# Catch a Predator **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2019, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636 "2019-01-12T07:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/21 "2019-01-13T16:40:54Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I also understand that this is probably someone you want off the streets. My issue has always been that since it’s not an underaged kid he’s talking to, no underaged kid has ever been involved in any part of this, can’t he argue that he knew the person he was talking to wasn’t an underaged kid, even if “she” said she was? Generally the laws are phrased so that the crime is engaging in sexual talk or arranging to meet to engage in sexual activity with a minor or someone the defendant believes is a minor. So in order to establish that a crime happened, the prosecutor needs to show only that the person had enough information in the chat that it’s clear they thought they were making arrangements with an underage person, like the ‘underaged’ person stating their pretend age and the defendant acknowledging it. The exact details vary state to state, and various specific wordings have fared differently in appeals courts, but in general this works fine legally speaking. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/22 "2019-01-13T18:12:06Z")
I am surprised that these men believe it’s actually a 14 year old girl they are talking with. As a middle aged man myself I’d be instantly suspicious if a 14 year old girl agreed to meet with me. Don’t they look in the mirror and realize they are really not that attractive to someone that young? It’s like ithey are delusional about how they are some sort of Casanova who is just going to sweep some young teen off her feet and run away together. Also a lot of men are attracted to younger women because they think they will be easier to manipulate and control than an actual adult woman who has attained a level of maturity. It’s so they could mold them into what they think a “perfect mate” should be. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/23 "2019-01-13T19:09:47Z")
There’s nobody pretending to be an 18 year old offering to have sex with these guys; there’s only people pretending to be 14 years old offering to have sex wiith these guys. I’m pretty sure most of them would jump at the chance for sex with an 18 year old, they just don’t get the opportunity. The 14 year old chat rooms are full of police sting operations, middle aged women age-playing, trolls looking for reactions, and people like **Iggy** up there proving a point. I’ll bet there’s less than a 50:50 chance that any random person in there is actually 14. With all that chum in the water; it’s no wonder there’s so many sharks hanging around. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/24 "2019-01-13T19:16:43Z")
I suspect an issue at play (for some of the men at least) is the appeal of a female who lacks the mental/emotional maturity of women more appropriate to their age ranges. These men utterly lack the social skills to relate to/date/flirt with women their age, so they take advantage of those with little-to-no experience to know better. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/25 "2019-01-13T19:25:52Z")
Ah, the internet. Where the men are men, the women are men, and the girls are FBI agents. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/26 "2019-01-14T04:38:20Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > No idea. At the risk of sounding like a pervert, if you’re into 14 year olds you can date an 18 year old who looks 14 instead. Thats still very skeevy but at least it isn’t illegal. This. At least do something legal. In the episode I watched, the woman met him and talked for a while. He could clearly see how she looked, and she was over 18. Yet he was still interested. It’s just the idea that she’s young? Power imbalance? There are many legal woman that someone could find with a power imbalance. Something taboo, I can understand, even if I don’t agree. Something illegal? No, I just don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/27 "2019-01-14T06:25:24Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I suspect an issue at play (for some of the men at least) is the appeal of a female who lacks the mental/emotional maturity of women more appropriate to their age ranges. These men utterly lack the social skills to relate to/date/flirt with women their age, so they take advantage of those with little-to-no experience to know better. This has always been my best guess. The prefrontal cortex is basically the _last_ part of the teenage brain to develop. Available evidence indicates that teens are able to _evaluate_ risk, but their brains over-emphasize the perceived rewards of risky behavior. At the same time, they have less capacity to self-regulate their behavior because the prefontal cortex is still underdeveloped. And to top it all off, they lack the experience necessary to evaluate what is and is not ‘okay’ in their model of a healthy and rewarding relationship. These girls are at an age where they are _physically_ becoming mature, but the sexual predator’s interest is in finding someone who will not say ‘no,’ or defend their boundaries, or demand the reciprocity that comes with having a mature relationship. > [@dorvann](#): > > I am surprised that these men believe it’s actually a 14 year old girl they are talking with. As a middle aged man myself I’d be instantly suspicious if a 14 year old girl agreed to meet with me. I have no explanation for this. I suppose we should be thankful that these people are so often incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/28 "2019-01-14T07:48:50Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Maybe it’s the only yes they’ve ever got. I assume a regular guy wouldn’t be looking for hook-ups like that. They have to be stupid if they are. The ones that get me are middle aged men, pastors, teachers and once there was a dentist. Just ridiculous. And scary. I remember when they arrested a POLICE OFFICER who had driven across several states to do this, and when they searched his car, they found all kinds of illegal weapons. That was nothing compared to the guy who brought his preschool-aged son with him. :eek: I heard that the wife took her “for better or worse” vows seriously enough to choose him over the boy. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/29 "2019-01-14T07:56:37Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I suspect an issue at play (for some of the men at least) is the appeal of a female who lacks the mental/emotional maturity of women more appropriate to their age ranges. These men utterly lack the social skills to relate to/date/flirt with women their age, so they take advantage of those with little-to-no experience to know better. Some of these stings also involved boys. They remind me a lot of men who pursue mail-order brides; they have some flaws (or multiple flaws) that keep them from having any kind of relationship, even FWB, with “real” women (or men), so they go this route instead. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/30 "2019-01-15T00:19:33Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > This may be analogous to the free speech question: if no human being is involved, such as in a cartoon, should depiction of illegal activities be permitted? > > 4th US Circuit Court once said an image is illegal if it _appears to be_ Child Porn, even if computer-generated and no human being was ever photographed. > > This decision was overturned by the Supreme Court (Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition). It’ll be interesting to see how and if this is revisited as deep learning allows for the creation of sexually explicit material that appears to be of _specific_ minors using porn of adults and fully wholesome normal video of minors as training material. It is not at all clear to me where the line should be drawn here. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/31 "2019-01-15T01:26:00Z")
I remember a TCAP ep. where Chris Hansen asked a sullen perp “_WHY_” and he said something like,“Cause it’s the cleanest, purest pleasure.” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/32 "2019-01-15T03:04:11Z")
Read Lolita. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/33 "2019-01-15T04:23:11Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > I remember a TCAP ep. where Chris Hansen asked a sullen perp “_WHY_” and he said something like,“Cause it’s the cleanest, purest pleasure.” > > :dubious: That quote made me a little physically ill. I guess I should be thankful that I don’t understand what these guys are thinking. Gross. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/34 "2019-01-15T04:37:19Z")
I wonder how many of the people that Hansen caught were at their first attempted meet or had actually been successful in the past. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/35 "2019-01-15T05:12:09Z")
“She said she was 18 but by God she looked 13!” Trying to remember where I stole that. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/36 "2019-01-15T05:26:27Z")
My uncle was caught with kiddie porn on his computer. He had been fired from one job for taking an underage girl to a hotel, as some sort of counselor and she was under his charge. This was back in the 70s so he wasn’t prosecuted. I don’t think that these people are just a normal people with one problem. I think they have serious problems. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/37 "2019-01-15T10:08:58Z")
> [@Enola\_Straight](#): > > I remember a TCAP ep. where Chris Hansen asked a sullen perp “_WHY_” and he said something like,“Cause it’s the cleanest, purest pleasure.” > > :dubious: That is exactly how Charlie Sheen described recieving a perfectly proportioned, expertly executed and lovingly administered Tanqueray, Tabasco Sauce & turpentine enema from the late, great Nipsey Russell. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/38 "2019-01-15T13:33:04Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I am surprised that these men believe it’s actually a 14 year old girl they are talking with. As a middle aged man myself I’d be instantly suspicious if a 14 year old girl agreed to meet with me. Don’t they look in the mirror and realize they are really not that attractive to someone that young? It’s like ithey are delusional about how they are some sort of Casanova who is just going to sweep some young teen off her feet and run away together. > [@hajario](#): > > I wonder how many of the people that Hansen caught were at their first attempted meet or had actually been successful in the past. I think dorvann’s post addresses that well. One of Chris Hansen’s gimmicks, early in the interview when he’s still in “let them think I’m a law enforcement officer” mode, is to ask these guys if they’ve ever done this before, or let them volunteer that they’ve never done it before, then act all sardonically skeptical and say something like “you understand why I find that hard to believe.” Yeah, right. What cute 13 year old girl is interested in a fat, bald, geeky looking 40 year old man? And before you say that these guys are conning the girls into thinking that they look like Justin Bieber or whoever the latest teen pop star is, the guys are sending accurate photos of themselves clearly revealing them to be fat, bald, geeky looking 40 year old men. It’s not like we’re talking about a guy who’s the girls sports coach or whatever and has had the chance to “groom” her. I find it very hard to believe that there is an epidemic of 13 year old girls inviting fat, bald, forty-year-old, geeky looking strangers over to their houses when they’re home alone. The very first time they made this show they could legitimately call it an “investigation;” every episode since then is nothing more than soccer mom outrage porn. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/39 "2019-01-15T17:00:40Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > My uncle was caught with kiddie porn on his computer. He had been fired from one job for taking an underage girl to a hotel, as some sort of counselor and she was under his charge. > > This was back in the 70s so he wasn’t prosecuted. He had a computer back in the 70s? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636/40 "2019-01-15T22:18:33Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I wonder how many of the people that Hansen caught were at their first attempted meet or had actually been successful in the past. Which reminds me: There was a guy who was caught in a second televised sting! :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-a-predator/827636.md?page=3)