anyone in any country. The questions were brought up between myself and my daughter after watching a movie at home and I wondered how others might respond. No need for you to be hating on people.

Besides, how many children from Mexico or Calcutta have you brought home to your house lately? I don't have starving babies living here, but I have three people who aren't immediate family staying with us right now and am feeding two neighbors three to four times a week besides. What are you doing to help anyone?

If you don't have anything constructive to say please join a discussion that you would prefer to this one.



posted on Sep, 25 2012 @ 08:07 PM
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Another option, if the parents truly love her and are doing the best they can, why not give the parents any help you can that you can afford? If you're a rich person, why not give the parents a good job that they can qualify for so they can take of her better? Offer to pay for the child's health care, but first talk to the parents. And try to make sure they aren't going to take advantage of you and this isn't some sort of scam.

The problem is though, this isn't such an imagined scenario. There are lots of teenagers out on the streets for various reasons and lots of kids that suffer from poverty. And I'm sorry, as much as one would like to, you can't save them all, even if you're an extremely rich man.

And there are some charities that do try to help these kinds of children.







 
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