The New “Crime Wave” Panic and the Long Shadow of John Walsh
We are still living in the world that Walsh, and “America’s Most Wanted,” helped build: a paranoid populace that believes crime is everywhere and can only be solved through relentless policing.
As the host of Fox’s America’s Most Wanted from 1988 through 2011, Walsh would fuel the nation’s crime panic and reinforce his position as the country’s foremost proponent of harsh anti-crime measures. With its grim, gritty tone and dramatic reenactments of violent acts, the show sought to induce fear in the American public, alerting viewers to rare, sensational events and thus distorting their conceptions of crime and danger. Walsh’s status as a bereaved parent and a well-known anti-crime crusader also propelled him into the halls of power (despite his professed distaste for the “backstabbers in the world of politics”), where he bent the ear of every U.S. president from Ronald Reagan through Barack Obama
The Walshes pressured federal policymakers to pass, and President Reagan to sign, the Missing Children Act of 1982 and the Missing Children’s Assistance Act of 1984. These laws stemmed from the “stranger danger” panic that gripped the nation beginning in the early to mid-1980s. At the time, aggrieved parents, politicians, and talking heads claimed that 50,000 or more children fell victim to stranger abduction in the United States annually. (The actual figure was and remains somewhere around 100..
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(MODERATED: BE RESPECTFUL IN YOUR LANGUAGE OR YOUR COMMENT WILL BE REJECTED IN THE FUTURE). He sends Americans on crusades that are detrimental to all Americans. You need to worry about the weird Uncle more than a stranger. He is self serving. Financial gain is his only motive. He us a true scumbag.
John Walsh is a human being who survived a tragedy. Why are people blaming him (IF his wife was having an affair)? Blame the victim?!! Stop judging him!! We weren’t there and some people lie!! Did Reve leave Adam alone for an hour and a half? Did she want to end her marriage? We really don’t know. They stayed together and had three more children. He helped create a television program (to support his family). They brought a lawsuit against Sears that was dropped or dismissed. He became somewhat famous like many “celebrities”. Stop idolizing people and there won’t be “celebrity status” like they’re better than everyone else because they have “fame and money”. Their son was murdered. They are the victims. Stop blaming people who are victimized.