Who's Been Eating My Porridge?
By Prof R.M.Sakimbo
Everyone knows the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". But not so many people know that it was all based on real characters. Now a follow-up study has been carried out to find out how those involved were affected by the events that took place on the fateful day many years ago.
Daddy Bear was the first to be interviewed. We asked him how he felt about it all.
Daddy Bear's Story
"How shall I put it? It came as a hell of a shock, coming home and finding an intruder in your house. It just didn't happen back then. There wasn't the amount of crime there is now. You could go out without bothering to shut your doors and never have anything to worry about. Sure there was some crime but old people and ordinary families always felt safe in those days. I think the 'porridge' incident was the end of an era. I really do."
"What effect did it have on you as a family?"
"Well, looking back I think the whole incident brought us all closer together in a funny sort of way. We were all affected in different ways you see. And really we had no alternative but to try and support each other through it all."
"What about you personally? How were you affected?"
"Well I went through a time when I used to just fly off the handle at the slightest provocation, almost for no reason whatsoever. I think it was just all the annoyance coming out. After a while I went through a course of anger management training. That sorted me out. In the end though, it was Mummy Bear who saved me. She was a real tower of strength. If it hadn't been for her I don't know how any of us would have coped."
Baby Bear's Story
Although his parents were not aware of it at the time, Baby Bear suffered severe emotional trauma because of the 'porridge' incident. He was, after all, the one who raised the alarm and who first noticed that his chair had been broken, his breakfast had been cruelly stolen from him and his bed - the one place where he might expect to find a guaranteed safe haven - was occupied by someone who had no right to it.
It took a long time for the effects of the incident to emerge. First to suffer was Baby Bear's schoolwork. He later became withdrawn and suffered from mood swings and occasional flashbacks - classic signs of stress.
During his early twenties Baby Bear - now known as 'BB' - underwent counselling and made a full recovery. He now runs groups with the aim of helping others who have suffered from similar experiences.
Mummy Bear's Story
Out of all the members of the family it seems that Mummy Bear coped best of all.
"Of course I coped. It's what us women do best. When you have a family to look after you find that you get used to having these little moments of crisis from time to time. The 'porridge' incident was no different."
"It did have some effect though, didn't it?"
"Yes. Like a lot of people who have had their personal space invaded, I felt it never really belonged to us afterwards. It's as if something has been tarnished, you know? I mean, it's easy enough to mend a chair or make some more porridge. And as for making beds, well if I don't know how to tidy a bed by now I never will. But there's always something preying on your mind after something like that happens. Not much you can do about it really."
"So what happened?"
"We moved, that's what happened."
"And, as the story usually goes, you all lived happily ever after?"
"Oh yes. We're all right now.
...but if I ever set eyes on that Goldilocks again I'll bloody well throttle her!"
Goldilocks' Story
Unfortunately, although Goldilocks herself was easy to trace via Probation Service records she refused to be interviewed for this report. Nevertheless, we did put together a short profile which makes interesting reading.
Goldilocks came from a poor background where food was often in short supply and where parental control left a lot to be desired. Thus she would often wander off on her own with no supervision. And that is how she came to be in the vicinity of the bears' house on the day in question.
Having the background which she did and also having two brothers who were involved in petty theft and vandalism, it is little wonder that Goldilocks lacked a respect for other people's property. This explains why she decided to flee when discovered by Baby Bear, rather than stay and apologize and offer to make amends, as any normal person would have done.
Lessons
Professor R.M.Sakimbo, an expert in criminology and its roots in social deprivation says there are a number of valuable lessons to be learned from a study of 'the porridge incident'.
Firstly, he says, it is dangerous to focus too closely on Goldilocks guilt.
"You have to remember that the bears in some way contributed to their own misfortune on that day by leaving their breakfast unattended and their doors open. It is quite simply not true to say that there was no crime in the past. This idea of a 'golden age' of freedom from crime is simply the result of the memory playing tricks. Whether we like it or not, the mind tends to see things with rose-tinted glasses."
Secondly, we should try to keep things in perspective.
"We always hear how the bears were 'the victims' of a crimimal incident. What we forget is that the bears outnumbered Goldilocks three to one. They had every chance to take control of the situation but they didn't. Instead they resorted to the 'victim mentality'. This is why they have suffered for such a long period. If they had taken control they would have immediately felt better about themselves and would have coped a lot easier."
But ultimately education is the answer. We need to continue studying incidents like this in order to gain a fuller understanding of all the factors which bring them about. Only then can we begin to see how they can be prevented in the future.
