bfuddled Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I ran across this interview/story on Upworthy (I know, the site is annoying, but it sucks me in sometimes), and was actually surprised at how it made me stop and think about the issue. If you're like me and don't want to have to listen to the whole thing, you can read the transcript. Most people will recoil even at the mention of the word, which is why there is such a lack of research and knowledge about the problem. I admit that it's hard to think of pedophiles just as people with a mental disorder/issue, but what if that is the underlying initial cause? Of course that doesn't excuse anything or make the actions any less deplorable, but what if that approach could lead to an actual treatment or at least an intervention that could protect children? On one hand, I've always been of the mind that pedophiles should not be allowed around children, ever, no matter what. There's no treatment that I would ever trust to protect a child from a known pedophile, but the fact is, there is this population of people out there that we have to deal with somehow. Any thoughts? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeThinkerNZ Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 My ex youth pastor ended up serving jail time for abusing young boys in his charge. I learned that he was and is a very sick man. I agree with you, it is a mental illness, and they need effective treatment. Nothing so far has been shown effective for more than a small percentage of pedophiles though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Meh, I wonder what therapies have been tried in more than just a few cases. The image of all pedophiles being uncontrollable monsters has been so burned into our collective minds that those psychologists etc who want to try some serous therapy often have to fear persecution for "protecting these beasts who need to be shot on the spot!!!!1111!!!!oneoneone!!!!!". At least that's how I understand the situation here, and I'm afraid it won't be that much different in other places. There are surely ways to try for them to, for example, keep their minds of what their instincts want them do do when they are around children. But as society has decided that pedophiles, all pedophiles, are untermenschen who deserve to die... Just one more thing to think about: There are people who realize they have pedophilic desires and talk to a doc as soon as they notice it because they don't fucking want to lose control and harm a child one day. Guess what the mainstream media (at least in Germany) report about these cases? 'zacly. Well okay, yet one more food for thought - as the professional liars media keep telling us pedophiles know what they're about to do but don't care. That will surely be true for some of them but there are others. As far as I've learned (outside the media mainstream, naturally) there are quite a few with a problem of perception. They see a child doing some totally harmless child thing but their brain tells them that's a signal of sexual interest and desire. Imagine for a single horrible moment that would be something your brain does to you. Is there a word for the amount of suckage that this means? So yeah, some pedophiles are probably hopeless cases. But not all of them by far. And as long as we let our panem et circenses mentality run amok and "know exactly" that they are all beasts, we should not count on being on the right side always. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeThinkerNZ Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Most pedophiles are members of the victim's household. That's something that often gets overlooked when discussing the topic. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 I agree with all of the above. Those people are victims themselves as you say. It is a really tough dilemma. It's very difficult to come up with a fair solution. I think pedophiles suffer terribly for their illness and are trapped. bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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