# I Pit Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300 "2009-06-01T01:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/21 "2009-06-01T17:18:00Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > Sure the program may serve as a deterrent to this type of immoral behavior, however I have issues in the way the show is presented. Although most of the “criminals” are guilty, the show just makes a “joke” of what well could be a mental issue, plus\*\* each individuals entire life is ruined \*\*based on a kind of “disease or weird obsession” for lack of a better word. The bolded part is preeeeetty ridiculous. A grown man tries to molest a teenage girl, and it’s the MAN who winds up getting hurt! What the fuck? It doesn’t seem fair, since the guy was obviously only trying to fuck a 14 year old because he has a weird obsession. It’s a completely unexpected twist to be sure, but I for one am growing tired of the conceit. It tests the limits of my willingness to suspend disbelief, frankly. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/22 "2009-06-01T17:31:41Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > The problem with this line of thinking is that the crimes these guys commit do not usually have them in jail for a long period of time. Some of them get mere _weeks_ in jail. This is where fixing the root of the problem comes in handy. So in your world, the state govt. would be required to find out why these guys went to a young teen’s house for sex? How, exactly would they do that? And how in the world would they fix the root of the problem? The problem with your line of thinking is that it has no practical application in the real world. The costs alone would be staggering, not to mention the practical issue of whether it would actually work. The thought of having Bubba as a roomie in the Big House should be a big enough deterrent. And clearly, these guys know if they get caught, they might get to meet Bubba. And yet they get in their cars anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/23 "2009-06-01T18:15:17Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > What crime is it they committed? There are no underage children there. They are trapped by a police sting by an adult pretending to be an underage sex victim. > Would they have actually gone through with it ? To assume they all are serial rapists of children is going too far. Maybe some of them would have been scared away permanently. Well they all seem to claim that they’ve never done this before, which is an interesting and completely believable coincidence that they would all be caught the first and only time. > [@](#): > > Real Police work should not be a TV show. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/24 "2009-06-01T18:28:25Z")
I realize there was a marathon on MSNBC or something yesterday (I flipped by it), but you realize this show isn’t even on any more? They aren’t doing any new stings or anything like that because they received so many complaints. Or, at least, that’s what it was the last time I read about it. ---
**Author:** ![Cattitude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Cattitude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cattitude)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/25 "2009-06-01T18:49:14Z")
As a human, I kinda feel a teensy bit bad when they get caught. As a mom, I feel the scumbags should rot in hell. Come on, 14 year old girls are vulnerable and pretty easily persuaded. These men know what they are doing and the teens don’t for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/26 "2009-06-01T20:26:16Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > What do you think of this program? Entertaining once or twice, and totally full of shit pretty much all the time. ---
**Author:** ![hroark2112](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hroark2112](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hroark2112)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/27 "2009-06-01T21:13:20Z")
Unless you’ve been a 13 year old boy who was molested by an adult, you have no idea of the long-term effects this kind of abuse has on your life. I won’t post my story here, it really isn’t for public consumption. It is sufficiently bad enough that the I can’t even watch certain movies without having to walk out. While I don’t generally agree with any form of entrapment, that show and others like it serves a purpose. If the public display of them changes even one offender (or potential offender) for the good, it is a huge success in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/28 "2009-06-01T22:24:00Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > So in your world, the state govt. would be required to find out why these guys went to a young teen’s house for sex? I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my mouth. > [@](#): > > How, exactly would they do that? And how in the world would they fix the root of the problem? I’m not answering these questions because the question leading up to them wasn’t anything that I said. > [@](#): > > The thought of having Bubba as a roomie in the Big House should be a big enough deterrent. And clearly, these guys know if they get caught, they might get to meet Bubba. And yet they get in their cars anyway. Yes exactly. They _do_ get in their cars anyways. So obviously a chance to meet Bubba isn’t doing its supposed job. What I mean by fixing the root of the problem is counseling or therapy of some sort to teach these guys not to act on desires that are illegal. I am by no means a psychiatrist or psychologist, so any and all suggestions I have aren’t likely to be as effective as the possibilities, but it obvious that what we’re doing now (not much) isn’t working. So something different should be applied. Standard operating procedure I thought when it comes to problem solving. If Solution 1 isn’t working, try Solution 2. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/29 "2009-06-02T01:53:12Z")
> [@hroark2112](#): > > Unless you’ve been a 13 year old boy who was molested by an adult, you have no idea of the long-term effects this kind of abuse has on your life. > > I won’t post my story here, it really isn’t for public consumption. It is sufficiently bad enough that the I can’t even watch certain movies without having to walk out. Unless you were molested by an adult who you begged to come to your house to sleep with you, it’s probably not relevant to what they’re doing on that show. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/30 "2009-06-02T03:13:26Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > Unless you were molested by an adult who you begged to come to your house to sleep with you, it’s probably not relevant to what they’re doing on that show. Damn straight. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/31 "2009-06-02T03:51:00Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > I really don’t know what we should do about adults sleeping with consenting teenagers. Put pictures of the act on the internet? You know, for scientific investigative purposes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JHE1967](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JHE1967](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHE1967)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/32 "2009-06-02T06:30:13Z")
What makes me think the show does little if any good is most of the scenarios involve an adult female posing as a 13 year old girl eager to have an overweight pasty 50 year old come to their house in the suburbs for sex. I can’t imagine that happens all that much if at all in the real world. I mean these guys send pictures of their dick to 13 year old girls (adults posing as girls) and the 8th grade girl is like “yeah, cool, my parents aren’t home so come on over”. Sure, these guys are pathetic idiots but no way that is how shit goes down. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/33 "2009-06-02T08:09:02Z")
Yea I kind of wonder how many of those blokes are some poor losers who would never have acted on their perversions had the team over at NBC not tried their damnedest to get them to. There has to be a not insignificant number of cases where NBC has directly persuaded the criminal to take action when in a more “normal” exchange he would have been shut down and laughed at. edit: [QUOTE=MeanOldLady] Well they all seem to claim that they’ve never done this before, which is an interesting and completely believable coincidence that they would all be caught the first and only time. [/QUOTE] This is what I’m talking about. Maybe they actually didn’t, and would never have had the guts to, but for the cute 15 year old girl who likes their pictures and sends some of hers, who just wants it so bad, oh and her parents are away, and she’s invited them over… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/34 "2009-06-02T08:49:39Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > It seems to vary greatly from state to state. In California they get a lot sentences like 3 days in jail and 4 years probation, but in Georgia everyone was getting 4 or 5 years in prison. Seems a bit unjust, in that every day in Georgia feels like a year. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/35 "2009-06-02T10:59:26Z")
I still view it as “thought crime”. There is no 13 year old. Imagine this: 20 year old woman meets up with a man, via whatever method. She looks far younger thn her real age, she’s thin, flat chested, very child-like. She claims to be 14. He fucks her. Has he committed a crime? (Hint: NO.) Well, it’s no different than what they are doing on TCAP. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/36 "2009-06-02T13:15:52Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > How, exactly would they do that? And how in the world would they fix the root of the problem? Therapy? Yeah, I know, common wisdom is that these guys are beyond redemption and the recidivism rate is 400% and these monsters will never change. Except that those facts are not actually facts. Vermont had a therapy program years ago that was quite successful. Unfortunately, it was discontinued. So to answer your questions, reinstate that program. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/37 "2009-06-03T03:33:05Z")
This show has something in common with a current series - “Bait Car” (where cops leave a semi-attractive vehicle in a bad part of town with the keys in it, and wait for someone to drive it away, whereupon they remotely shut down the engine and cart off the thieves). In both shows, the people who get caught are most likely not the cleverest and most dangerous/successful of the felons who commit these sorts of crimes. It’s not unpleasant to see them get nabbed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/38 "2009-06-03T03:56:05Z")
I think they’re scum, and they deserve to have their lives ruined. I don’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for them, nor do I _care_ if they can be rehabilitated (which they can’t). Lock them under the jail and lose the key. I’m not getting out any violins for these animals. > [@Stoid](#): > > I still view it as “thought crime”. There is no 13 year old. It’s not a “though crime.” It’s a physical attempt to rape a child. The fact that they fail in their attempt does not make it a “thought crime.” If you try to shoot somebody and the gun isn’t loaded, that doesn’t mean you didn’t try to shoot somebody. These people went beyond thinking and tried to act. Their _mens rea_ is the same. > [@](#): > > Imagine this: 20 year old woman meets up with a man, via whatever method. She looks far younger then her real age, she’s thin, flat chested, very child-like. She claims to be 14. He fucks her. > > Has he committed a crime? (Hint: NO.) I wouldn’t be so sure that’s a no, but if it isn’t a crime, it fucking well should be. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/39 "2009-06-03T08:17:08Z")
Laying on the troll bait just a little thick there Diogenes? I haven’t seen such an emotionally charged hysteria rant in quite awhile. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I wouldn’t be so sure that’s a no, but if it isn’t a crime, it fucking well should be. Wouldn’t be so sure? Uhm, but in the scenario she’s actually 20 even though she says she’s 14. That would mean she can say she’s the freakin Queen of England but that still doesn’t change the fact she is who she is. What about women that call their SO Daddy? I can’t think of a better way to lose a boner than to have someone I’m fucking call me Daddy, but some people get off on it. By your logic they should be arrested for incest. :rolleyes: > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It’s a physical attempt to rape a child. Statutorily, yes, which is different than assault, and/or date rape. To Catch a Predator actually became a subject in my divorce. To me the show is just a form of entrapment. People posing as teen girls hitting on old skeezy dudes in chatrooms then _inviting the men to meet up with them?_ I’ve never seen a more appropriate name for a vigilante group than Perverted Justice. I tried explaining this to my (now ex) wife as to why I hated the show. She disagreed. She saw it more as since I felt ‘bad’ for the ‘pedophiles’ :eyeroll: then I was obviously was ONE OF THEM!!! She brought that up in the divorce proceedings as to why I shouldn’t have custody of the kids and as a reason on a restraining order. She actually put “he’s a pedophile” on a BS restraining order. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2009, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300/40 "2009-06-03T09:32:49Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Well they all seem to claim that they’ve never done this before, which is an interesting and completely believable coincidence that they would all be caught the first and only time. > > Agreed. Unless of course the only 15-year old girls hanging out in sex chat rooms are working for Dateline NBC. Then it could very well be the first time for all of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-dateline-nbcs-to-catch-a-predator/498300.md?page=3)