Anyone else feel Madeline Mccann story overplayed?

[flack]

Tragic for her family and others who loved her.
I would never blame her parents for efforts they made to keep this in public mind.
The story obviously touched a lot of hearts.
But does it deserve so MUCH attention? In playgroups, schools, cinema, supermarket and street-corner notices a thousand miles away from where she disappeared?

Not trying to get on Sky news, nor am I a heartless b*tch. But I do get upset that so much attention and energy has been devoted to this topic when much worse and more important things are happening in the world.

Even among us parents, surely we should put this in more proportion?

Am I the only one thank thinks like that?

What do you all suggest her family do then?

Perhaps, as adults, we taken exception to the idea that we need our memories continually and forcibly re-inforced?

So? What should her parents do then? What would you like them to do from now on that would not offend you?

Rhubarb - it does not offend me.

I do not think it should stop. OF course i would do the same. But are you suggesting that the parents of all the other children missing in the world dont care as much? Hardly. something esle is going on here.

I am asking the question of WHY. It has been answered (celebrity)

well done to her parents making so so mnay people aware of her. But, there comes a time, i feel, where it get a bit much.

I also agree with the 'competitive greiving' thing fillyjonk said.

It just all seems a bit strange.

do a search, kerry

she has over 500 posts, mainly non controversial

i don't see ANYTHING troll-esq about that comment either. Its HORRIBLE I agree. But the point she is making is that, after all this time, there is not necessarily any point in continuing the search (am not sure whether I agree but she makes a fair point)

(don't mean comment is horrible, mean situation is horrible)

She;s getting lots of attention as her parents are fighting for it (and are in a position to do so). If she wasn't gettng the attention it wouldn't go to another child. It just wouldn't be in the news. The high profile of her case might bring other children into the public eye. They have tried to bring it round to child trafficking in general to be fair.

Continue to search for their little girl as anyone would and tell us, the public, when there are developments - if they see fit.

We've no right or need to be continually included in this investigation. They have shown us her picture. We know the perceived circumstances of her dissapearance. We have all the information we need.

Yellow ribbons will not solve this case.

What else is there to say?

You are perpetuating it by talking about it now. The more people talk about it, the more it stays in the news.

Why?

I don't get your question, you are asking why they are still reminding us of her? Is that not obvious?

Competitive grieving? If I were her mother I would be mortified and furious by that. How would you want them to grieve? Would you prefer that they just went away and not reminded you of what a horrible place the world can be?

Do you honestly think they enjoy being called 'celebrities'?

This is different Krusty - we all CHOSE to come here, read and post.

somehow blithely typing it out makes it seem heartless...I know we have dark thoughts in our heads about the possibilities but I don't want to read them in black and white.

binkle some parents "work" the media better than others, some children disappear in slow news weeks, some children are more photogenic and stranger kidnap is fairly uncommon so more news-worthy. I remeber Sarah Payne motehr also was very good at keeping her case in the public eye and longer ago so was Diana Lamplugh.

Rhubarb - competitive greiving amongst the random, general public.

I dont mean the people who know her. Of course not.

It is not about offending, it is about keeping the public sympathetic. Because once people have enough, sadly they will ignore. Poeple are fickle like that.

Perhaps less of the celebrity style posters, but instead concentrate on travellers. A picture/description printed on a piece of card, sent out with every plane/train/ferry ticket ordered. Something people can stick in their purse and take on holiday with them.

By all means, they must keep searching, hire pi's and travel the world spreading the word. Also, keep info about her out there. But stop forcing it upon us in unexpected and inappropriate places (see shrek cinema thread)
It is not about being offended or unsympathetic, it is about keeping a balance with everything else going on int he world.

Lots of children have gone missing since MMC and these poor parents have to deal with this too. They can 't get airtime for their own child, as all everyone can see is MMC.
That does not make what the McCanns are doing wrong, but it does seem unfair in a way.

By the coverage the case has generated has focused attention onto the plight of children caught up in child trafficking. I have read reports about children being sold in a Marrakech market. It is bringing these things to the world's attention, and by doing that hopefully the governments whose countries are under scrutiny will have to act, charities who work with these children will get more donations.

All I see happening here is good, communities pulling together, charities getting more funds, information being shared, etc. Are you so blinkered that you seriously think that if they just shut up now, all the other atrocities will go away too? Let's hear about these things! We need to stop them so let's bloody focus on them!

Sara Payne did an amazing thing for her daughter, adn should be applauded at every oppertunity.

What happened to Sarah Payne was horrific, and her mother has made awareness 100 fold. Good on her.

And i feel the same way about the McCanns.

This has lasted a lot longer, and i dont understand why. I dont mean the media, i mean physically, this is SUCH an abnormal case.

She has been missing for much longer than usual. Her actual kidnap was EXTREMELY strange. The whole thing, is odd.

Is there really hardly any coverage at airports/ports? If anywhere I'd have thought that would be where you would see her face everywhere. I'm not going out of the country this year but I would expect to see something on her if I were going abroad.

there is a poster called angeltoangel who has only posted 7 times but twice started threads under the 'in the news' topic about madeleine.

my gut feeling is that this person is a journalist

both threads have been of a controvertial nature. i think mumsnet is being baited and watched

yes but the news business is (in the main, excluding the BBC) a business. They know their target audience. And people are still talking about it.

They'll come a time when it starts to cool off, I'm sure. It happens in every large case like this. They have been particularly good at feeding the media with stories. But as I said, even though people choose to come on here and talk about it, the fact that it is EVEN getting talked about is what interests those who get the stories out.

I mean, things like famine in Africa never get the coverage they deserve when you consider how many children/people die.

HIPPOPOTAMI

hear hear.

Kerrymum

More than likely.

I really think there is something more to this.

Its so abnormal.