# On an "Ask the Pedophile" thread **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 6, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906 "2010-02-06T04:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/221 "2010-02-07T09:29:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It’s not hard to understand. That’s why he’s been told not to do it. And that’s worked out so well for you. Bravo again, you’re sure showing me. You brought up the warnings as if it proves something is being done about it. If typing useless words that have no consequences is your idea of doing something about it then you have a career in politics ahead of you. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/222 "2010-02-07T09:33:05Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Better be careful, he’ll give you a righteous warning and then if you ignore it he will give you another. Seriously, you’d better look out. A second warning as useless as the first is a frightening thing. Consider yourself warned. Worse – I’ve been deemed to be dense. I really don’t know what to make of the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/223 "2010-02-07T09:33:21Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > What’s the alternative? Just gritting our teeth and looking the other way while he drops gross little turds like he did in the flirting thread? My teeth are ground to the nub already. Child molesters don’t deserve the amount of energy that it takes to strike a match. Unless it was to light one on fire. I can’t believe this is even being discussed. WA FU? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/224 "2010-02-07T09:55:06Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > If we have an Ask the Pedo thread, are you _absolutely sure_ that the discussion won’t ever end up describing what’s sexually stimulating about children, or describing sexual acts with children, or otherwise being indistinguishable from kiddie porn storytime? Is Creative Loafing _absolutely sure_ that no posts will be made on this board that won’t be kiddy porn at any time in any thread? Do you apply this standard usually? I assume you think the boards should be shut down? It seems the logical conclusion of your reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/225 "2010-02-07T10:37:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > . Even with somebody like **Cesario** we don’t usually keep track of regular mod notes. I am pretty astounded by this. I am not being critical of Marley, but the practice. I would have thought SOP would have required a history of warnings etc. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/226 "2010-02-07T11:02:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > we can’t moderate someone for bringing up an unwelcome topic if people are constantly inviting him to bring up the subject - which has been the case here. First of all, if your read of the situation is that “people are constantly inviting him to bring up the subject,” you’re seriously disconnected from the board you’re supposed to be moderating. You can argue that all the outcry is counterproductive because it’s just indirectly giving him what he wants, a la “feeding the trolls,” but come on: it’s clear that the goal of all this outcry is to **make him stop bringing up the subject of having sex with babies and children**. For you to suggest that suppressing this discussion would be inconsistent with what the board is “inviting” is jaw-droppingly disingenuous. Second, it’s my impression, based on various recent rulings uproars and quotings-of-user-agreements in this thread and others that you can moderate someone for pretty much whatever you guys want. Plenty of examples have been given here, from asking about faking being british to admitting you pranked wikipedia to telling someone to fuck off in the forum specifically designated for telling someone to go fuck themselves. And yet somehow your hands are tied when it comes to whether or not to let a **fucking pedophile** run around pooping on the board, and hmmm, you **just don’t know yet** whether he should get a pro-pedophile thread. > [@Marley23](#): > > Once **Cesario** established his favorite topic here, his habit was to enter a thread on a related subject, state his opinion, and wait for someone else to say something like “you would say that, you’re a pedophile.” At which point someone else has raised the subject and he gets a platform. And then we can then tell everyone to drop it (and have done so at times), but I’d rather get people to stop giving him the opening. This is just bizarre. The scenario you just described was not “people giving him an opening.” You apparently recognize this pattern of hijacking, but for some reason you are powerless to stop it before anyone responds, and then you blame _them_ for it? > [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll grant you that this has happened enough that he should have been formally warned about it at least once. Wow. Are you telling us that he **hasn’t** been formally warned for this? I don’t understand this at all. I’m curious why he hasn’t been **banned** for it, let alone warned. Regarding the question of whether or not the thread should be allowed, here’s my two cents: I personally think it’s unfathomable that the SDBM is considering allowing him to have the thread, given some of the other (ridiculous, IMO) restrictions on what we’re allowed to talk about here. It’s weird to me, as it is to many others, that a board that finds the phrase “fuck off” to be too offensive to use in the fighting forum might be ok with a poster espousing a pro-child-molestation stance. Furthermore, I’m not particularly sure I even want to browse a board where the thread topic “Ask the pedophile” pops up on the front page. It would be an embarrassment to me and, I would hope, to Ed Zotti, the rest of the staff, and to Creative Loafing. Sure, I understand the argument that some have put forth that learning doesn’t hurt you even if you’re learning about something repugnant, but I personally don’t agree that learning about that particular topic is worth offending the majority of the board, and I also don’t agree that such a thread is even going to provide any new learning on the subject – it’s just masturbation on this guy’s part that a few people are buying into in some kind of (IMO) misguided idealism. Not worth it. On the other hand, it would give the guy the rope to hang himself, and if you guys are going to be as ineffectual about keeping him in check as you have been, maybe letting him go way over the line would finally prod someone into banning his ass and we’d be done. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/227 "2010-02-07T11:40:58Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > …and yet we have talked about illegal downloading and illegal drugs any number of times without sanction. Do you genuinely not know this? If you do know this, I am curious about why you feel the need to state a blatant falsity. On the other hand, any number of threads have been shut down as being just too fucking gross–my “favorite” was one where Opalcat was talking about how soon she’d take a poo after an operation: shut down within about an hour-and that’s the _norm_. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/228 "2010-02-07T11:45:09Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Can we get Cesario to change his name so I am not confused with that kid shagger? There’s a precedent: Ace0Spades was a good guy. Ace Of Spades was generally a total dick (he got banned for extreme dickery, so…) Heh–he was also nicknamed “The Acehole” for his level of jerk-ness. “Acehole” was forced to change his name so Ace0Spades (who had the name years earlier) wouldn’t be confused with him and tarred by the ill-will ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/229 "2010-02-07T12:01:25Z")
On review, **Cesario** ’s request has been denied. This decision was not based on the topic of the thread, but on the poster’s posting history in regards to this topic. - **xash** Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/230 "2010-02-07T12:01:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Tell you what: make up your mind on whether we’re allowing it or not and then get back to me. Actually, there were two “Ask the Child Molester” thread examples–one “disappeared” thread (that may have been Stage Manager–I can’t tell but more I think about it, the more the dates don’t seem to support it–where “something was actually happening”…maybe. If it was Stage Manager.) and one that was just closed because, per Gaudere “Since sex with underage persons is illegal, and this thread seems to be inviting discussions with how to do same, this thread is locked.” Note that the OP of the closed thread didn’t discuss anything more than Cesario wanted to discuss–less actually. Cesario wants to lobby for raping kids. The OP there point-blank said “No civil rights debates”–he didn’t want to lobby for changing the laws and drool about how he finds 2 year olds such hot little tarts like Cesario does. And it was still insta-locked within like 8 posts. Why is this so hard _now_? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/231 "2010-02-07T12:04:44Z")
> [@xash](#): > > On review, **Cesario** ’s request has been denied. > > This decision was not based on the topic of the thread, but on the poster’s posting history in regards to this topic. > > - **xash** > Administrator So…someone else could start a “Ask the Pedophile” thread? Great–someone should find a pedophile board and tell the inhabitants that the SDMB Administration welcomes them and would like them to feel free to post here for a larger audience. The SDMB administration is happy to give them a platform.\* Seriously–what changed? The board rules used to be clear: no “Ask the Pedophile” threads. Now they’re OK? Good lord _why_? \*Hyperbole–don’t actually go out and do this folks. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/232 "2010-02-07T12:04:59Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > On the other hand, any number of threads have been shut down as being just too fucking gross–my “favorite” was one where Opalcat was talking about how soon she’d take a poo after an operation: shut down within about an hour-and that’s the _norm_. Allow me to quote myself from my first post in this thread: > [@Princhester](#): > > The only intellectually honest posts here against this potential thread are, IMHO, those that say the whole idea of seeing, or being in any way associated with, such a thread squicks them out. What’s keeping me amused is people’s attempts to come up with rationalisations which by and large make no sense, in order to just what ISTM is really just being driven by their feeling that it’s “too fucking gross”. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/233 "2010-02-07T12:09:36Z")
[Per Ed Zotti, Dec 30, 2004:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5664501&postcount=52) > [@Zotti](#): > > 1. We have a longstanding policy that mods and admins can invoke the “ick rule” and hide a thread when they are creeped out by a post for which we have no specific rule. The staff then reviews the thread to see if any further action is appropriate. Most of the time hidden threads stay hidden, but once in a while we re-open one. We also consider whether we need to establish a new rule. > > 2. Several years ago someone started an “ask the pedophile” thread that was removed under the ick rule. After some debate we decided to leave it hidden because the OP seemed to think there was nothing wrong with having sex with children; he just didn’t do it because he feared the wrath of the law. We were not concerned about a flame war; on the contrary, we were concerned that the group hug atmosphere that sometimes develops in confessional threads might encourage this guy to act on his impulses. We didn’t want to take the chance. Reader management concurred with this decision. > > 3. The OP in the thread at issue arguably was different in that, unlike the earlier poster, he didn’t seem to be making the case that there was nothing inherently wrong with pedophilia; he merely admitted to being attracted to children. The staff was divided on how to proceed. On the one hand, a hallmark of the Straight Dope is that few topics are off limits; on the other hand, one of the things that IS off limits is discussion that in our opinion promotes illegal activity. The debate hadn’t gotten too far when Sam checked IPs and discovered that the OP had been previously banned. End of discussion. > > 4. What would we have done if the guy hadn’t been a returning bannee? Hard to say. No question, if handled properly, the discussion might have been illuminating. But the downside is frightening - no way do we want to encourage child molesters. Even if the OP was legit and had no intention of acting on his impulses, other similarly inclined participants in the thread might have gotten the wrong message. At minimum we’d have to check the thread at short intervals, a burden for our volunteer staff. So…again I ask: what’s changed? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/234 "2010-02-07T12:16:55Z")
> [@xash](#): > > On review, **Cesario** ’s request has been denied. > > This decision was not based on the topic of the thread, but on the poster’s posting history in regards to this topic. > > - **xash** > Administrator Xash- this is really pretty ordinary- not the disallowing but the reasoning. If I mention umbrellas in a few threads will I be not allowed to start a thread about umbrellas? Why can’t the administration have enough balls to say “There is a line in the sand- paedaphilia is beyond that.” ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/235 "2010-02-07T12:24:32Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > So…someone else could start a “Ask the Pedophile” thread? Great–someone should find a pedophile board and tell the inhabitants that the SDMB Administration welcomes them and would like them to feel free to post here for a larger audience. The SDMB administration is happy to give them a platform.\* > > Seriously–what changed? The board rules used to be clear: no “Ask the Pedophile” threads. Now they’re OK? Good lord _why_? > > \*Hyperbole–don’t actually go out and do this folks. Ruling on the narrower issue was sufficient in this case. We did not need to rule on the broader issue, therefore the assumptions above are invalid. - **xash** Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/236 "2010-02-07T12:30:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > … if you want us to moderate him for bringing up his pet cause over and over again, you have to stop responding every time he does it, because every response invites him to post more. On the contrary. Respond more until he crosses the line and hope he gets banned for it. > [@Giraffe](#): > > What’s the alternative? Just gritting our teeth and looking the other way while he drops gross little turds like he did in the flirting thread? The alternative is banning him for breaking an existing rule. Not for being gross. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/237 "2010-02-07T13:24:59Z")
So when we actually need the moderators to, y’know, moderate. They aren’t up to the task? Would rather split hairs, can’t hear the users begging you to do something, like, maybe, moderate, for Christssake. But bad words they are on top of? This boy is using you and using your board, in a fashion that is not just unseemly and off putting, it’s extremely offensive. EXTREMELY. So you are all willing to either stand around harumphing on one foot trying to decide this ‘delicate’ issue, or busy dancing around trying to make it somehow ‘passable’ to allow this nonsense. Think you’ve seen train wrecks before? Stand back, this boy here has the potential to send this entire board down in flames, in my opinion. Now man up and do your damn jobs! ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/238 "2010-02-07T13:28:18Z")
What if they’re girls? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/239 "2010-02-07T15:16:17Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > [Per Ed Zotti, Dec 30, 2004:](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5664501&postcount=52) > > So…again I ask: what’s changed? Ed Zotti has changed his mind, as evidenced above at [post 116](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12086661&postcount=116). ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/240 "2010-02-07T15:38:05Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > From Ed Zotti’s reply email on 08/10/2009: > > And TubaDiva’s email two day’s previously on 06/10/2009 > > There are discussions at the Straight Dope that are difficult for some people to take. There are Straight Dope columns that handle indelicate, outrageous, even salacious situations. There’s opinions expressed that are unpopular.\*\* This is an adult site and mature subject matter and adult topics are often on the table\*\*. The idea is that we should be able to reasonably talk about damn near anything; that’s what the Straight Dope is all about. Bolding mine. Ha ha ha…that’s hilarious. No bad language, though. No calling someone a motherfucker. We need to raise the tone of the board, after all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906.md?page=13)