A great article about pedophilia witch hunt: http://open.salon.com/blog/patrick_j_kelly/2010/02/19/the_pedophile_witch
I recommend you read the original article, as it is full of very valid and strong arguments, including such points as:
- how can many people be criminally convicted for owning or watching multiple copies of one single 50 year old picture?
- how can 12 year old children be legally tried as adults, if they committed a crime, but they can only consent to sex when they are 18?
- how can 16 year olds be victims, if they enjoyed the act, if they actively sought it, repeated it?
- how can 16 year olds marry, have children, but legally not be able to consent to sex?
- how can a large part of the population be declared criminal, just for thought crimes like enjoying pictues of 17 year olds?
- why would people go to jail if there is no victim, if their crime (looking at a copy of a picture) did not harm anyone?
- how can people go to jail for something that 20 years ago was not even a crime?
- why is depiction, possession or looking at underage photos a crime, while depiction and consumption of murder photos is not a crime?
- how come that legal concepts like “innocent until proven guilty”, “guilty beyond reasonable doubt”, “penalty should be proportional to the crime”, “laws should not be arbitrary, discriminatory” are totally trampled and violated?
The challenge of legally punishing people for engaging in sex with minors has long been filled with problems. Alleged victims have always been reluctant to testify against someone who more often than not turned out to be a parent or close family member. Some were also reluctant to accept the premise they were victims at all in sexual encounters they not only enjoyed but frequently played some role in instigating. Laws defining 18 as the age at which one is mature enough to decide who they want to have sex with evokes cynicism from sexually active teens and preteens who view such restrictions as outmoded and totally out of touch with the reality they know. It is not that uncommon for many of these so-called children to be married with their own children at 16 which also draws into question the viability of the government’s one size fits all attitude towards sex. And when government prosecutors fight to have 12 year olds stand trial as adults doesn’t this call into question the rationality behind laws that say when it comes to sex you must be 18 before you are old enough to decide?
The author clarifies that of course violent sex with a child is a horrific crime. But the emphasis is on violent, non-consensual, not on sexuality or thoughts.
Needless to say, anyone in their right mind would find the idea of an adult sexually attacking a child as being one of the most horrid acts humans are capable of.
Source: http://open.salon.com/blog/patrick_j_kelly/2010/02/19/the_pedophile_witch
It seems that religious zealots manipulated law makers into wrong perceptions of underage sexuality so they passed absurd laws based on these wrong perceptions. Human-Stupidity.com would also add that certain “feminists” also participated in this (see this post in the AntiFeminist blog).
“Traditional” right-wing religious women are EXACTLY the same as the left-wing feminists are. They just use different mumbo-jumbo to achieve the same ends. For example, both ‘radical’ & ‘traditional’ women oppose any kind of sexual competition e.g. prostitution, pornography, etc. Feminists blabber about ‘patriarchy, equality…’ while right wing fems quote bible verses. Same b.s. different packaging.
And this, in essence, is the difference between somebody like Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton. […]
Feminism has always been about playing catch-up in the quest to stop new technology from widening the free sexual market and putting the sexual interests of unattractive women at risk. As progress speeds up, one must hope that this will become increasingly impossible. To take one example. Anyone with eyes and ears will have noticed a marked ‘return to puritanism’ over the last year alone with regard to the media witchunts of ‘cheating’ husbands such as Tiger Woods.
Source: AntiFeminist blog
Back to the salon article:
There were two basic misunderstandings behind attempts to keep children from behaving sexually. The first was ‘out of sight out of mind’ which falsely assumed if children were not exposed to sex they would never be moved to think about it. […]
The second misunderstanding behind attempts to keep children from behaving sexually nestled tightly within ideas of protecting children from sexual assault was that the experience of any sex at an early age was a traumatic event leaving lifelong scars upon developing young minds. This view was not endorsed by the scientific community at the time and is not endorsed by it today.[…]
Strangely, depiction of murder and mayhem is perfectly legal, while depiction of nude teenagers, or sexual activity of under 18 year olds is a heinous crime.
And even though, unlike debated issues of psychological harm from sex, there is absolutely no doubt that murder is harmful to both society and the victims of murder, no one has ever suggested we should make the possession of pictures depicting murder illegal in spite of good evidence showing exposure to pictorial depictions of violence leads some to commit violent acts including murder. It seems we have accepted a double standard in social values that seek to protect children from sex on one hand whether they need it or not, while at the same time overlooking the negative effects graphic depictions of violence have on those same children who are exposed to it on a daily basis. […]
However, in law it is accepted to expect and demand that the laws we enact can withstand such tests of comparative fairness. In other words if you are going to put people in prison for possessing child pornography you should also be putting people in prison for possessing, transmitting or recording pictures depicting graphic violence or murder.
Interestingly, child porn laws can be damaging towards the “victims”, children and adolescents. Not just due to arrests for sexting, consensual sex between minors, but ….
There are many valid reasons why it was a mistake to make the possession of child pornography illegal. Not only because laws were enacted to facilitate an immoral and unjust witch-hunt against so-called pedophiles or anyone suspected of harboring sexual interests in children, but even more importantly because these laws effectively criminalize childhood sexuality not only in the minds of children but everyone else as well. Seeing an integral part of your own personality as immoral, abnormal or unacceptable to the society one lives in does serious psychological damage to impressionable young minds too immature to question the irrationality of misguided government legislation. The statistical increase in suicides among younger and younger aged children should be setting off alarm bells in the minds of anyone claiming a sincere interest in the wellbeing of children.
Again, I warmly recommend you read the entire article http://open.salon.com/blog/patrick_j_kelly/2010/02/19/the_pedophile_witch
There are two groups spearheading this all out “war on sex”: 1. pentecostal fire and brimstone right wingers..the kind who believe that ANY sex outside marriage should be made “illegal.” and 2. Man hating feminists, who cannot stomach the mere “THOUGHT” of ANYTHING male screwing ANYTHING female! Both of these groups have formed a hellish sort of “alliance!” They are backed by almost 100% of the maistream media ( which is the most “terrifying” global police force in existence today! ) tyrannical law makers, and just about every “police-force on the planet!! No one can shout them down! Then you have the “lawmakers” who work WITH the media to paint mostly heterosexual males like myself ( no, stagg does NOT necessarily mean “gay stud” ) as child raping monsters and then PUNISH them accordingly! Man, if it weren’t for the INTERNET, I don’t think ANYbody would know about ANY of these harsh realities! At least the gays and lesbians have some sexual liberation under “gay rights!” We straight folks don’t even have THAT!!! If you’re in legal trouble due to ANY percieved “sex offense”, The ACLU won’t help you because you’re not “gay”, “lesbian”, or “transgenger!” The ACLJ ( the ACLU’s christian counterpart ) won’t help you because 1. you’re not christian, and 2. THEY ( being somewhat “puritanical” in their thinking ) won’t touch an accused “sex monster” with a 29 & 1/2 foot POLE!** That leaves just about every “straight” man, woman and child in the country locked out in the cold! Heterosexuals simply “DON’T QUALIFY” for good legal representation insofar as sex crime accusations are concerned. And most so-called “DEFENSE attourneys” won’t go anywhere NEAR sex offense cases. In our nation’s 100 % liberal, now “soviet style” school system, the children are being taught something that clearly reflects the “biases” and “prejudices” that make this war on sex so “discriminating” and “double-standardized.” This SHOULD get you “BOILING MAD!” If not, there’s something SERIOUSLY “wrong” with you!** My own “Nieces” ages 11 & 12 revealed this “teaching” to their Dad ( my brother ) who got PISSED! This “teaching” is called “equal in stature!” If two little boys want to ‘fool around in the closet, it isn’t rape or child molestation because they are both “boys!” i.e “equal in stature!” Same thing goes if two “girls” want to “explore each other” in the closet! But if a boy gets caught with a girl in the closet, … now THAT’S “DIFFERENT!” The boy is “exposed” as a child raping “SEX MONSTER” and the girl is his helpless “VICTIM!!” They, one being male and the other one being female, are “NOT” equal in stature! Even in our increasingly “soviet” style school systems, “gay rights” protects only “same sex” couples!! The situation is that “IF YOU’RE “GAY” IT’S OKAY ( to fool around –we won’t tell your parents!– ) but “IF YOU’RE “STRAIGHT”, AND YOU’RE A BOY, WE FACULTY MEMBERS HAD BETTER NOT CATCH YOU SO MUCH AS “HOLDING HANDS” WITH A GIRL!! WE’LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED!! How do you like “THEM” sour apples, jack!!? Man, you talk about DOUBLE STANDARDS!! I shit you not, this is what they’re teaching “OUR KIDS” in our increasingly biased and intolorant school systems! Isn’t that “lovely!?
You know that we are DANGEROUSLY close to out and out “martial law” and complete “abolishment” of the constitution when they not only start putting untold ( the media will never EVER tell how many) millions of people on “offender” registries ( not just “sex” offenders), but also start grabbing for our “GUNS!” Yet the so-called “liberals” are STOCK-PILING “their” guns! They are the WORST of hippocrites!!! And back to the topic of “child-porn-accusations, I bet that our ever so “Nazi-esque” anti-porn, anti-pedo, anti-FREEDOM prosecutors and tough-on-crime legislators are the biggest “stock-pilers” of illegal porn!! I wonder how many of those heartless BASTARDS had sex when THEY were kids and teenagers!? I seriously DOUBT that they were as “angelic” as they would have us all BELIEVE they were!** But it is doubtful that anybody DARES try to investigate THEM! All they gotta “DO” is send illegal shit to YOUR computer ( in response to your investigating them )and ever so “coincidentally” YOU end up in prison for “RECIEVING” it!! In the eyes of our psychopathic witch-hunting judicial system, it is completely IRRELEVENT that you DID NOT WANT those illegal images being sent to your smart phone or computer! I.e. “Innocence is NO EXCUSE!! And THAT folks is EXACTLY the way a “witch-hunt” works!! Hey hey hey!
“how can a large part of the population be declared criminal, just for thought crimes like enjoying pictues of 17 year olds?”
If they are making themselves to look like a 18 year or older who is the responsible in this case i don`t think that the viewer should feel responsible at all and if 16 years old kids are having sex that shouldn`t be illegal they are old enough to know what they are doing after all they aren`t some retards that we got from the park
To “los_angeles_chk” and “Fred M”:
You two don’t get it…
“how can 12 year old children be legally tried as adults, if they committed a crime, but they can only consent to sex when they are 18?”
— Murder and sex both involve decision-making. Either you decide to murder someone or agree to have sex with someone or you don’t. Plain and simple. But murder is most foul and sex is most enjoyable. It is easier to agree to sex than to murder someone, presumably. So why should people be given the responsibility for murder most foul at a younger age than pleasant sex at an older age?
“how can 16 year olds marry, have children, but legally not be able to consent to sex?”
— People should be able to consent to have sex BEFORE being able to consent to marry because marriage is about alliance, then sex, then family of your own. If you cannot consent to sex, then you have no right to consent to marriage. Meaning if you have a law that allows 16 year olds to marry, then they should be allowed to consent to sex earlier than that, say 15.
“how can 16 year olds marry, have children, but legally not be able to consent to sex?”
At that age, they are allowed to act and be stupid. Older people should know better.
ill answer this one “how can 12 year old children be legally tried as adults, if they committed a crime, but they can only consent to sex when they are 18?”
i would say this depends on the crime, if they killed someone, id try them as an adult, by 12 you know killing people is wrong and you will be punished
Child porn is now more common in divorce proceedings. Women are using it as a trump card to win custody and put the hurt on their former spouse.
The tragedy is that these underhanded actions show little regard for the victims being abused in the pictures by the person planting the child porn.
However, the poor guy who shows no sexual interest in children is locked-up in jail for years because he can not prove that it wasn’t his and the he didn’t put it there. To top it off, even though he took psych-sexual tests before his trail that shows he is not sexually attracted to children and therefore is not threat. He is still labeled as a sexual offender and his life is destroyed because people think of him as a paedophile even though he is actually not.
Yes, the laws to protect victims of abuse are needed but these laws are more of a witch hunt than anything. There needs to be a better system in place to identify true predators.
Courts should use psycho-sexual test to determine if the person being charged with possession is really a child predator or not.
The USA is getting out of hand. It is the Salem Witch Hunts all over again. SHAME, SHAME on us.