Pedofiles: is society being too harsh?

[Laharl]

In fact to expand on what Roach said... The high school I went to (Here it covers grades nine to twelve) has the health teacher hand out condoms for free (And completely confidentially). In fact, if I recall correctly, we start sex ed in grade FIVE! And EVERYONE takes it, too!

[micro.micro]

yea as this topic has progressed i've further developed my views and gained a more tactful way of arguing (in my opinion anyway) roach kinda just brought me back to where i started so i guess i'll take off from there, i just think that the way the media is portraying pedofiles is making it really bad for other pedofiles. now everyone thinks a pedofile is some sicko that wants to rape kids which isn't true. a pedofile is just as likely to rape a child as a homosexual is to rape a man imo. pedophilia is the same as homosexuality in the sense that these people have NO control over whom they're attracted to so who are we to judge just because they're not like us when it comes to our sexual preference or in this case, age preference. due to the blowout that the media has made on these few cases, now whenever you hear an adult (specifically men) say oh that little girl is really cute and just give an honest opinion, some people now get the wrong idea and assume "oh wow he might be a sexual pred, better alert the feds." the thing that is terrible about this is that when someone is accused of child molestation, an investigation is taken on that person and EVEN IF THE PERSON IS FOUND NOT GUILTY the accusation stays on their record FOREVER for anyone to look up i.e. future employers.

now i'm the main purpose of my first argument wasn't to justify a relationship but simply to try to get people to cut some slack on pedofiles and i first expected the argument to swing as a "pedophilia is not homosexuality v it's the same as homosexuality." type of argument but it went completely different. thanks roach for the roll back haha.

[-Azrael666-]

Originally Posted by RoaCh Of DisCord

By definition, a pedophile is someone who is attracted to children.

What if you're only attracted to one? =D

[Kitty]

Originally Posted by -Azrael666-

What if you're only attracted to one? =D

I am not a child >.>

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by micro.micro

yea as this topic has progressed i've further developed my views and gained a more tactful way of arguing (in my opinion anyway) roach kinda just brought me back to where i started so i guess i'll take off from there, i just think that the way the media is portraying pedofiles is making it really bad for other pedofiles. now everyone thinks a pedofile is some sicko that wants to rape kids which isn't true. a pedofile is just as likely to rape a child as a homosexual is to rape a man imo. pedophilia is the same as homosexuality in the sense that these people have NO control over whom they're attracted to so who are we to judge just because they're not like us when it comes to our sexual preference or in this case, age preference. due to the blowout that the media has made on these few cases, now whenever you hear an adult (specifically men) say oh that little girl is really cute and just give an honest opinion, some people now get the wrong idea and assume "oh wow he might be a sexual pred, better alert the feds." the thing that is terrible about this is that when someone is accused of child molestation, an investigation is taken on that person and EVEN IF THE PERSON IS FOUND NOT GUILTY the accusation stays on their record FOREVER for anyone to look up i.e. future employers.

now i'm the main purpose of my first argument wasn't to justify a relationship but simply to try to get people to cut some slack on pedofiles and i first expected the argument to swing as a "pedophilia is not homosexuality v it's the same as homosexuality." type of argument but it went completely different. thanks roach for the roll back haha.

Of course - paedophilia is not a criminal offence. I read a story about a paedophile who has a family and children. His wife asked, "How can I trust you with our children if you are a paedophile?" And they were still living together at the time of reading.

The reason we act harshly on paedophilia is because it is universally abhored (unlike homosexuality, where it is accepted in some places). And because some people are less good at controlling themselves.*

[Arxces]

I am x42's friend, and have been following this thread ever since he mentioned it to me nearly a month ago. I have some light to shed on this issue. Because I study life sciences in uni, I will approach this issue mainly on the biological point of view.

First a definition: paedophilia is a paraphilia (sexual deviation) of being sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children. This definition thus renders null and void all debate regarding teenagers, as they are, technically, undergoing puberty.

Should paedophilia be more accepted in society? What is the current status of paedophilia in society with regards to social norms? To shed some light on this I wish to mention a study, which has found that at least a quarter of all men may have had sexual arrousal over childern (Freund. K et al. 1970). This is potentially represents 1/8 of all adults. Legally paedophilia is legal, as it is an expression of free thought and free speech. However, what is not legal is sexual activities between an adult and persons below the age of consent, which can be a result of paedophilia.

This brings me to my next point: why are such laws in place? As argued before, why does the government intervene in an essentially moral decision? This is still open for debate. What is not, however, is the government's aim at improving the lives of people. This is where biology comes in.

Pre-pubescent children, not having undergone puberty, are not biologically prepared to undergo sexual intercourse. Remember, from a biological point of view the function of sex is primarily to reproduce, thus there are a whole host of hormonal pathways that relate to sex and reproduction. In young boys there is an inherent danger, as their ability to produce an erection is not fully capable. Also, research has shown that masturbation among pre-pubescents lead to what is known as dry orgasm. In boys this can severly affect future fertility. In girls there are dangers involved especially due to penetration. Typically the vaginal lining only starts producing sufficient lubrication during puberty. As such, penetration is painful for a pre-pubescent girl. Also, in pre-menstrural girls there is a risk of not fully developing the oestrogen cycle, perhaps leading to complications developing it and the menstrural cycle in puberty. There is, as demonstrated, much evidence to suggest that pre-pubescent sexual intercourse severly compromises sexual development.

Finally, I'd like to say that I hope my insight into this issue has rekindled this debate, which stopped weeks ago with no conclusive insights. I would also like to apologise for my lack of discretion over sexual matters. As a scientist I aim to be concise and accurate, therefore I must use such vocabulary. I hope we are all mature enough to read this.

References:
1. Freund, K. and Costell, R. (1970). "The structure of erotic preference in the nondeviant male." Behaviour Research & Therapy 8 (1), 15-20.
Quinsey, V. L. et al. (1975). "Penile circumference, skin conductance, and ranking responses of child molesters and 'normals' to sexual and nonsexual visual stimuli." Behavior Therapy. 6, 213-219.

[AZN_FLEA]

to be honest, i dont get the point in making laws to stop pedophiles.

they will rape children if they want to and if they dont they wont. if they do decide to rape someone then you cant stop them. you might as well group pedophilia with rape. rape is forced sex. pedophilia is only bad if the child suffers e.g rape.

pedophilia, i think isnt too bad. it is right to be banned because of the potential to ruin someones life. however, shedding such an evil light on them is not appropriate.

[x42bn6]

Originally Posted by AZN_FLEA

to be honest, i dont get the point in making laws to stop pedophiles.

they will rape children if they want to and if they dont they wont. if they do decide to rape someone then you cant stop them. you might as well group pedophilia with rape. rape is forced sex. pedophilia is only bad if the child suffers e.g rape.

pedophilia, i think isnt too bad. it is right to be banned because of the potential to ruin someones life. however, shedding such an evil light on them is not appropriate.

As I said to Jenny!, despite the fact that a criminal may go to extremes to commit a crime, there is nothing wrong by making it hard for them to do so. And laws do that.*

[Arxces]

Plus, if you jail paedophile offenders, then they won't be free to rape more children.

[Laharl]

Arxces, I only need to correct one mistake in your post. A quarter would be 1/4, not 1/8 (One eigth). But that was probably a slight oversight.

Personally I'm surprisingly leniant when it comes to "sexual conduct" which might stem from the fact my religion says nothing of sex, regarding laws and rules.

What sort of loving or caring being, let alone a god, throws away that he [or she] loves so much because of single or a few flaws inherit in them since their creation?

[Arxces]

Well, it wasn't an oversight (honestly). The study mentioned 1/4 of all men, so given that the male:female ratio is roughly 1:1 then it's 1/8 of all adults. So, your honour, on the count of oversight, I plead guilty... erm, I mean innocent.

And sex with teenagers does not count as paedophillia, as biologically they are undergoing or have undergone puberty, thus they should be able to handle sex without those nasty effects I've mentioned.

BTW, what is your religion?

[micro.micro]

i'm pretty apathetic in my religious views so i don't really care about that stuff.

i haven't been around for a but i took the time to read each and everyone of your posts.

by definition a pedophile is someone that is attracted to children as you stated which is something i'm not arguing with, but the question i bring up is why does society look down on pedophiles and why does the media make it such a taboo subject? how is it different from homosexuality? i believe these people have no control over whom they are attracted to so society has no right to shun them for their natural instincts.

[Bizzy Bone]

Originally Posted by micro.micro

i'm pretty apathetic in my religious views so i don't really care about that stuff.

i haven't been around for a but i took the time to read each and everyone of your posts.

by definition a pedophile is someone that is attracted to children as you stated which is something i'm not arguing with, but the question i bring up is why does society look down on pedophiles and why does the media make it such a taboo subject? how is it different from homosexuality? i believe these people have no control over whom they are attracted to so society has no right to shun them for their natural instincts.

alright, how would you like it when your an older man, have a family and kids and some guy maybe a teacher at school touches her private parts
how would you feel and what would your reaction be?
man my 5th-6th grade combo teacher has been arrested of sexual charges with a student and when i was in his class he was talking about being my mentor and shit (lol) boy am i glad i ****ed his classroom up.oh, hes married to and he has a kid i doubt he has his wife and kids now though.

[TrOiK]

Originally Posted by micro.micro

In my opinion, yes we are really giving it to these guys. like, adult porn is ok but child porn isn't? yet if the child is digitized i.e. cartoon drawn or a young looking adult then it's ok? wtf?

(btw i'm going to just put out the fact that i'm 18 and NOT a pedofile in case some of you guys wanna go out and accuse me of that.)

i think that a few cases of sickos going all crazy on little girls has really created a bad stigma on the population of people attracted to the younger age group. it really is a sad double standard where if a young child likes an adult i.e. stacy has a crush on her teacher it's cute but if it's vice-versa society suddenly goes all balistic and pulls these charges out of their ass.

like it's really annoying how suddenly being gay is alright yet being a pedofile isn't. people say "love should be all that matters." but if these 2 people love each other but there is an age gap suddenly "love" isn't all that matters to society. (i would have brought up incest too, but i'll save that for another day)

but like i said earlier, it's the few crimes with the help of the media that have really blown this thing out of proportion. suddenly you should feel very very very ashamed and think you're a bad person if you think to yourself "oh that little girl is really cute". i mean honestly, kids getting molested by adults attracts a huge media scandal and everyone hates pedofiles yet when a man does the exact same crime to a woman his age it attracts no media attention and nobody hates all men in general. i think it's the sick minded we should be angry at and not the pedofiles and by sick minded i mean anyone that just goes out forcing someone into sexual intercourse. i mean really it's just a person's preference as to whom they're attracted to so who are we to judge? back in ancient greece homosexuality was accepted and so was a relationship between a young boy and a man. does this have any relavance with today's society? not really, but all i'm saying is that if they could accept something like this back in the day, why can't we fight the stupid stigma and accept it too?

Do you know what the **** a pedophile is? Its someone who ****ing is a sex offender witch has either 1 Had sex with a (child) 2 Raped a (child) 3 exposed themselves to a (child). your not being harsh to a person who ****s kids wow... I mean seriously I would make someone wear a "I ****ed kids" shirt around if they did that kinda shit.

[Bizzy Bone]

guess he likes pedofiles >.> or at least will stick up for them!
i HATE HATE HATE rapists. Wow. i wanna kill them. and people who HURT old people that really pisses me the **** off i wanna beat them let them heal and beat them again.****ing punks who the hell strikes elderly people.
being gay and a pedofile is a total different game....i dont care about gays at all even if theyre standing next to me or trannies. just rapists and people who hurt old people are straight up punks

[Tipsy]

Originally Posted by Bizzy Bone

alright, how would you like it when your an older man, have a family and kids and some guy maybe a teacher at school touches her private parts
how would you feel and what would your reaction be?
man my 5th-6th grade combo teacher has been arrested of sexual charges with a student and when i was in his class he was talking about being my mentor and shit (lol) boy am i glad i ****ed his classroom up.oh, hes married to and he has a kid i doubt he has his wife and kids now though.

Responding to these two quotes together.

Originally Posted by VaaN

Do you know what the **** a pedophile is? Its someone who ****ing is a sex offender witch has either 1 Had sex with a (child) 2 Raped a (child) 3 exposed themselves to a (child). your not being harsh to a person who ****s kids wow... I mean seriously I would make someone wear a "I ****ed kids" shirt around if they did that kinda shit.

A pedophile is someone who is attracted to children - nothing more, nothing less. Pedophilia does not always involve rape. A young person in many places can consent to having sex with someone considerably older than themself. If that is their personal preference, whether you agree it with it or not, why shouldn't they be allowed to have sex? Just because you or I happen to disagree with someone's sexual practices why should that stop them if it is consensual? Pointed out earlier in the thread, people have the legal ability to make the choice as early as 14 in some places.

[Bizzy Bone]

Originally Posted by Tipsy

Responding to these two quotes together.


A pedophile is someone who is attracted to children - nothing more, nothing less. Pedophilia does not always involve rape. A young person in many places can consent to having sex with someone considerably older than themself. If that is their personal preference, whether you agree it with it or not, why shouldn't they be allowed to have sex? Just because you or I happen to disagree with someone's sexual practices why should that stop them if it is consensual? Pointed out earlier in the thread, people have the legal ability to make the choice as early as 14 in some places.

i guess your right. The only definition of pedofile in my brain is someone who touches or performs acts on a minor. I admit i didn't know what a pedofile REALLY means but i know many people hate them either way. and in prison they can get threatned stabbed and so forth.

[Sonic_Moronic]

I agree with x42 that teenagers shouldnt be able to make their own decisions on this and other serious topics.

Yea, im 13 years old, and sometimes i want to have sex so much, that i will probably do anything, heh.

Im sure that I will change when im 18 or around... I feel and admit that im not mature to decide on sex ,definitely.

Damn puberty :P

[TrOiK]

Originally Posted by Sonic_Moronic

I agree with x42 that teenagers shouldnt be able to make their own decisions on this and other serious topics.

Yea, im 13 years old, and sometimes i want to have sex so much, that i will probably do anything, heh.

Im sure that I will change when im 18 or around... I feel and admit that im not mature to decide on sex ,definitely.

Damn puberty :P

More like around sixteen for me sexual urges dont come very often anymore.

[little-cheeze]

IF THEY MOLEST CHILDREN THEY MUST GO TO JAIL