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Current time: August 20, 2026, 11:57 am

Poll: Your thoughts on Paedophilia
This poll is closed.
Paedophilic thoughts are intrinsically wrong. (Atheist)
8.89%
4 8.89%
Paedophilic thoughts are intrinsically wrong. (Theist)
0%
0 0%
Paedophiles should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and should be treated based on potential risk. (Atheist)
31.11%
14 31.11%
Paedophiles should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and should be treated based on potential risk. (Theist)
2.22%
1 2.22%
Paedophilic thoughts are under the conscious control of the individual. (Atheist)
4.44%
2 4.44%
Paedophilic thoughts are under the conscious control of the individual. (Theist)
0%
0 0%
Paedophiles should be allowed an outlet for their sexuality (cartoons, etc), as long as children are not harmed. (Atheist)
17.78%
8 17.78%
Paedophiles should be allowed an outlet for their sexuality (cartoons, etc), as long as children are not harmed. (Theist)
2.22%
1 2.22%
If Paedophiles are deemed to be a potential risk to children by a medical professional, they should be isolated from the public/monitored. (Atheist)
22.22%
10 22.22%
If Paedophiles are deemed to be a potential risk to children by a medical professional, they should be isolated from the public/monitored. (Theist)
0%
0 0%
Other (Please explain)
11.11%
5 11.11%
Total 45 vote(s) 100%
* You voted for this item. [Show Results]

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The problem of Paedophilia
#1
The problem of Paedophilia
Okay so I didn't know where else to put this, so despite Off Topic being for "light-hearted" discussion -and discussion about Paedophilia is far from light-hearted- I put it here anyway.

(DISCLAIMER) I don't profess to be an expert in Paedophilia/mental disorders, and will concede on anything I've said/referenced should an expert in the field present their opinion.

But I digress.

Paedophilia is undoubtedly part of the human condition, it exists in pretty much all cultures across all time periods, and therefore shouldn't be so taboo that people can't discuss it openly. (When was the last time you talked about Paedophilia IRL?). I've included a poll to get a feel for everyone's thoughts on this highly controversial issue.
Paedophilia, from my rather brief internet research, can be defined as
Quote:"a psychiatric or mental disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger."

I think it's important to come to a consensus as to whether Paedophilia (as defined above) is a conscious act, i.e do people have control over whether they're attracted to children or not? I don't believe they do.
Attempting to find a professional opinion online yields only subpar results;

According to the APA, Paedophilia is not a sexual orientation, but is rather a "paraphilia".
Now, sexual orientation is generally unanimously accepted as beyond the conscious control of the individual (save by a few cognitively challenged members of the population that I won't mention here). But what about "paraphilia"?
But just what is a "paraphilia" I hear you ask?
Well, http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/paraphilias defines it as
Quote:"A paraphilia is a condition in which a person's sexual arousal and gratification depend on fantasizing about and engaging in sexual behavior that is atypical and extreme."
That definition is very broad, and doesn't really help clarify whether pedophilia is under the conscious control of the subject. It makes it sound almost like a fetish, and whether or not fetishes are consciously controlled is something I don't feel qualified to attest to (perhaps there are people here who are?)

The American Psychiatric Association distinguishes between Paedophilia as defined above and so called "Paedophilic disorder":
“Pedophilia refers to a sexual interest or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation, whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality,”

So we come to the problem of Paedophilia. If you think, as I do, that people have no control over having Paedophilic thoughts, and therefore should not be vilified for this attraction, what's to be done? Are they potential dangers to society? should they be monitored? treated somehow? According to sexologist Ray Blanchard, PhD, adjunct psychiatry professor at the University of Toronto, Paedophilia can be treated, or rather, "Paedophilic disorder" can be treated;
Quote:"Although most experts do not think a person's feelings of pedophilia are curable, therapy may help them manage those feelings and not act on them."
Do they deserve some outlet for their sexual desires? For example, is there anything wrong with them looking at cartoon drawings of naked children/animations of them, as long as no actual children were involved?

^ Here I am specifically talking just about people who are attracted to children, but have not acted on their attraction. I think anyone who molests a child is a criminal and should be incarcerated, as children are inherently unable to give consent.

I made the poll so that you are encouraged to choose more that one option. I thought it would also be interesting to see if there was a different response to the poll based on if the responders were Theists or Atheists.
[Image: thfrog.gif]



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Messages In This Thread
The problem of Paedophilia - by Sejanus - November 25, 2014 at 3:58 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Aractus - November 25, 2014 at 4:27 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Mudhammam - November 25, 2014 at 8:26 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Grandizer - November 25, 2014 at 8:30 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Lemonvariable72 - November 25, 2014 at 8:31 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Minimalist - November 25, 2014 at 2:25 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Losty - November 25, 2014 at 6:14 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Aractus - November 25, 2014 at 9:23 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by vorlon13 - November 25, 2014 at 10:57 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Tonus - November 25, 2014 at 11:30 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Tonus - November 25, 2014 at 11:08 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Mudhammam - November 25, 2014 at 11:15 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Jenny A - November 25, 2014 at 11:30 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Mudhammam - November 25, 2014 at 11:34 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Jenny A - November 25, 2014 at 11:38 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Mudhammam - November 25, 2014 at 11:58 am
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by JuliaL - November 25, 2014 at 1:25 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Losty - November 25, 2014 at 1:33 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by vorlon13 - November 25, 2014 at 2:03 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by FatAndFaithless - November 25, 2014 at 2:07 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Losty - November 25, 2014 at 2:13 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Jenny A - November 25, 2014 at 5:27 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Aractus - November 25, 2014 at 6:38 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by The Grand Nudger - November 25, 2014 at 2:16 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by vorlon13 - November 25, 2014 at 2:28 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by Losty - November 25, 2014 at 2:59 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by FatAndFaithless - November 25, 2014 at 2:33 pm
RE: The problem of Paedophilia - by SteelCurtain - November 25, 2014 at 9:30 pm

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