Unfortunately, you're probably right in both cases. Your first example is, in a large part, due to the unreasonable paranoia that is so prevalent in the world today and the second, although tongue-in-cheek, demonstrates the rapid advance of a lack of what
should be common sense in humans in general. Ever check the Darwin Awards lately?
When I was just starting school, (in the middle of the last century
), I was soon left to make my way there and back (about a mile and a half round trip) by myself and nobody thought anything about a 5 or 6 year old kid wandering about on his own. Now parents are afraid to let their kids walk out of their sight, even if it's only a block. Remember the cool (but dangerous) toys? Lawn darts! Chemistry sets! Cap guns! Dead as a dodo, now. Junior might hurt himself! Wasn't hurting yourself part of growing up? It's amazing any of us survived to adulhood, to hear the 'experts' talk.
Should have left things to the dinosaurs. They lasted for 250 million years. I'd be surprised if we make it another 1000, the way we're going.
I read somewhere, I think it was in
Calvin and Hobbes of all things, that
The surest sign of intelligent life in outer space is that they haven't tried to contact us. Or as
Monty Python puts it in 'The Galaxy Song',
Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, 'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth. Sad, but probably true.