I've got a few comments here that might be a little off topic of where the thread is going, but I think are relevant to the title of the thread.
We as a society are pushing messages about sexuality that I think are clearly hypocritical, if not downright schitzophrenic.
We have idolized youth to the extreme. Aging is unacceptable, and more and more people are doing whatever their pocketbook can afford to try and make themselves look younger and younger. And with TV shows like Extreme Makeover, it gets sanctioned by the media and by the public. People undergo all kinds of surgery designed to make them look prettier, which generally means younger. Youth hasn't simply been idolized, but a big part of it has also been sexualized. We have beauty pagants for very young children, in which they are heavily sexualized. Youth and sex go hand in hand. This attitude has permeated our society extensively.
So why is it that we are shocked when kids are harmed by pedophiles? After all, our society has pounded into everyone's head that youth is beauty, and youth is sexy, and youth is desireable. Is it any wonder that those who are attracted to youth in the extreme are going to act upon impulse and desire? These people are really only taking society's message and running with it. In a way, we as a society have told them that it's OK to do. But then we want to hold up the pedophiles as a pariah and act like it is something wrong with them. Really, we have created our own problems and our own monsters. In a subtle and sneaky way we have told them that this is OK, and now we see the results.
Sexuality and desire and arousal are a very interesting thing. Different people find different things arousing, and its a good thing because we don't all fit a single mold. If we did, many of us would never find a partner or a spouse to share our lives with. Some people are attracted to skinny people, others to heavy people, others to tall people with dredlocks, others to short people with long hair, or high boots, or high heels, or leather and lace, etc. What an individual is attracted to and aroused by is a very personal thing, and it cannot be reasoned in, nor reasoned out of a person. It just is what it is. Unfortunatley, some people are sexually attracted to children.
I read an article in a newspaper once, where an individual admitted to being attracted to children. However, he was fully aware of how damaging it would be if he ever acted upon that attraction, and he had never acted upon it so far. He deliberately lived his life in such a way to never be placed into a tempting circumstance, where he might harm a child. He was forced to acknowledge this side of himself, but was clear headed enough to understand how dangerous it would be, and strong enough to take steps to ensure it never caused harm to anyone.
Reaction to this article was rather strong. People called him a demon, claimed he was sick, and a terrible person, etc. I think just the opposite is true. Like I stated earlier, you can't simply change whatever gets you aroused. There is no button in your brain that you can simply turn off so that it doesn't happen. This person had not acted on his impulse. He was strong enough to recognize the danger, and took steps to prevent any trouble. You cannot attack someone for simply having thoughts that you disagree with. If he doesn't act upon those thoughts, he has done nothing wrong.
But given the messages that our society sends out, idolizing youth, sexualizing youth, is it really any wonder that some people who are attracted to children might act upon those impulses? While these people have truly done a terrible thing, I think we as a society really have to look at ourselves and recognize that we are Dr. Frankenstein, and we have created a monster.
