NationStates Jolt Archive

Has anyone else become addicted to watching MSNBC's To Catch a Predator, with Chris Hanson?? They had a marathon last night from 6pm to 5am CST. This may very well be the greatest show ever.... Especially when the potential pedophiles get tackled in the front yard of the house when they leave.

You strike me as the sort of person that would have enjoyed the witch hunts and burnings. I do not mean that in a good way.

"Ummm....Chris, I know you've probably heard this a million times, but while I had a 2 hour long graphic discussion about sex, sent pictures of my genitals to someone claiming to be 13, then drove 4 hours to get here, brought rope, duct tape, condoms, and a tub of cool whip, and am sitting in their kitchen area completely naked, I really had no intention of doing anything sexual with them. I see myself as more of a good-willed, father figure, and wanted to teach them a lesson." (paraphrasing)

You strike me as the sort of person that would have enjoyed the witch hunts and burnings. I do not mean that in a good way.

How can you not mean that in a good way?? hehehehe

i dont watch the show but ive seen it 2 or 3 times.

what amazes me is how educated adults will let their lust take such complete control of them that they walk into what should be a very obvious trap by now. i guess its the excitement of finally finding a 14 year old willing to blow them for the price of a six pack of beer.

"Ummm....Chris, I know you've probably heard this a million times, but while I had a 2 hour long graphic discussion about sex, sent pictures of my genitals to someone claiming to be 13, then drove 4 hours to get here, brought rope, duct tape, condoms, and a tub of cool whip, and am sitting in their kitchen area completely naked, I really had no intention of doing anything sexual with them. I see myself as more of a good-willed, father figure, and wanted to teach them a lesson." (paraphrasing)
Chris: "Why are you here?"
Pred 345: "... I was lost and stopped by to get directions."
Chris: "Why didn't you ask for them when you came in?"
Pred 345: "..."
*pred 345s friend comes in*
Pred 346: "Where's the girl?"
Pred 345: "..."
Chris: "You really came here to meet an underage girl didn't you?"
Pred 345:" Uhh .. no."
Chris: "Then why do we have pictures of you naked sent to the set up email address?"
Pred 345: "I lost them."
Chris: "You lost them?"
Pred 345: "Yes, they must have fell into the email address."
Pred 346: "Think I'll be going now.."

i dont watch the show but ive seen it 2 or 3 times.

what amazes me is how educated adults will let their lust take such complete control of them that they walk into what should be a very obvious trap by now. i guess its the excitement of finally finding a 14 year old willing to blow them for the price of a six pack of beer.

and McDonalds....don't forget the McDonalds.... As I watched last night I realized a pretty high percentage of the sickos showed up with a bag of mcdonalds..... It was almost like a strange, off-target commercial...

Chris: "Why are you here?"
Pred 345: "... I was lost and stopped by to get directions."
Chris: "Why didn't you ask for them when you came in?"
Pred 345: "..."
*pred 345s friend comes in*
Pred 346: "Where's the girl?"
Pred 345: "..."
Chris: "You really came here to meet an underage girl didn't you?"
Pred 345:" Uhh .. no."
Chris: "Then why do we have pictures of you naked sent to the set up email address?"
Pred 345: "I lost them."
Chris: "You lost them?"
Pred 345: "Yes, they must have fell into the email address."
Pred 346: "Think I'll be going now.."

I almost choked to death on my soda watching some of the pedophiles screen names... the best was "Iwanttoeatyourpeach"...the reader kept saying the name over and over while reading the chat, it was hillarious..

Chris Hanson is a blight upon society. He is speeding pedophile evolution. By only catching the slow, weak, and stupid pedophiles, he is making the existing pedos stronger, faster, and smarter. Soon they will be able to teleport through computer screens to rape small children who walk by the computer, and they will not stop with kids. Like a super predator, they will wipe out all non-pedo life on the internet, turning it into a barren and desolate wasteland littered with pictures of their victims and broken dreams. While his intentions are good, I fear he is breeding an internet hate machine that shall run on the blood of our children.

Is he a part of this?
MMMBop, ba dubi dop ba do bop,
Ba dubi dop ba do bop,
Ba dubi dop ba do. yeah yeah,
MMMBop ba dubi dop ba do bop,
Ba dubi dop ba do bop,
Ba dubi dop ba do

Chris Hanson is a blight upon society. He is speeding pedophile evolution. By only catching the slow, weak, and stupid pedophiles, he is making the existing pedos stronger, faster, and smarter. Soon they will be able to teleport through computer screens to rape small children who walk by the computer, and they will not stop with kids. Like a super predator, they will wipe out all non-pedo life on the internet, turning it into a barren and desolate wasteland littered with pictures of their victims and broken dreams. While his intentions are good, I fear he is breeding an internet hate machine that shall run on the blood of our children.

ohmygod youre right!

HE MUST BE STOPPED!

WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN???

I hate that show, and think it's bullshit how they bait people.

I hate that show, and think it's bullshit how they bait people.
Anyone see that Cartman episode where he posts on the internet he is looking for a mature older friend and his screen fills up with response pop ups?

This is probably what happens here:
Girl: "Hi, I'm a nice 14 year old sexy girl looking to talk to guys"
Guy 1: "Hi, asl"
Guy 2: "Whats up"
Guy 3: "Let's talk"
....
Guy 1024: "Want sex talk?"


For the predator to show up at the set up house, it's like the fish jumping in your boat.

Has anyone else become addicted to watching MSNBC's To Catch a Predator, with Chris Hanson?? They had a marathon last night from 6pm to 5am CST. This may very well be the greatest show ever.... Especially when the potential pedophiles get tackled in the front yard of the house when they leave.

It's a great show. It really shows you some sick individuals and you have to love when they go off to jail. It's doing more to stop child molestors than our own government is doing so my hats off to it; although, I'm waiting the day it gets taken off the air by the American Communist & Liberal Union, I mean ACLU, because it is "unfair" and what not.

It's a great show. It really shows you some sick individuals and you have to love when they go off to jail. It's doing more to stop child molestors than our own government is doing so my hats off to it; although, I'm waiting the day it gets taken off the air by the American Communist & Liberal Union, I mean ACLU, because it is "unfair" and what not.

i doubt that they are doing much to protect children.

these guys are so clumsy in their approach that ONLY an adult trying to catch them would fall for it.

what 14 year old wants a stranger to send her/him pictures of his penis and then makes a "date" based on the conversation? *shudder* very few.

i doubt that they are doing much to protect children.

these guys are so clumsy in their approach that ONLY an adult trying to catch them would fall for it.

what 14 year old wants a stranger to send her/him pictures of his penis and then makes a "date" based on the conversation? *shudder* very few.

And yet they can make show after show full of idiots who turn up...

On an Austin radio station, Hanson himself even said that only about 1/3 of the guys they catch are legitimate pedophiles. The rest, he thinks, would never have done anything if they hadn't been baited.

On an Austin radio station, Hanson himself even said that only about 1/3 of the guys they catch are legitimate pedophiles. The rest, he thinks, would never have done anything is they hadn't been baited.

And therein lies the problem. These guys are not police. They are not bound by constitutional provisions. They are not bound by laws preventing entrapment. They are not bound by chain of evidence procedures.

These laws exist for a reason, and organizations like this manage to skirt them at will. These types of investigations are all well and good, when performed by the police, eusnruing that it does not cross the line into entrapment, while at the same time preserving the chain of evidence and staying within the confines of the constitution.

I hate that show, and think it's bullshit how they bait people.

QFT.

One of these days, Chris Hansen is going to find a real, brutal, honest-to-god child rapist.

With a gun and a definite aversion to being filmed.

And I will be happy.

QFT.

One of these days, Chris Hansen is going to find a real, brutal, honest-to-god child rapist.

With a gun and a definite aversion to being filmed.

And I will be happy.
Not using people pretending to be fourteen year olds he won't.

Vile, vulgar show.

Unjust laws which permit this entrapment should be overturned, money grubbing cops who participate should be sanctioned, and that pimp who runs the show should be sued into poverty.

I find the show questionable, mainly because they're trying to catch pedophiles, and yet the person who is posing as the 13-14 year old child is in fact a legal woman, so the 'pedophiles' didn't do anything wrong and really, the only charge they'll be able to bring up is 'conspiracy' and 'intent' type charges.

With that being said, if I ever do run into an honest to God pedophiles, they better be fast runners.

A few points:

1) Watching the show, one hardly needs a degree in psychology to tell that the vast majority of suspects interviewed are not, using any reasonable definition of the term, "pedophiles." A few of them admit to seeking out young girls (or boys), and a few clearly have a very "special" kind of excitement about the prospect. Most of them, however, speak and behave in ways suggesting that they would have been excited at virtually ANY flirtatious or sexy Internet conversation, and they would have been more than happy to visit a sexy, interested adult... had an adult invited them over rather than a child.

2) There are clear differences in the amount of time that the chatters pretending to be children "groom" suspects for a visit. Some of them appear to have spoken for only a few hours before deciding to come over with beer, pot, condoms and some lube. Others seem to have been reeled in over a series of weeks, during which they believed they were becoming genuinely friendly with a girl or boy who liked them, and during which they build up the will actually to face the significant risks associated with visiting their new "friend."

3) While some men show up seemingly prepared to strip down immediately and press for anal sex, others seem more interested in continuing their verbal relationship with the child in person, approaching the subject of sex only cautiously. In a recent episode, for instance, the show actually taped the suspects sitting down with the decoy for a chat. Some were clearly impatient to "get things started," but others were notably cautious. Take one man, for instance, who responded to the decoy's prompt about sex (paraphrased): "Well, I was thinking we might not the first time. We can move slow. I'd like to hold you today. I didn't really believe you were real. I'd just like to be with you, and we can see what you're comfortable with. Always only what you're comfortable with." He stressed that several times, and he seemed nervous for two reasons: first, because on some level he clearly suspected a trap, or at least found it difficult really to believe that this attractive, energetic young woman was interested in him, a washed-up forty-year-old; but also because he seemed nervous about the possibility that he could hurt her, and he genuinely cared about her (and his own sense of guilt/shame) enough to try (in his misguided way) to avoid that.

I mention these things because what sickens me the most about the show is the tendency for its viewers to fail to make precisely these distinctions... which means that we as a society are failing to understand the diverse and complicated reasons that otherwise respectable, law-abiding people can be tempted by the allures of a young person apparently interested in sex.

As a society, we are mature enough to realize that children often fail to understand the implications of their actions, and we have decided that below a certain age (itself rather arbitrary) we should agree that young people cannot be taken to "consent," legally, to certain kinds of actions/contracts/associations.

This is all well and good, and most people understand this. Indeed, most of the suspects captured on "To Catch a Predator" seem to understand this in principle.

But we have to remember that the legal definition of consent often appears at odds with very common-sense definitions of the same term. When actually talking with a young person who seems interested in sex (does she raise the subject? often the show does not let us know) it can be very easy for a grown man to convince himself that this one is "mature," and it can seem all to clear that she knows exactly what she is doing: she is not only consenting, she is perfectly willing.

Most of us, of course, don't get to this point. But some of the men on that show... well, it's all too obvious that they have hit hard times in life. They feel unattractive (whether they are or not) and they're probably not getting too lucky with the women their age. When someone actually expresses an interest... that can be a powerful psychological motivator, even for someone who otherwise knows better.

My point is that not all of these men--indeed, I think, not many of them--are "pedophiles" as we usually conceive of the term, and I think that a majority of them are not the criminal scumbags we tend to perceive. To lump them all together is to fail to understand the real factors leading law-abiding people to break this particular law.

To be clear, I think that ALL people who seek sex from minors should be prosecuted in some form: I think it needs to be reinforced for people that this is a law that society takes seriously, because we should. However, I think most of them would do better with counseling (or *gasp* help finding a job) than prison time, and I certainly don't think it helps to slap them all with the stigma of a "sex crime," which in today's society will haunt them wherever they go.

In other words, the specific facts of the case matter. A lot.

And as others have pointed out, one of the WORST aspects of this show is that the investigation is NOT conducted by law-enforcement officers until the very last phase. We have NO assurance that the chat logs are accurate and complete, which means the prosecution may (potentially) miss out on important information including: 1) who first raised the subject of sex, the suspect or the decoy? 2) how long did it take the decoy to convince the man to come for a visit--a day, a week, a month? 3) how cautious was the suspect about taking up a relationship with someone so young--was he eager, or did he have to "fall in love" with her (in his own mind) first?

I do not think these cases should be treated the same, even if they should all be prosecuted in some form. It is a true failure of the show that it encourages its viewers to feel good about each and every one of these men being "taken down."

Incidentally, the man I mentioned before--the one who was especially cautious and played down the possibility of sex on the first "date"? It was obvious, and frankly somewhat heartbreaking, to see that the police recognized a difference in him, too. Whereas they usually "jump" a suspect, throwing him to the ground or against the wall with the kind of aggressive commands that police use to subdue a person's will as much as his body, with this guy they walked up carefully, spoke softly, and gently told him that they were not going to hurt him.

It was clear even to the police that this was a fundamentally gentle, caring soul whose life had gone terribly awry.

Why can't more Americans see what is obvious even to the usually "law & order" minded police?

A few points:

1) Watching the show, one hardly needs a degree in psychology to tell that the vast majority of suspects interviewed are not, using any reasonable definition of the term, "pedophiles." A few of them admit to seeking out young girls (or boys), and a few clearly have a very "special" kind of excitement about the prospect. Most of them, however, speak and behave in ways suggesting that they would have been excited at virtually ANY flirtatious or sexy Internet conversation, and they would have been more than happy to visit a sexy, interested adult... had an adult invited them over rather than a child.

2) There are clear differences in the amount of time that the chatters pretending to be children "groom" suspects for a visit. Some of them appear to have spoken for only a few hours before deciding to come over with beer, pot, condoms and some lube. Others seem to have been reeled in over a series of weeks, during which they believed they were becoming genuinely friendly with a girl or boy who liked them, and during which they build up the will actually to face the significant risks associated with visiting their new "friend."

3) While some men show up seemingly prepared to strip down immediately and press for anal sex, others seem more interested in continuing their verbal relationship with the child in person, approaching the subject of sex only cautiously. In a recent episode, for instance, the show actually taped the suspects sitting down with the decoy for a chat. Some were clearly impatient to "get things started," but others were notably cautious. Take one man, for instance, who responded to the decoy's prompt about sex (paraphrased): "Well, I was thinking we might not the first time. We can move slow. I'd like to hold you today. I didn't really believe you were real. I'd just like to be with you, and we can see what you're comfortable with. Always only what you're comfortable with." He stressed that several times, and he seemed nervous for two reasons: first, because on some level he clearly suspected a trap, or at least found it difficult really to believe that this attractive, energetic young woman was interested in him, a washed-up forty-year-old; but also because he seemed nervous about the possibility that he could hurt her, and he genuinely cared about her (and his own sense of guilt/shame) enough to try (in his misguided way) to avoid that.

I mention these things because what sickens me the most about the show is the tendency for its viewers to fail to make precisely these distinctions... which means that we as a society are failing to understand the diverse and complicated reasons that otherwise respectable, law-abiding people can be tempted by the allures of a young person apparently interested in sex.

As a society, we are mature enough to realize that children often fail to understand the implications of their actions, and we have decided that below a certain age (itself rather arbitrary) we should agree that young people cannot be taken to "consent," legally, to certain kinds of actions/contracts/associations.

This is all well and good, and most people understand this. Indeed, most of the suspects captured on "To Catch a Predator" seem to understand this in principle.

But we have to remember that the legal definition of consent often appears at odds with very common-sense definitions of the same term. When actually talking with a young person who seems interested in sex (does she raise the subject? often the show does not let us know) it can be very easy for a grown man to convince himself that this one is "mature," and it can seem all to clear that she knows exactly what she is doing: she is not only consenting, she is perfectly willing.

Most of us, of course, don't get to this point. But some of the men on that show... well, it's all too obvious that they have hit hard times in life. They feel unattractive (whether they are or not) and they're probably not getting too lucky with the women their age. When someone actually expresses an interest... that can be a powerful psychological motivator, even for someone who otherwise knows better.

My point is that not all of these men--indeed, I think, not many of them--are "pedophiles" as we usually conceive of the term, and I think that a majority of them are not the criminal scumbags we tend to perceive. To lump them all together is to fail to understand the real factors leading law-abiding people to break this particular law.

To be clear, I think that ALL people who seek sex from minors should be prosecuted in some form: I think it needs to be reinforced for people that this is a law that society takes seriously, because we should. However, I think most of them would do better with counseling (or *gasp* help finding a job) than prison time, and I certainly don't think it helps to slap them all with the stigma of a "sex crime," which in today's society will haunt them wherever they go.

In other words, the specific facts of the case matter. A lot.

And as others have pointed out, one of the WORST aspects of this show is that the investigation is NOT conducted by law-enforcement officers until the very last phase. We have NO assurance that the chat logs are accurate and complete, which means the prosecution may (potentially) miss out on important information including: 1) who first raised the subject of sex, the suspect or the decoy? 2) how long did it take the decoy to convince the man to come for a visit--a day, a week, a month? 3) how cautious was the suspect about taking up a relationship with someone so young--was he eager, or did he have to "fall in love" with her (in his own mind) first?

I do not think these cases should be treated the same, even if they should all be prosecuted in some form. It is a true failure of the show that it encourages its viewers to feel good about each and every one of these men being "taken down."

Incidentally, the man I mentioned before--the one who was especially cautious and played down the possibility of sex on the first "date"? It was obvious, and frankly somewhat heartbreaking, to see that the police recognized a difference in him, too. Whereas they usually "jump" a suspect, throwing him to the ground or against the wall with the kind of aggressive commands that police use to subdue a person's will as much as his body, with this guy they walked up carefully, spoke softly, and gently told him that they were not going to hurt him.

It was clear even to the police that this was a fundamentally gentle, caring soul whose life had gone terribly awry.

Why can't more Americans see what is obvious even to the usually "law & order" minded police?

damn, i wish the fuzzy thoughts and mixed up ideas in my head came out this coherently. Quoted For Truth.

I mention these things because what sickens me the most about the show is the tendency for its viewers to fail to make precisely these distinctions... which means that we as a society are failing to understand the diverse and complicated reasons that otherwise respectable, law-abiding people can be tempted by the allures of a young person apparently interested in sex.
I make the distinction that an intelligent person in their 30s or 40s would not have looked for and pursued any remotely sexual relationship with a 13 or 14 year old. Some one in their late teens and early 20s, the line is fuzzy. But once you get more than twice the age of the supposed person, I would suspect you smarter than that. There are plenty of interested women online of a legal age that you don't need to go around looking for kids below the age of consent.

If the fish jumps in the boat, I'm going to hit it with the paddle.

Vile, vulgar show.

Unjust laws which permit this entrapment should be overturned, money grubbing cops who participate should be sanctioned, and that pimp who runs the show should be sued into poverty.

I agree totally. While I am in favor of protecting kids from pedophiles, I am against a program that entraps a person into doing something they wouldn't have normally done.

Besides, how is it that they are soliciting sex to minors when they are talking to law enforcement officials who are over 18? There is no crime in that. If anything it can be dismissed as role playing, one person pretending to be underage, and the other person getting off to it.

If the fish jumps in the boat, I'm going to hit it with the paddle.Indeed.

Our disagreement here really comes down to divergent definitions of "jump"... and "paddle."

For those of us who share concerns about these stings, you have to love the irony in the fact that they are run by a group calling itself "Perverted Justice."

:)

You strike me as the sort of person that would have enjoyed the witch hunts and burnings. I do not mean that in a good way.

Quoted for Truth.

Besides, how is it that they are soliciting sex to minors when they are talking to law enforcement officials who are over 18? There is no crime in that.

Correct, since the person in question is over 18, it is not soliciting a minor, and therefore the crime of soliciting a minor has not occured.

Attempted solicitation, however, has occured, and that is also a crime.

If anything it can be dismissed as role playing, one person pretending to be underage, and the other person getting off to it.

It um...it doesn't really work that way. inchoate crimes are really about intent. The whole point of these stings is that the crime is attempting to have sex with someone you believe to be a minor.

Now, again, when these stings are performed by the police, following proper procedure, I support them. But not things like this.

Someone should bribe a fourteen year old to pose as a forty year old and somehow get him on the show. That would be amusing.

It's an absolutely disgusting show that keeps people afraid of paedophiles rather than willing to help them, and it also creates a sense that if you are a paedophile, you MUST be a child molester, when this simply isn't the case. Most paedophiles merely have the attraction and hate it and refuse to act upon it, but they can't seek help because society will immediately treat them as though they have already or will molest a child and thus refuse to have anything to do with them. It's disgusting and sickening, really, what people will do to those who have an attraction that they simply want help to cure.

Paedophilia is not natural, unlike homosexuality or asexuality...or at least we presume it isn't. We actually don't know because no real research has been undertaken into this subject.

Paedophiles are not monsters. They're people with an attraction that most refuse to act upon and are disgusted by, and we as a society need to recognize that so we can help them, rather than turn them away.

Same goes for those with rape fantasies and urges. They need help, not ostricization. By ostracizing these people, we just make the situation worse.

For those of us who share concerns about these stings, you have to love the irony in the fact that they are run by a group calling itself "Perverted Justice."

:)

When I first hear about this it took a sec for it to sink in that they called themselves Perverted Justice. I didn't really think they could not get it.

When I first hear about this it took a sec for it to sink in that they called themselves Perverted Justice. I didn't really think they could not get it.

A lot of those dudes are pedos themselves apparently.

It's an absolutely disgusting show that keeps people afraid of paedophiles rather than willing to help them, and it also creates a sense that if you are a paedophile, you MUST be a child molester, when this simply isn't the case. Most paedophiles merely have the attraction and hate it and refuse to act upon it, but they can't seek help because society will immediately treat them as though they have already or will molest a child and thus refuse to have anything to do with them. It's disgusting and sickening, really, what people will do to those who have an attraction that they simply want help to cure.

Paedophilia is not natural, unlike homosexuality or asexuality...or at least we presume it isn't. We actually don't know because no real research has been undertaken into this subject.

Paedophiles are not monsters. They're people with an attraction that most refuse to act upon and are disgusted by, and we as a society need to recognize that so we can help them, rather than turn them away.

Same goes for those with rape fantasies and urges. They need help, not ostricization. By ostracizing these people, we just make the situation worse.


-thumbs up- You hit the nail on the head. Too bad we can't like give special points for awesome posts, because you'd get a bagillion for this :p

It's an absolutely disgusting show that keeps people afraid of paedophiles rather than willing to help them, and it also creates a sense that if you are a paedophile, you MUST be a child molester, when this simply isn't the case. Most paedophiles merely have the attraction and hate it and refuse to act upon it, but they can't seek help because society will immediately treat them as though they have already or will molest a child and thus refuse to have anything to do with them. It's disgusting and sickening, really, what people will do to those who have an attraction that they simply want help to cure.

Paedophilia is not natural, unlike homosexuality or asexuality...or at least we presume it isn't. We actually don't know because no real research has been undertaken into this subject.

Paedophiles are not monsters. They're people with an attraction that most refuse to act upon and are disgusted by, and we as a society need to recognize that so we can help them, rather than turn them away.

Same goes for those with rape fantasies and urges. They need help, not ostricization. By ostracizing these people, we just make the situation worse.

I just wanted to quote this, hoping the repitition would emphasise the points made. It's so true, after all.

One of my teacher's from high school turned out to be a pedophile. It turned out he was so scared of women his age, he couldn't have a relationship with any of them, all because of his childhood. So he turned to fantisizing over young girls, who he could talk to easily. He tried to kill himself when he was caught, and confessed everything when he failed, which tells me he hated how he felt and he hated his life because of it. I feel no hatred against him, nor pity. I just wish his life could of been different.

I just wanted to quote this, hoping the repitition would emphasise the points made. It's so true, after all.

One of my teacher's from high school turned out to be a pedophile. It turned out he was so scared of women his age, he couldn't have a relationship with any of them, all because of his childhood. So he turned to fantisizing over young girls, who he could talk to easily. He tried to kill himself when he was caught, and confessed everything when he failed, which tells me he hated how he felt and he hated his life because of it. I feel no hatred against him, nor pity. I just wish his life could of been different.

Could have, good sir.

But yes, it's ridiculous, and yet it's how people react. Just look up any thread on paedophilia here...you'll see a lot of hatred from people who are otherwise extremely liberal when it comes to attitudes towards everyone. It's disgusting, really...because these people need help.

I just wanted to quote this, hoping the repitition would emphasise the points made. It's so true, after all.

One of my teacher's from high school turned out to be a pedophile. It turned out he was so scared of women his age, he couldn't have a relationship with any of them, all because of his childhood. So he turned to fantisizing over young girls, who he could talk to easily. He tried to kill himself when he was caught, and confessed everything when he failed, which tells me he hated how he felt and he hated his life because of it. I feel no hatred against him, nor pity. I just wish his life could of been different.

Great. Now I'm sad. Thanks.

*goes to eat a turkey-burger*

Could have, good sir.

But yes, it's ridiculous, and yet it's how people react. Just look up any thread on paedophilia here...you'll see a lot of hatred from people who are otherwise extremely liberal when it comes to attitudes towards everyone. It's disgusting, really...because these people need help.

and as long as they dont actively seek out sex with children (adding in underaged teens) they should get all the help they ask for.

if they try to seduce children, they need a few years in the slammer.

and as long as they dont actively seek out sex with children (adding in underaged teens) they should get all the help they ask for.

if they try to seduce children, they need a few years in the slammer.

Well yes, obviously, we should punish child molesters. (And of course give them a chance--like all other criminals--to be rehabilitated, get therapy, learn new skills, be able to integrate back into society after release, and all that jazz.)

But the problem is that so many people equate paedophile with child molester. They think that because you have an attraction, you have to be acting upon it through molestation. That's like saying that because I am a heterosexual attracted to women, I must be a rapist. Of course, that is ridiculous; I am no rapist.

But that's the logic most people use, and it's sickening.

Well yes, obviously, we should punish child molesters. (And of course give them a chance--like all other criminals--to be rehabilitated, get therapy, learn new skills, be able to integrate back into society after release, and all that jazz.)

But the problem is that so many people equate paedophile with child molester. They think that because you have an attraction, you have to be acting upon it through molestation. That's like saying that because I am a heterosexual attracted to women, I must be a rapist. Of course, that is ridiculous; I am no rapist.

But that's the logic most people use, and it's sickening.

yeah

people should not be punished for the thoughts in their heads but only for what they DO.

not that i would leave a child alone with a pedophile.

QFT.

One of these days, Chris Hansen is going to find a real, brutal, honest-to-god child rapist.

With a gun and a definite aversion to being filmed.

And I will be happy.

I hope someone starts stalking Chris Hansen online and 'falls' for it (intentionally) , shows up and rapes him. Talk about irony.

Someone should bribe a fourteen year old to pose as a forty year old and somehow get him on the show. That would be amusing.

That's just what I was thinking!