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?

I hpe my 'very odd' comments aren't included in hysterical abuse...

Rather at "hysterical criticism"

I think I've actually been pretty measured...

Then why comment

binkleandflip - I don't think I was the only one to be shocked at the middle class comment was I, or the OP? Why do I have to stay away????? Why am I the one who got the 'public forum and all that' comment, which btw I could use on you right now?

one of the definitions of "supposed" is mistakenly beleived eg "the supposed existence of ghosts" thats the reason I think just sticking to "disappearance" more neutral. I understand that to some people the word just mean "without conclusive proof" but that not the only meaning.

I think anyone who thinks it is worth making your children too terrified to go to sleep, to take away the warm security of their own bed, in their own home, with their own family, for the infinitesimal chance of being snatched from their bed - a much, much smaller chance than just about anything you can think of, including having something fall off an aircraft and kill them, I'd guess - is mad.

Worng thread. Sorry.

ThomCat, just that you're so cross about it, it's clearly winding you up, so why keep coming back to it. Saying "stop talking about it" or words to that affect never works does it because people want to discuss what they want to discuss. Wasn't trying to have a go

Message withdrawn

lisa, that's they key word - IMAGINE the scenario...no-one truly knows what the scenario is, even how you disappeared so, with that starting point how are the public supposed to contribute to the investigation. SHE. COULD. BE. ANYWHERE.

how 'she' disappeared -sorry.

I don't think that Sarah Payne's family were particularly wealthy. I might be wrong, but I have feeling that they lived on a council estate. Certainly from looking at pictures of poor little Sarah in her school uniform she didn't go to the poshest primary school in the area.

However whether a child is rich or poor is irrelevent. It is terrible when a child is murdered in this way.

Ok, Primark, can you not understand that of all the children worldwide that go missing, we cannot know about every single one?

And do you not accept that due to the circumstances, we see a bit of ourselves in the McCanns, so their story brings home the shocking horror of child abduction?

And can you not accept that whilst we are empathetic and we do care what happens to her, we are not ignorant about the rest of the world and some of us are even involved in other charities like yourself?

And I do wonder how you would react if someone had made your comments about some Mexican child being snatched, perhaps blaming the parents or accusing them of being in on it? We would rightly shout them down because it matters not what colour or creed or class you are, no-one deserves to have their child taken from them in those circumstances. That is why we care, not just about Madeleine, it is unfair to say that, but about all those missing children. And how on earth do you know what money we may or may not donate to any given charity?

Assumptions are often wrong.

At the same time, I think it's hard to fully understand Primark's viewpoint and perspective unless you've lived in places like this.

I mean, just earlier in the thread, or maybe it was the other one, KerryMum and I were discussing how it actually IS more common in the US to be abducted by a stranger.

Just happened a few days ago in the last place I lived, where a 24-year-old newlywed postgrad student was abducted, raped and strangled by a 69-year-old man camping in a remote wilderness area where she'd gone to do some field work.

The viewpoint there is consequently very different to the one here. It has to be.

So whilst things are different here and people feel more up and arms about this advert in cinemas for child films, to someone from another culture this seems very odd to get so worked up about.

Often murderers get reported by close family. It can take a lot of courage to report a murderer especially if the murderer is your husband/ son/ brother/ boyfriend. .

People find it impossible to believe that there nearest and dearest could do such a thing. Espcially if they are going on gut instinct that something is not quite right. To complicate matters that person may well be physically abusing other people and someone who knows something may be too scared to report at the moment

Crime watch has solved crimes that the police gave up on years ago.

I agree with lisalisa - sometimes it's just the coincidence which helps. We were on holiday recently and a little boy of 2 went missing. We had no idea what he looked like as didnt know the parents but managed to get out of the poor mum he was blond and wearing a blue top. We thought we should at least try and help and after an awful time - 20 mins probably but seemed longer- i saw a LO next to a teenager on the racing cars bit, and they just didnt seem "to fit" togther if you know what i mean. Bit worried about his reaction to me, but i said to the teenager " i know this sounds odd, but is he with you as a LO has gone missing?" Lo and behold it was the missing boy. We all nearly wept together with releif as you get caught up with the worry dont you.
Anyway after my long speel the point was just that even if the chance of the coincidence of finding her is minute, it is still there.

?imagine the scenario?, but I think the thing is there are so many possible scenarios that it?s impossible to know.

I also think that people have this view of a terrified little girl hiding somewhere, too scared to talk to anyone, too scared to move. But what if she isn?t? If someone has abducted a child with a long-term plan in mind, then that someone is most likely going to earn that child?s trust. And a 4 year old?s trust isn?t that hard to earn is it really? And who knows what an abductor could have told her about her parents, she may not even realize that she?s been abducted, she could have been told anything.

Binkle - err I really don't think I'm that cross about it at all tbh, not sure why you think I am. Others seem a lot more wound up than me. Anyway.. ...whatever, but I'll stay away from a thread when I feel it's winding me up, I'm grown up enough to know when that is, but thanks anyway!

wannabe - lets hope that she has been taken by people who are caring for her.

Thats all we really can do.

God forbid any other scenario. Its too dreadful to even imagine what could be, so lets not.

Hopefully, one day, we'll find out.

remember that girl recently who was held captive in the guys cellar? In romania or norway (sorry i have a bad memory) well, her parents, it seems, did give up (albeit she was gone for something like 13 YEARS)

And they were wrong to. As she was alive the whole time.

Fgs! Those of you who suspect the McCann's or think that they know who abducted their daughter are completely bonkers! You have absolutely no evidence to base this theory on whatsoever.

I'm not a journo, cant stand them actually! The way the media all jump onto one story to exclusion of others drives me crazy... i think media were guilty of letting McCann's manipulate them. I don't blame McCanns for that, I do fault the media for not being more objective.

I think the bombings in Iraq or atrocities in Darfur are more important... as are a lot of other things. Lots of small children dying tragic violent unjust deaths in those places, every day.

I was nearly molested by a stranger at age 5, nearly abducted at age 16, so have some experience, in fact. But I know those are unusual experiences, shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

People trying to assign blame to McCanns is just another manifestation of the excess obsession with her case, imo...

nogoes:

You have absolutely no evidence to disregard this theory either. There is no reason to suggest they do, or dont, have involvement.

For the record - i am not one of the people accusing them of anything at all. Not at all.

I just dont think there is any need to tell someone expressing a fair opinion that they are bonkers. Please try to remember what site we are all on here, and there are a lot of people who post here to take their minds off their everyday problems. Commetns like 'bonkers' are not very helpful, IMO.

'you have no evidence to base this theory on what so ever!'

But there is no evidence to base any theory on is there? In fact there isn't even any evidence that Madeleine was even abducted, it's just considered to be the likelyhood considering she's disappeared. But there was no evidence of a break-in, there have been no sightings, the one suspect hasn't been charged with anything because there was no evidence to charge him.

So the fact is that every possibility of what has happened to Madeleine is speculation, and it's no different to speculate that she has been abducted than to speculate that someone close to the family might have been involved.

I too said that I didn't think the parents were responsible for her disappearance, but I stand by my belief that they know who is.