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Originally Posted by Lak
As much as I have reservations on the legitimacy of 'official designation' of mental disorders, I agree in that I certainly wouldn't classify pedophilia as 'normal' (you used that term, not I). My idea is that that pedophilia, in and of itself, may not necessarily be dangerous or harmful.
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Well, no. In a vacuum, perhaps, where there is no temptation nor human tendency towards rationalization of one's desires. In and of itself, no, there is nothing wrong with having thoughts about having sex with children. But, as a person who deals with her own fetishes and obsessions, I know that fantasy and exposure to visual or written stimulation piques my desire to live them out. Fortunately for me, my obsessions are legal and don't rely on the exploitation of the young. But there for the grace of circumstance go I, perhaps?
I am not 'normal,' either.
It's a term I really don't like, either, but for the purposes of this discussion, I'm okay with it.
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My comparison relies and the ability for either subject to recognise the exploitation which they are party to. Just as the guy who would 'seduce' the girl who is over-and-out drunk at a party for his own gratification, his methods are wrong and reprehensible. Yes. she agreed to it, but no, she shouldn't have and no, she wasn't fit to make that decision anyway. This guy knowingly takes advantage of that, and this is the sort of person who is comparable to a child molester. The molester knows it is wrong. He does it anyway. The only difference is the victim demographic. These actions are part of his character, not a subset of the 'symptoms' of pedophilia.
If either of these men were unable to recognise that what they are doing is wrong, they would have a problem which causes them to be potentially harmful. They have the same problem in common, and yet one is a pedophile and one is not. To me this suggests that this 'problem' is not rooted in pedophilia, but some condition that sometimes/usually accompanies it. A abusive upbringing for example, can spawn both conditions.
It is true that many pedophiles fall into the second category and have poor moral judgement, but I think it is probably unfair to lump them together into the same condition. This is the concept that my analogy is based on. What are your thoughts?
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Well, I guess those are my thoughts pretty much above.
You're right in saying that pedophilia, like most other sexual proclivities and fetishes, is rooted most often in childhood experiences. I'm just not sure there is a compelling correlation between men who exploit women on dates and at parties, etc. and pedophiles.
Now, there are men (and women) who molest children who
are not pedophiles. They are either what they call 'situational child molesters' or people who just don't give a fuck. In my estimation, these sorts of people would more closely align with the sort of person who would exploit someone who is drunk.