What happens when something safe is seen through the eyes of cultural prejudice, and thus declared dangerous and depraved?
Well, in the olden days, a woman who seemed powerful or spooky might be considered dangerous and depraved: a witch. That sometimes ended in stoning. More recently, a black man looking at a white woman might be considered dangerous and depraved: the equivalent of a rapist. That sometimes ended in lynching. And today, a parent who lets his or her kid wait in the car while running an errand can also be considered dangerous and depraved: A monster.
That sometimes ends an adoption, as you will see in my piece over at Reason. Click here.
Please note that before reading it that, tragically, some children do die in parked cars. The average time is 4.6 hours, and these kids were usually forgotten there. Or they got into the car while no one was looking, couldn’t get out, and their parents didn’t find them till too late. It’s excrutiatingly sad.