# 47 Year-Old Man Looking At Kiddie Porn On A Flight: A "Cry For Help?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220 "2011-11-27T05:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/1 "2011-11-27T05:34:59Z")
## Apparently some guy was flying 1st-Class on a Delta flight from SLC to Boston when he decided to fire up his ol’ laptop and enjoy a little bit of his child-porn collection, and shockingly, some of the other passengers around him decided that this was even worse etiquette than the guy who brings a footlong tuna sub on board and reeks up the whole cabin up with that fishy smell, and so they told the flight crew what he was up to, who then had the cops waiting for this budding Uncle Chester at Logan Airport upon landing. My question is based on something written on the comments section of the local paper who ran this story. Do these actions constitute some sort of “Cry For Help?” Could ANYONE in their right mind think that this would go unnoticed by and unacted upon by those around him? I have flown a lot of Delta flights up in 1st Class, and there is not _that_ much more room between seats where someone could reasonably expect privacy from the prying eyes of their fellow passengers. As much as I am not inclined to give a pedophile any benefit of the doubt, it seems to me that at some level (conscious or subconscious) this guy MUST HAVE KNOWN he would almost certainly be observed, and went ahead anyway, maybe as a way of adding to the illicit thrill, or he enjoyed the risk of being caught, he felt as a “high roller” up in 1st Class he was immune from the sanction of the other passengers, maybe because he was intoxicated or some mix of these factors. What say you, Dopers? Did this guy somehow want to get caught and so acted in a manner almost certain to result in his apprehension? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/2 "2011-11-27T05:40:31Z")
Last time I checked, flying 1st class did not require an IQ test. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/3 "2011-11-27T05:44:08Z")
He probably thought his screen was well enough concealed from view. I don’t think this was a cry for help. Just an act of abject stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/4 "2011-11-27T05:44:57Z")
I’d go with stupid over a deliberate cry for help. While people commit crimes for any number of reasons stupid seems to be the most prevalent regardless of social class. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/5 "2011-11-27T05:47:25Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Last time I checked, flying 1st class did not require an IQ test. Clearly not, as they have no problem letting me up there… That said, do you think this guy knew he would be observed and went ahead anyway? If so, it almost seems like this _was_ some kind of a metaphorical Cry For Help, ensuring that he would get himself caught. I am not sure that he is going to get a lot of “help” from the Massachusetts authorities, but maybe on some level he realized he couldn’t stop himself without some kind of outside intervention. (Perhaps good ol’ Dr. Phil was already booked solid for the current season?) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/6 "2011-11-27T13:41:00Z")
Cry for help, no. Extra exhibitionist danger for extra thrills, yes. Extra \*I’m special & I’m above sanction \*from some combo of booze & riding 1st class, hell yes. Dumb / poor judgment / just not thinking it through from a little booze. Almost for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Bloodless\_Turnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bloodless\_Turnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloodless_Turnip)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/7 "2011-11-27T13:55:46Z")
Penn State couch was (allegedly) raping young boys in a locker room, where anyone could walk in. Was he crying out for help? I’ll go with exhibitionist/extra thrills. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/8 "2011-11-27T14:09:45Z")
Never mind kiddie porn, who in their right mind looks at any porn in a public place? ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/9 "2011-11-27T14:18:58Z")
What’s the actual evidence that he was viewing child pornography besides the report of his “fellow passenger”? It seems to me there is a decent chance that the fellow passenger is lying or mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/10 "2011-11-27T14:20:55Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > What’s the actual evidence that he was viewing child pornography besides the report of his “fellow passenger”? > > It seems to me there is a decent chance that the fellow passenger is lying or mistaken. One presumes the cops could look at his laptop and check for the presence of kiddie porn fairly easily. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/11 "2011-11-27T14:28:39Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > One presumes the cops could look at his laptop and check for the presence of kiddie porn fairly easily. Yes, I wasn’t aware if that was done. Looking at the news coverage, I see that the guy was formally charged with possession of child pornography. So yes, I would agree that the authorities probably checked the guy’s computer. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/12 "2011-11-27T14:51:31Z")
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but I always thought porn is used to achieve a specific…uh…purpose. People don’t just casually read porn like they would, say, Newsweek or something. They look at it as a prelude to certain behavior, or while engaging in said behavior. Am I right? ---
**Author:** ![Horseface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4af34b/32.png) [@Horseface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseface)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/13 "2011-11-27T14:55:33Z")
He is probably not stupid. It seems likely that he tripped over his arrogance and ego while boarding the plane. I would call it sloppy situational awareness. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/14 "2011-11-27T15:00:18Z")
More of a dumbass than anything else. I’m glad they nailed the freak. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/15 "2011-11-27T15:08:03Z")
One can imagine the reaction from this guys coworkers when they found out he was arrested and what for. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/16 "2011-11-27T20:20:46Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but I always thought porn is used to achieve a specific…uh…purpose. > > People don’t just casually read porn like they would, say, Newsweek or something. They look at it as a prelude to certain behavior, or while engaging in said behavior. > > Am I right? Right? 😕 I can’t imagine he was watching little kids being sodomized simply as a way to “pass the time” on a boring flight. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/17 "2011-11-27T20:26:57Z")
Doing something so stupid seems to be like a symptom of addictive behavior. He probably knew objectively that looking at child porn in a public place is an extreme risk, but he couldn’t resist the addictive pull. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/18 "2011-11-27T20:28:11Z")
It was a cry for help. Namely “Help! I’m an idiot!” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/19 "2011-11-27T20:43:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Could ANYONE in their right mind think that this would go unnoticed by and unacted upon by those around him? No. Do we have any reason to think this guy was in his right mind? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220/20 "2011-11-27T21:26:47Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Never mind kiddie porn, who in their right mind looks at any porn in a public place? Speaking as a librarian here, I can tell you that there are plenty of people who are happy to look at porn in public. Many of them aren’t in their right minds, but they certainly exist. As for the case in the OP, someone who can afford a first class plane ticket can presumably afford a therapist. If this guy wanted help, there were much easier ways for him to get it. I’d say he underestimated the risk of getting caught, got off on the risk, or was past caring about the risk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/47-year-old-man-looking-at-kiddie-porn-on-a-flight-a-cry-for-help/604220.md?page=2)