[yequalsx]

It started in the early 80s and culminated with the kidnapping of Jacob Weterling. During this time local and national news portrayed pedophiles and rapists as serious, common threats to children. There was the absurd McMartin daycare nonsense. The 80s were a time of relatively high crime and it was during this era that zero tolerance policies became the norm. It's when mandatory minimum sentences became the norm and punishments for crimes became very heavy.

As I see things we lost our soul during this time and have not yet recovered it. At this time if you traveled overseas the first question people would ask is if it was safe. Justifying laws and policies in the name of safety was the way to get compliance from the citizenry. It still persists today though people are starting to see the bullshit. Note that the usual way politicians justify curbs on the internet is by mentioning child pornography.