Tickling kids gets lawyer banned from park by judge

[The Straight Story]

Tickling kids gets lawyer banned from park by judge
BY BRIAN BRUEGGEMANN
News-Democrat

A judge on Friday banned a local attorney from a Glen Carbon park after police charged the man with asking people whether he could tickle their children.

Glen Carbon Police charged Charles R. Douglas, who has a law practice in Glen Carbon, with four misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. He is accused of talking to people at Miner Park about wanting to tickle children.

Douglas, 58, told a reporter that for years he has done a "tickle monster" routine with children and that it's "a joking thing that I do." He said he enjoys seeing children laugh and smile, and never touches a child without permission from a parent.

Douglas said the charges are "the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen." He said he's considering lawsuits against the police and against the people who made reports to police.

http://www.bnd.com/news/crime/story/462598.html

[shadowknows69]

1. Ok, asking strangers to do this to their kids is creepy

I had aunts and babysitters that tickled me but not complete strangers.

[pop goes the weasel]

2. sounds like a lonely older guy

Who just wants to have some fun interaction with children and is short on the nieces and nephews. Accused of talking to people about wanting to tickle children? I had no idea that the criminal code was so specific in the forms of speech now banned. Disorderly conduct? How is going up to talk to people disorderly conduct? Now, creating a public nuisance, I could see. The law needs to be applied appropriately or soon no one will have any respect for it left.

[enlightenment]

3. 58 is not that old - and tickling isn't fun, it's torture.

If he wants to see kids laugh and smile then he should find another way of doing it.

[endthewar]

6. Good grief you sound like a boring person

:rofl:

Seriously though, who doesn't tickle the young kids in their family a little?

[enlightenment]

9. I didn't. I just don't think

that tickling is funny. People laugh because the person tickling them is laughing, not because it makes them laugh. If tickling made you laugh, you could tickle yourself for a chuckle. And what are they usually saying the whole time they're "laughing" - what's that word? Stop. If it's so fun, why would anyone want to stop?

But hey, knock yourself out.

[endthewar]

11. Good grief...

You remind me of someone. Now who can that be:



:rofl:

[enlightenment]

14. Come back when you've grown up. nt

[marshall]

4. Tickling has been used as a form of torture in the past

I've read about it being used during the Inquisition and in other military situations during Renaissance times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickle_torture

[slackmaster]

8. It is inherently torture for some people, including me

When I am tickled, sometimes I have an excruciatingly painful back spasm. I treat someone tickling me as an invasion of my personal space, and I reflexively respond to the same as I would if someone punched or stabbed me.

I was in a bad car accident when I was 28 years old. I'm usually OK, but my back has occasional spasmic episodes even when there is no apparent cause. Tickling can cause a spasm that takes days to clear.

[anigbrowl]

13. OK, but that's pretty exceptional

Since the guy is asking for permission, I doubt that this is going to result in any childish agonies. On the other hand, it is sort of weird to just go up to strangers and ask to tickle their kids. Maybe he's short on relatives or something.

[orleans]

5. creeeepy.....he wants to entertain kids he should learn a few

jokes or magic tricks. (non-contact sports)

[pop goes the weasel]

12. that would indeed be better

I was thinking of the older bachelors and childless widowers at church when I was a kid. They loved talking to the children, tickling little children, "pulling quarters" out of our ears, that sort of thing, always with our parents' implicit permission as they stood by. I just wonder that this isn't the same kind of guy, just with no children regularly in his life in any way to get to play uncle with for a few moments.

[slackmaster]

7. I have problems with back spasms, and am also very ticklish

People who sneak up behind me and tickle my ribs get elbowed, hard.

[treestar]

10. Still sounds weird

It might have been acceptable 40 years ago, but not now.

He should find a new way to make kids laugh. That's not hard. All you have to do is be silly. Then he can take it to the hospitals or other places where he'd be supervised.

[Puregonzo1188]

15. While I think it is creepy, is it really illegal? I mean he didn't touch kids without

permission. Does asking someone if you may tickle their child really "disorderly conduct?"

[slackmaster]

16. I have several friends who are teachers, and they all say the same thing about touching kids

You just don't do it.