# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/41 "2010-02-06T17:56:28Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > OK, and I understand SDMB can do what it wants as a private entity. However, I find the notion of “fighting ignorance” at odds with the outright preemptive prohibition of discussion of a particular subject matter. > > The mods should be able to keep the thread from turning into a cluster fuck by enforcing the rules. No? Yes-_but_ if we enforce the rules and start giving out infractions to those who cannot control themselves, while he stays calm and winds up with a clean record, you know there will be accusations that we support his cause. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/42 "2010-02-06T17:57:55Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > That’s because the iron fist of moderation doesn’t allow people to have a fucking discussion in IMHO. > > Perhaps if you did your job and moved threads as needed, you’d harp on it less. As the rules now stand, there are no polls in Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/43 "2010-02-06T18:05:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > As the rules now stand, there are no polls in Great Debates. Excellent. So we can look forward to more of your carping when people dare to discuss something. **AWESOME!** ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/44 "2010-02-06T18:11:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Yes-_but_ if we enforce the rules and start giving out infractions to those who cannot control themselves, while he stays calm and winds up with a clean record, you know there will be accusations that we support his cause. … and those making such accusations would be wrong to draw that inference, especially if a mod preemptively makes a post clarifying the enforcement issues at the top of the thread. The ACLU didn’t support the Nazis, just their right to free speech. (Again, I know SDMB is not state action.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/45 "2010-02-06T18:13:22Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > Excellent. So we can look forward to more of your carping when people dare to discuss something. > > **AWESOME!** Or you can use just a little self control and take the tiniest bit of effort to take the debating to Great Debates where it belongs. And let’s not even pretend that what happens when people start fighting in political threads can even be described as “polite discussion”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/46 "2010-02-06T18:16:11Z")
Dan Savage’s recent column discussing pedophilia may be found here: [February 3, 2010](http://www.avclub.com/articles/february-3-2010,37817/) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/47 "2010-02-06T18:35:31Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > The idea is that people should be able to discuss damn near anything around here and do so in a civil fashion.\ That’s a lovely idea - too bad it fails in real life. I self-censor all the time based on my decade of posting here, and I suspect a lot of other people do, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/48 "2010-02-06T18:36:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Or you can use just a little self control and take the tiniest bit of effort to take the debating to Great Debates where it belongs. > And let’s not even pretend that what happens when people start fighting in political threads can even be described as “polite discussion”. Isn’t it a bit unrealistic to expect people to not discuss varying opinions in a forum that is called In My Humble Opinion? ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/49 "2010-02-06T18:38:47Z")
I believe that posters who truly believe: 1. That the OPer is desperately seeking attention; OR 2. That pedophilia is by nature so offensive that it cannot be discussed civilly; OR 3. That the OPer is a troll should simply refuse to participate in the thread. There is nothing more deflating than going out of your way to be provocative only to be completely ignored. (Think Madonna’s “Sex” book.) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/50 "2010-02-06T18:57:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Isn’t it a bit unrealistic to expect people to not discuss varying opinions in a forum that is called In My Humble Opinion? Not any more realistic than to expect people to know which heated discussions belong in Great Debates and which don’t. On most topics, discussions can be done in a opinionated, yet calm and reasoning, manner. The exceptions seem to be politics and religion, and no amount of official notes, warnings or even infractions seem to be able to calm people down when it comes to these topics. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/51 "2010-02-06T18:58:57Z")
While I am not one to support censorship or suppression of discussion, I truly feel that the only reason the OP would want to start the thread in question would be to gain attention and sexual gratification as he uses the questions and his responses to increase his focus on and arousal by the object of his desires. I freely admit that while it may not be a fully-mature response, I am somewhat repelled by this idea. I believe that other opportunities to learn about this particular issue are available. I am therefore reluctant to support the allowing of such a thread, although I am ambivalent about the precedent set by not doing so. edited to add: I suppose that I would feel less opposed to allow such a thread if the OP at any time had expressed an understanding of the repulsion felt by the rest of society regarding his desires. In past threads when this issue has arisen, he seems to almost celebrate his sexuality as a positive contribution to the diversity of sexual expression. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/52 "2010-02-06T19:01:24Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I believe that posters who truly believe: > > 1. That the OPer is desperately seeking attention; OR > 2. That pedophilia is by nature so offensive that it cannot be discussed civilly; OR > 3. That the OPer is a troll > > should simply refuse to participate in the thread. > > There is nothing more deflating than going out of your way to be provocative only to be completely ignored. (Think Madonna’s “Sex” book.) Nice theory that I support wholly…but it has _never_ worked in real life. ---
**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 6, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/53 "2010-02-06T19:08:31Z")
Well shit guys, it’s not like he’s such a deviant that he did some heinous thing like vandalizing Wikipedia! He’s just an innocent ol pedo who wants to allow kids to be fucked by adults if they can give their consent. Gosh, what’s to dislike? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/54 "2010-02-06T19:11:35Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > While I am not one to support censorship or suppression of discussion, I truly feel that the only reason the OP would want to start the thread in question would be to gain attention and sexual gratification as he uses the questions and his responses to increase his focus on and arousal by the object of his desires. I freely admit that while it may not be a fully-mature response, I am somewhat repelled by this idea. > > I believe that other opportunities to learn about this particular issue are available. I am therefore reluctant to support the allowing of such a thread, although I am ambivalent about the precedent set by not doing so. > > edited to add: I suppose that I would feel less opposed to allow such a thread if the OP at any time had expressed an understanding of the repulsion felt by the rest of society regarding his desires. In past threads when this issue has arisen, he seems to almost celebrate his sexuality as a positive contribution to the diversity of sexual expression. 1. Why not just refrain from reading his thread and go read something you enjoy? 2. Should we preemptively ban discussions of certain subject matters based upon pure speculation about the OP’s motives? 3. There are other opportunities to learn about all kinds of things people discuss here, but people discuss them here anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/55 "2010-02-06T19:14:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And let’s not even pretend that what happens when people start fighting in political threads can even be described as “polite discussion”. Please point out where I said “polite discussion”. I’ll help. I didn’t. The solution is to simply move threads that don’t fit the definition. It doesn’t take a moderator convention to decide to move poll threads, even if they aren’t explicitly allowed in GD. God forbid common sense should prevail. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/56 "2010-02-06T19:15:11Z")
This could lead to whole series of threads: ask the necrophiliac ask the drunk driver ask the mass murderer ask the arsonist ask the guy who kills and eats his human victims ask the people who genitally mutilate their daughters ask the kleptomaniac by all means, let’s enable and otherwise validate all sorts of destructive, illegal and despicable behavour by discussing in the same vein as, say, collecting baseball cards. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/57 "2010-02-06T19:18:57Z")
I agree that a thread could work in theory. But it’s just kind of squicky when it finds its way into other threads that aren’t related (like that flirting thread–blech). There’s nothing wrong with sex among consenting adults, but if someone came up to you and said, “Man, your wife is looking hot, I’d love to bend her over and do her in the ass right now” it would be pretty creepy. Even assuming that a lot of men ARE thinking that because people notice other attractive people and think about sex all the time…some things are better not voiced in certain venues. I mean, I know that isn’t what this thread is about, but the fact that this poster posts SO much on pedophilia in unrelated threads does make him pretty creepy in a way that him just having the pedophilia and not really posting on it so much wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/58 "2010-02-06T19:19:05Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > This could lead to whole series of threads: > > ask the necrophiliac > ask the drunk driver > ask the mass murderer > ask the arsonist > ask the guy who kills and eats his human victims > ask the people who genitally mutilate their daughters > ask the kleptomaniac > > by all means, let’s enable and otherwise validate all sorts of destructive, illegal and despicable behavour by discussing in the same vein as, say, collecting baseball cards. There is no evidence the OP has engaged in any such behavior or intends to. ---
**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 6, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/59 "2010-02-06T19:20:03Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > 1. Why not just refrain from reading his thread and go read something you enjoy? > > 2. Should we preemptively ban discussions of certain subject matters based upon pure speculation about the OP’s motives? > > 3. There are other opportunities to learn about all kinds of things people discuss here, but people discuss them here anyway. If you’re going to look at the past decisions by the mods, **EvilCaptor** was advised that he was not allowed to introduce his fetishy feelings of bondage into any thread that wasn’t already about bondage. I believe he was also told not to start any more threads about the subject, but I certainly am not positive about that one. So they preemptively banned a poster from bringing up a subject matter in the past, why is this poster or his sickness so different? ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906/60 "2010-02-06T19:21:00Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > 1. Why not just refrain from reading his thread and go read something you enjoy? > > 2. Should we preemptively ban discussions of certain subject matters based upon pure speculation about the OP’s motives? > > 3. There are other opportunities to learn about all kinds of things people discuss here, but people discuss them here anyway. I think what bothers me is the idea of “Ask The Pedophile”. For some reason I’d have less issue with people just discussing it. The whole idea of someone who identifies as a pedophile having his own thread skeeves me out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-an-ask-the-pedophile-thread/527906.md?page=4)