Yandere Simulator “Could Be Renamed”
Studio FOW Short Totally Tentacular
Phantom World Stretching Expectations
Charming Futaba Nendoroid
How You Wish KyoAni Made Phantom World…
This is turning into more of a monologue than a discussion, but anyway, I shall trod on.
Here's another good article that I came across, slightly more recent than the previous two I linked:
Sexual Fascism in Progressive America
I particularly liked this quote: "The most basic notions of the rule of law -- that you should not be punished for what you cannot help, like the feelings you have, that no-one should be expected to obey laws so vague that the criteria of obedience are mysterious -- were thrown away years ago."
I was sure somebody here had linked me to this, but I can't find the link now. Maybe I clicked through to it from another link... :?
Paedophilia: The Radical Case, by Tom O'Carroll
A radical case indeed, but also surprisingly persuasive. Reading this text really reinforced my feelings of just how screwed up society is. And it's depressing to think how little hope there is of ever witnessing such a drastic reform. I mean, it's not just about having sex with kids, it's about civil rights, sexual identity, being more honest and transparent about sex throughout society, helping to raise children better (which means *less* abuse), promoting real tolerance, and defending love instead of hate. It's amazing to think how quickly we, as a collective unit, can look at an expression of love and quench it with an unbearable torrent of hatred.
I shouldn't be surprised; I'm well aware of how quickly rationality is tossed out the window when it comes to religious beliefs, but it still baffles me that so many people can't at least *talk* about something like this rationally, and hypothesize, even just for a moment, the possibility that pedophilia isn't what the media and modern pop culture makes it out to be. The scary thing is, I can understand the hysterical angle, I know where people are coming from, but what bothers me is people's general inability to get beyond that and allow reason to dispel the illusion. It's as if they simply don't *want* to believe. And when that leads to innocent people being oppressed, that pisses me off.
I watched a movie the other day with a short scene involving a stereotypical "child molester" character. I tried to view it with the perspective of a pro-pedophilia stance (okay, not much of a stretch for me :p). And despite the fact that the young girl involved in the encounter was rather attractive (:3), I still felt uncomfortable about the scene. And the reason is that this character was acting in a predatory manner. When normal people think of pedophilia, they think of people like that, and if somebody tries to defend pedophilia, they think they're defending that kind of behavior. Now, I can't speak for the true motivations of anyone aside from myself, but regardless, why must we *assume* that this caricature is the only possible representation of pedophilia, and that anyone suggesting otherwise is lying for their own benefit?
I think most people would say, "if banning any and all sexual interaction between children and adults gets rid of the predators, then it's worth it even if a few innocent people get trampled as a result." In other words, the rewards justify the costs. Well, I never could find myself in agreement with that sort of thinking. At any rate, the issue must be weighed considerably differently if you're one of those innocent people being trampled on. I may be one of them; if not, I can surely sympathize. The bottom line, as *I* see it, is that the magnitude of the anti-pedophilia sentiment currently in vogue is no more effective a solution against the victimization of innocents (adults *and* children), than a pro-pedophilia stance would be; assuming, as any *rational* minded person would, that a pro-pedophilia stance supports only "good" interactions between adults and children, and not things like abuse and rape and molestation and exploitation and anything of that sort.
The trouble, I guess, is that no one seems to be able to concede that there is such a thing as a good interaction between adults and children that involves the slightest hint of intentional sexuality (or hell, even unintentional or imagined sexuality). Also, that kids aren't "ready" for sex, and are simply incapable of consenting to such acts. These are notions that I feel we must re-evaluate, as a society. And even if it's too much to hope for any kind of actual radical change, I demand at the very least, that we learn to *accept* the struggle of pedophilia, and become able to talk about it calmly and rationally, without submitting to demonization and moral outrage.
Some quotes I liked:
"Why couldn't they see that by rejecting love, by making those who offered it feel alienated and despised, they were doing everything in their power to turn kind, useful people into embittered, dangerous ones?"
"There is no reason to suppose that anyone's sexual orientation per se has any intrinsic connection with her or his merit as a human being."
"What it boils down to is simply a gut feeling that sex in childhood is wrong, or dangerous, and it doesn't matter what kind of 'argument' is pressed into service against it: the approach seems to be 'Never mind the argument, feel the conclusion.'"
"What we have to encourage is a society in which shame does not attach to involvement in any consensual sexual behaviour."
And this one got me thinking:
"Paedophiles are for the most part interested in older children. A survey among members of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) showed that male paedophiles tend to be most attracted to boys aged 11-15, and to girls aged 8-11. This corresponds closely to findings by Mohr, Turner and Jerry and other researchers. Very few paedophiles are attracted to babies or infants, and although there is some interest (expressed as a minimum age of interest) in those aged five or six, the preferred age appears to be considerably older."
The age disparity between gender can be attributed to an earlier pubertal cycle in girls. Elsewhere the author explains a pedophile's primary attraction to children that are themselves sexually active (with the goal being consensual pleasure - not one-sided abuse). At any rate, this gets me wondering if the whole "prepubescent" aspect of pedophilia is really as important a distinction as I (and surely others) have heretofore made it.
