Marisa is amazed no one saw Lucy go missing. Do you think this has changed much in large cities since the 1960s? Do you think people are more or less likely to notice something amiss?

Marisa is amazed no one saw Lucy go missing. (“There is always someone peeping through the curtains in London,” p. 32). Do you think this has changed much in large cities since the 1960s? Do you think people are more or less likely to notice something amiss?

Yes & no. Yes, from the standpoint that there are cameras and cell phones everywhere, so I think any action is more likely to get recorded. Plus, at least in my neighborhood I know (via NextDoor posts) that there's a lot of paranoia out there; many people see someone outside their house & they're immediately suspicious.

No, from the standpoint that I don't think people care as much about each other as they used to. If the child willingly went with their captor, as in this case, I doubt many would note it.

I think people who do these type of capers are crafty and other people tend not to pay attention especially in large urban cities.

I don't think people are very likely to notice something amiss if the child goes quietly. People, probably for good reason, are hesitant to get involved in other people's business. We all might do or say something if there is a "creepy" guy hanging around a playground, park or school, but more often an abductor blends in or is a known family member or friend.

Things could not be more different in large cities now than they were in the 1960s. With everyone's faces buried in their phones in the 21st century, we virtually miss everything.

I hear more about abductions in suburbs than the big cities. Waiting for the bus, walking home from school, etc. however, I feel most parents are much more hypersensitive to the possibility these days, and many children are trained to be to be more aware of their surroundings.

I understand why Marisa was surprised because Lucy was supposedly abducted from a locked park. Lark was very clever in pretending to be a fairy for some time and Lucy believed her so she went willingly. I think all our children our susceptible to promises made of any exciting adventure awaiting them.

I think people are much more aware today. Missing and exploited children, human trafficking, kidnapping and tragically murder make headlines. Amber alerts make it obvious...

I agree with Christineb that Lucy’s abduction was carefully planned so the child wouldn’t be noticed missing. Abductions have been increasing, but the many cameras often help. At the same time we regularly hear of children disappearing without a trace. It appears to me that we have more abductions both in suburbs and cities.

I find it is SUCH a different world now than it was when I was growing up in the '60s. All the kids in my neighborhood would play & run around the neighborhood as soon as we got home from school until our parents called us in for dinner. Although we would check in at home intermittently, I would venture to say that most parents had no idea where we were at any given moment since we often played in the woods behind our yards. My how times had changed with my own children! In our new neighborhood, most parents either walked to & from school with their kids or drove them there. School was followed with on-site supervised afterschool programs, sport practices, fine arts lessons, scout activities, etc. with parents either watching on the sidelines or picking them up afterwards to take them home for dinner, homework, & family time. Although we tried to foster independence, my kids definitely had a much more structured & sheltered upbringing than I ever had. Was it safer? I think the odds are probably about the same that something terrible can happen at any time, any where without the child being taught awareness & vigilance. We live on a particularly friendly street with the neighbors getting together at each other's houses throughout the year. Even so, once inside our homes, we have no clue what is happening out front! Loved dianac's comment about the cell phones. Not sure they make any of us much safer in the moment.

No because people just don't seem to care about other people anymore.

Once again, I agree with tsquared’s comment. I grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s in one of the outer boroughs of New York City. During the elementary school years, kids dropped their bookbags at home, changed into “play clothes” and went out to play with other kids from the two family homes on the block. Because the kids played together, the parents got to know each other, and there was a sense of community. People watched out for each other. That doesn’t always happen today. I think life has become much more complicated, so many people are preoccupied with all the details of their lives. It might be possible not to notice a child being snatched.

I believe there are still some communities where people intentionally look out for each other and for the neighborhood children, the elderly who need assistance, etc., but they are not in the majority. As others have mentioned, we tend to focus our attention on our electronic devices rather than the people in our environment. It is rare, for example, to walk my dog and exchange pleasantries with other walkers; they are talking on their phones or listening to music, audio books, etc. In most places an attempted kidnapping would have to be very loud and disruptive before anyone would notice or intervene.

There is greater likelihood that there will be evidence of what happened to cause the person to go missing due to are modern electronic surveillance systems. But there is less probability that someone would observe the crime being committed or be aware that there was something amiss.
People are more detached from one another. For example, if I was walking in my neighborhood park and saw someone pick up a child from the playground where another adult was watching the kids, I would simply assume that was the plan. I would not suspect a problem and I most likely would not know the children or adults.

With 24 hour cable channels its hard for anyone to go missing without it being reported. Although one might argue, only a certain type of person is ALWAYS a story, and others are ignored.

I think a child could very easily slip out of a garden without anyone noticing. What would be harder to ignore is someone pushing a stroller down the street dressed in black with a hood pulled up, etc. THAT would arouse suspicion and I found it surprising that, even back then, no one spoke up or followed that individual to ensure that they weren't abducting a small child. I think today, people would stop that individual and instantly start filming the event using their cellphones.

With today's focus being on one's electronic devices, it would not be surprising if
no one noticed a child being abducted, especially if that child went willingly. Cameras
might be the only recourse police may have to monitor movement around the
abduction scene and beyond.

There have been instances where a child has fallen asleep on a school bus and the driver returned the bus to place where school buses are kept overnight with a child locked in overnight but this is rare. I would think the transports of children during the war would’ve been aware that children need to relieve themselves with some regularity and I would also think that the adults in charge would have lists of who’s on their bus and where they’ve been dropped off and who has taken them. This person would’ve known that there was a little girl missing.

I think this would really depend on the community as some communities are much more connected than others.