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One of your optional answers was something like, they are not pedophiles because they may not act on their feelings. That's like saying a murderer is not a murderer unless s/he murders. It really doesn't make any sense, at least not to me. The term "child molester" is too soft. It certainly does not describe with any accuracy, what a predator does to the life of a child. "Pedophile" is too technical. Let's call it what it is: rape/vicious assault/person who should be put in jail for the rest of his or her life. Forum Home | Top of Thread | Jump To Parent (121952) In order to post a message to a new thread or reply to existing messages you must be logged in. If you'd like to post messages please login or register as a new user. Message 122858 (In Reply to Message 122552)Posted by steve on Dec 10, 2003 02:08 PM | Also by steve
> One of your optional answers was something like, they are not > pedophiles because they may not act on their feelings. The choice you are referring to is "No, because not all pedophiles act on their thoughts." > That's like saying a murderer is not a murderer unless s/he > murders. I'll try to explain the intent of the poll in different wording than I used in the poll. The goal was to determine whether users considered the terms "pedophile" and "child molester" to mean the same thing or if not, what they considered to be the difference between the two terms. The word "act" in the choice I quoted above is vague, but the implication was whether the user believed that all people who are considered pedophiles act on their attraction to children. > That's like saying a murderer is not a murderer unless s/he murders. It's more akin to saying that someone who has regular thoughts about killing drivers who cut him/her off while driving isn't a murderer until he/she murders a fellow driver. The distinction is the difference between a thought and an act. So the question is really equivalent to this 2 part question "Have all adults who are attracted to children actually molested a child and are all adults who have molested children attracted to children?" A large percentage of child molesters actually are not considered pedophiles because their molestations were either situtational or motivated by power, not sexual attraction. And since it's logical that not all pedophiles have molested yet and arguable that not all pedophiles will eventually molest, they are not equivalent. Pedophilia describes an attraction, molestation describes an act. One may believe that all pedophiles have or will molest and all molesters are pedophiles, but that's actually not accurate and unfounded. It's complicated by the media misusing the word "pedophile" to describe anyone accused or alleged of molesting. The poll sought to see if users understood either (or both) of those differences. > It really doesn't make any sense, at least not to me. I hope that it's clearer now. I'm glad to discuss or elaborate if you'd like. > The term "child molester" is too soft. It certainly does not describe > with any accuracy, what a predator does to the life of a child. I agree that the word "molest" is too soft, especially when describing sexual abuse that involves penetration and violence. The word doesn't conjure up the severity. Not to focus on a minor point, but a child molester isn't always a predator. > "Pedophile" is too technical. Let's call it what it is: rape/vicious > assault/person who should be put in jail for the rest of his or her life. Again, a pedophile is a person attracted to children. An attraction doesn't necessarilly imply a current, past or future act will occur. And it doesn't imply that if sexual abuse of a child does take place that it will be vicious or rape. Obviously some pedophiles have or will sexually abuse children, but some won't, some that do won't rape or commit a violent act and some that do aren't predators. I'm not trying to minimize child sexual abuse and when I used the word "some" throughout instead of other words like few/many/most because my point was simply that these terms are not equivalent. I respect that some draw conclusions and correlations and prefer to generalize, but the fact remains that the two terms are not identical. I'm not surprised that only 16% chose the answer that was actually correct though since the general perception is that the two terms are the same or that a high enough percentage of pedophiles are molesters and vice versa that people are comfortable to use them interchangably even though they are in fact different. I hope that makes sense. If you'd like to comment or discuss further feel free to. Forum Home | Top of Thread | Jump To Parent (122552) In order to post a message to a new thread or reply to existing messages you must be logged in. If you'd like to post messages please login or register as a new user. Message 142514 (In Reply to Message 122858)Posted by rebel51 on Dec 18, 2004 12:17 PM | Also by rebel51
personally I think that there are 3 catagorys. #1- pedophile, someone who can look at a child and have a sexual reaction. #2-child molester, that is the pedophile who has gone to the next level...they have the child picked out and are 'working' on the child. Little hugs, compliments..whatever that person thinks will get him/her to the next level. #3-rapist, that is the child molester who has accomplished what he/she set out to do, have sex with a child. I know that on TV they use the word pedophile and child molester for the same thing, to me they are not the same thing and neither one should be used to describe an adult having sex with a child. That needs a bigger word..one that is as vicious as the act that was commited. Forum Home | Top of Thread | Jump To Parent (122858) In order to post a message to a new thread or reply to existing messages you must be logged in. If you'd like to post messages please login or register as a new user. Message 142525 (In Reply to Message 142514)Posted by brennus on Dec 18, 2004 05:59 PM | Also by brennus
My understanding of the terms "pedophile" and "child molester" is slightly different from yours. "Pedophilia" is a term defined in the DSM-IV as an attraction (which does not have to be acted on) to a pre-pubescent child for at least 6 months. There is also "ephebeophilia," where the person is attracted to a pubescent child under the AOC. Child molesters don't have to rape (or be sexually attracted to kids) to molest them. Situational CM's molest kids for reasons other than attraction to them. Preferentional CM's are pedo- (or ephebo-) philes who act on their attraction. Forum Home | Top of Thread | Jump To Parent (142514) In order to post a message to a new thread or reply to existing messages you must be logged in. If you'd like to post messages please login or register as a new user. Message 142527 (In Reply to Message 142514)Posted by steve on Dec 18, 2004 06:07 PM | Also by steve
#2-child molester, that is the pedophile who has gone to the next level. rebel51, your 3 categories are compelling. To me, your categories are different levels of escalation for a pedophile - #1 attracted to children, but don't act on it, #2 physical contact, but without sexual contact, #3 sexual contact. Is that a fair interpretation? It's probably a reasonable way of defining levels of pedophilia, but it ignores the fact that much (in fact, I believe it's most) of child molestation isn't really pedophilia in that the motivation of the perpetrator either isn't sexual (it's about power) or the perpetrator isn't primarily attracted to children and it's more a crime of convenience (though to me that's more of a technical difference). In other words, a high percentage of child molestation are acts of an adult molesting a child as a form of exerting power over the child, not for sexual gratification. Forum Home | Top of Thread | Jump To Parent (142514) In order to post a message to a new thread or reply to existing messages you must be logged in. If you'd like to post messages please login or register as a new user. Message 142538 (In Reply to Message 142514)
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lol...it is dudette
I thought that the only people that were on the sex offender list were the really violent sex offenders.
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