this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024
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Unpopular Opinion

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Basically what it says on the tin. Having read though some of the materials on the issue, I am baffled by how recklessly the word is used, given the consequences of such usage.

Pedophiles are the people with sexual attraction to prepubescent children. It doesn't matter whether they do or don't act on that attraction; in fact, many don't. It is a sexual interest/mental condition that cannot be reliably changed.

Child molesters, on the other hand, are not necessarily pedophiles - in fact, 50 to 75% of child molesters do not have pedophilic interest.

Both facts can be sourced from the respective Wikipedia article and more info can be found in respective research.

Why does this matter?

Because the current use of the word reinforces stigma around pedophilia and makes it less likely for people with pedophilic disorder to reach out for help for the fear they would be outed and treated the same as actual child abusers.

This, in turn, makes those in a vulnerable position more likely to cross the line and get into the category of child abusers instead of coming for help. Also, it heavily affects people who did nothing to deserve such treatment.

What should we do?

We should leave the word "pedophile" to the context in which it belongs, which is the mental health and sexuality spheres, and avoid using the term to describe sexual offenders against minors. At the very least, one would most likely be wrong. At most, one would participate in the cycle of child abuse.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Seems the sort of thing a Pedo would say. Rapists should be neutered, especially anyone who raped a kid..

I don't believe in calling them map or whatever stupid term we are using to enable them.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

This bit scratches the surface and is a giggle. 😁

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Because the current use of the word reinforces stigma around pedophilia and makes it less likely for people with pedophilic disorder to reach out for help for the fear they would be outed and treated the same as actual child abusers.

This is a semantic argument. Words change all the time; it's OK. It's especially common for clinical words to move into the pubic domain where they loose their clinical usefulness and even become pejorative. We just need a new word to describe the thing you're talking about.

There is no power in the spoken syllables or the written configuration of the word pedophile. Any other word will do just as well. Trying to prevent language shift is wrestling the tide.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Certified lover-boy? Certified child molester WOP WOP WOP WOP WOP

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

For many, pedophiles, or whatever other minor-philes are akin to Nazis or something else universally reviled.

There's no perceptive redemption or discussion.

For many, including me, that's fine.

Consent is mandatory, anything outside it is a done discussion. I understand the discussion on precrime, as related to non offending attraction, but for many the mere thoughts earn the end of tolerance.

As such, policing language to be tolerant of that group is a non starter.

Edit Do note I never called for lynchings or purges or minority report arrests. The law should cover all equally.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

When I think about how many famous, powerful people have been outed as child molesters, it definitely seems to me that pedophilia is something that can develop within people. I don't think that pedophiles tend to become famous, nor do I think that the trend among powerful people is reflected in the general population.

From the wikipedia article

There are motives for child sexual abuse that are unrelated to pedophilia, such as stress, marital problems, the unavailability of an adult partner, general anti-social tendencies, high sex drive or alcohol use.

This seems crazy to me and I don't think any of it explains why so many powerful people actively seek to molest children. Treating pedophilia as a condition or as a quirk in one's sexuality seems dangerous to me. You can like petite people, you can do schoolgirl roleplay or whatever you want with a consenting adult. Don't even think about kids. That should be an immediate red light in anyone's brain.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

In some peoples' brains it's just not. Attraction works in a way that doesn't ask you for your stance.

And among wealthy and powerful, there are plenty of sociopaths who would abuse a child without being pedophilic per se. Also, if you check the age of their victims, this is most commonly post-puberty minors, and attraction to those is highly common in an adult population.

There is currently no evidence that pedophilia can be developed, except for the fact that there's an elevated percentage of pedophiles among people who have survived child sexual abuse as minors themselves.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Nope. Pedophiles are child molesters. Something you want to tell us?

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