Dipping Our Toes in Dangerous Territory
Months ago I wrote about predicting the defense of pedophilia becoming mainstream. Even then, with all the hoopla around that article, there were many on both sides that dismissed this. Also lately, Mike has been detailing the “conservative” defense of pedophiles. This isn’t surprising by any means — we’ve seen repeatedly that people often pretend to be against a form of abuse, but then secretly are the worst. But it isn’t limited to abuse: remember the “wide stance” debacle?
For those who don’t: a family values, “social conservative” Republican got arrested for soliciting gay sex in an airport restroom. While I have nothing against people having gay sex, to have any sex in a public restroom is the height of disgusting. I’ve never been in a public restroom I’d be willing to get my sex on in. Also, the blatant hypocrisy drove the media narrative — and who can blame them? It is always amusing to see a holier-than-thou person exposed as a hypocrite and a liar. His political career was over.
But now there are a great deal of Republicans defending Denny Hastert. These are some of the same people that wanted Trump to dump his campaign manager over a slanderous accusation and attempted character assassination by an attention seeking reporter. See: they want their political enemies to be held to the standard of distancing, but they will not do it. Even when the person is a pedophile.
The problem we’re running into is that we have begun to normalize abnormal behavior. Again, I don’t care what people do in the bedroom, but from an evolutionary and natural standpoint, homosexuality is abnormal — at least as an exclusive form of sexual interaction. Regardless of where one stands on transgender rights (this falls outside the umbrella of issues I’m concerned about), a person is either XX or XY — we cannot as yet change chromosomes (although that would be quite beneficial for a few syndromes). We’ve declared that regardless of why, anything anyone wants to do is all right when it comes to human sexuality.
This is the line, though: pedophilia isn’t acceptable. Children cannot give informed consent. At this point it is no longer consenting adults in any shape, way, or form. Ephebophilia is more of a grey area but still quite unhealthy for everyone involved.
It seems quite odd that the “crybullies” on all sides have sort of formed a human shield around pedophiles. Anti-Gamergate types have defended the pedophiles in their ranks, science fiction/fantasy crybullies have as well. Hollywood is notorious for this behavior. And yet on the right… Denny Hastert, a disgraced former Speaker of the House, is a cause celebre. That’s ridiculous, and sadly it appears as though a lot more of these folks knew, and possible participated, in actions similar to those.
You can say lots of things about Trump, but the man hasn’t said “hey let’s go soft on this admitted serial child molester.”