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Originally Posted by vanblah
I also think shows like "To Catch a Predator" should be cancelled. I'm all for free speech (100% for it in fact) ... but these shows are just hideous. Have you ever noticed how <i><b>mean</i></b> American television is? Everyone is just so mean ... but that's a different topic for a different thread.
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I agree with the overall "meaness" shows have become. The whole backstab your peers to win at any cost theme is absolutely terrible and scary of it potential reflectiveness of our society.
With "to Catch a Predator" I really did even know it was an ongoing show. I thought it was just one special a journist had done (forgot which one 60 min, Nightline, etc). The one I did see showed men who had been conversing with what they thought was a 13 y/o girl online, ask if their parents were going to be home, and drive out to their house. These guys were showing up with drugs, alcohol, pockets full of condoms, one guy even stripped nude as soon as he walked in the door. Three of them had children they left in the car. I cant help but think these guys were scumbags. Perhaps entrapment (if thats what this was) is bad, I cant say that nationally humiliting these people was bad thing (except for the pain it may have cause their families).
Maybe younger than 17 is accpetable WITH PARENTAL CONSENT, or if the teenager is one of the cases that legally sperated themselves from their parents, and lives on their own. In this area I think having a standard is fine as long as there is potential to intermittently review instances on a case by case basis with a reasonable perspective.
In the same theme of what Maritan is stating; if an adult is considered 18 then who is considered more of a child molester for persuing and engaging sexual acts with a 13 y/o the 18, 30, or 50 year old man? Btoom line the guys on that show never mentioned if it was OK with the parents, infact they were sneaky about it. First I would hope to have educated my daughter enough not to do that kind of action online, secondly perhaps stings like this saves lives. Because if I caught a man doing that with a child of mine< I would probaly end his life and end up in jail myself.