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Make It Stop

Vigilante Prime Time

February 21, 2007

When Dateline first began baiting perverts and pedophiles, it appeared to be an important expose on both the surplus of sexual predators in this country, as well as the dangers of the internet, and the risk it poses to our nation’s young people. It was an “It’s 10 o’clock, do you know where your children are?” for the Myspace generation, and surely, it was a welcome wake up call to many children and parents alike.

Now, however, it’s just become rubbernecking. Baiting a bunch of creepy, lonely, pathetic, frightening, potentially dangerous men into showing up to some suburban home with a six pack of Zima and a terrified look in their eyes.

We’ve always wondered: if a deviant were sneaking into an underaged girl’s home for sex, wouldn’t he be weary of the “Dateline” vans parked outside? Or, if they’ve taken the time to park them around the corner, all the lighting equipment?

And we’re also curious about who volunteers their homes for this sort of operation. Would you let Dateline turn your kitchen into a pedophile booby trap? We might feel a little uncomfortable sitting down to our morning waffles knowing all kinds of deviants were arrested here the night before. It’s like volunteering your house to become a crime scene. Thanks, but no thanks.

We’re not saying, of course, that such a practice should not be done. It’s a great service for any community, and an excellent way to enforce the rule of law on the wild, wild internet, but how many times do we have to watch it?

Can’t we just be told it’s an ongoing operation, maybe get a few facts and statistics, and continue on our television viewing way? Do we have to see it happen every time? If so, who is the show for? The communities they’re cleaning out, the parents out there watching, or the ratings? It is a service that’s being provided (and, taking a look at some of these guys, an urgent, necessary one), but can’t it be recounted to us later, like every other police procedure going on across the country?

At least "Cops," the granddaddy of reality schaudenfraude, has the decency to mix it up for the viewers. Are people really getting entertainment out of watching these disturbed men brought to justice? Or, at the very least, a prime time news magazine anchor? Who is watching this? Seriously. We don’t get it, and we want answers. We want to understand, so please, tell us, why watch this show?

Comments

SpecialGuy29 wrote:

Are you kidding me? This show is GREAT! Funny, hard-hitting, and enjoyable as these perverts are getting their just desserts filmed for national TV! My kids and I love this, cause they see the dangers of what can be done on-line and what the consequences are! And dont you just love the moment when you hear,"Hi, I'm Chris Hanson from NBC's Dateline!". My only objection is that it isnt in HD-hey NBC, get with the new tech, come on, your spending enough anyways for this sting, throw in some HD camers while youre at it! "Get down on the ground!"

posted at February 26, 2007 10:08 PM

mother of preteen daughter wrote:

I think it's horrifying that there are still so many of these people out there that they can have it as a weekly show!
I'm not a regular viewer, but the last few times I've seen it, there has been at least one guy who says, "Oh, yeah, I thought this might be a set-up!"
Then why did you show up??!!
Too many sickos in the world....

posted at February 27, 2007 09:15 AM

Joe B. wrote:

Agreed. I don't need to see it, either. I would hope that someone besides General Electric has the resources to put together these sting operations.

That's my issue ... isn't this local law enforcement letting us know that there are issues that need to be addressed, yet no one in gov't seems to want to make the resources available to law enforcement to do their job?

It seems like they are outsourcing this very important job to Dateline and Chris Hansen, who would be better used doing other kinds of reporting on anything from gov't corruption, war profiteering, problems in the military supply chain to consumer products safety and the usual Dateline targets.

Why don't news magazines cover the big stories anymore? Even 60 Minutes only does one important piece a week these days.

posted at February 27, 2007 10:56 AM

Wayne P. wrote:

I would certainly like to know why Dateline has begun to receive all of the negative comments regarding the "To Catch A Predator" series. Why is it that we seem to live in a country where everyone sides with the bad guy and has less and less sympathy for victims? The bottom liine is this: These perverts should know better! If they feel comfortable enough to show up to these nice looking homes that are occupied only by a '12 or 13' year old child, park their cars in the driveway and enter with the intentions of having sex with these children, then they deserve to be arrested, humiliated and more. For those who are fine with the practice of pedophiles stalking innocent kids, then simply tune to another channel.

posted at February 27, 2007 12:29 PM

Mark wrote:

Where does it side "with the bad guys" exactly? And who is "fine with the practice of pedophiles stalking innocent kids"? The question they asked was why people watch it. I think that's an excellent question. I find those pedophiles despicable, but I don't get any pleasure from watching Dateline bust them. Does that mean I'm fine with people stalking innocent kids? I think it just means I have some taste.

posted at February 27, 2007 07:31 PM

Austin wrote:

This is insane. If you're tired of the show, then just don't watch it.

posted at February 28, 2007 03:15 PM

Barbara A. McKee wrote:

This show sucks. Just another no brainer for one of the venerable Big3. I could put this show on...Here's a clue. Do Som3ething! Create! Anyone who watches this embarrassing muck is a proper idiot.

posted at March 1, 2007 09:51 AM

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Make It Stop Archive

June, 2007 1 entry
April, 2007 1 entry
March, 2007 2 entries
February, 2007 2 entries
January, 2007 2 entries
December, 2006 2 entries
November, 2006 1 entry
October, 2006 1 entry
September, 2006 1 entry
May, 2006 1 entry

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