The common perception of "stranger danger" is a load of nonsense thanks to 90s infotainment, as well as John Walsh (of America's Most Wanted) for making up bullshit about tens of thousands of children being abducted by strangers (hint: it's not even in the thousands); the vast majority of child abuse and abductions are committed by familial connections, by far.
I hate that this is a self-perpetuating fear. The more people fear, the less people walk on the streets, which makes the neighbourhood appear less safe and vibrant.
It likely continues today via things like true crime podcasts. Listening to a long string of awful stories can leave one with the false sense that these things are common.
Even though I have an appreciation for some true crime content, I've come to really loathe most of it. Long ago, I was obsessed with Forensic Files, Unsolved Mysteries, etc. This was of course back before true crime podcasts and Netflix documentaries. I also got interested in forensics, criminal psychology, and helping to try and identify and locate decedents/missing people. My heart genuinely goes out to victims. But witnessing from afar the worst aspects of humanity eventually took a toll on me. That combined with the absolute state of the news media convinced me to quit consuming that stuff all together. I truly think it should be microdosed only, if at all.
What makes me loathe it now is I can see the psychological impact it has on others. I won't name names, but I've known a fair share of women who got into the new wave of true crime content and have significantly skewed views on men as a result. Women should be well aware of what a man is capable of and what to do to mitigate risk, but true crime content can create this picture that more men are criminally capable than is actually the case. Simultaneously, entirely from the women I know who watch true crime, I hear views suggesting that the common man is too weak or incompetent to intervene and stop bad men, which is also not representative. I'm only being vague here because if any of these people happen to read my comments, they'll know I'm talking about them, but others won't know.
Some may disagree with my perspective, but it's my honest impression. I've seen women in my life who are family members and colleagues get into true crime content and notice their views shift as a result. If it's said that porn can damage the views that men have of women, surely it's not such a large leap to believe that watching women get victimized over and over again by a small minority can impact one's views on men without even realizing it.
