# The molested grow up to be molesters. Really? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457 "2009-08-14T22:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/61 "2011-03-05T14:06:17Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > …a sailor suit??? Perhaps a sea-scout’s uniform. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/62 "2011-03-05T16:10:24Z")
…yeah, but…a sailor suit/sea-scout’s uniform? …meaning, it’s a friggin’ costume! In a world of t-shirts and jeans, that fashion choice stands right out, it does. He might as well dress up like a clown, or a spaceman. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/63 "2011-03-06T02:08:46Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I have no problem believing that a child can molest a child. I am quite certain that it happens. It sure does. My husband was a prosecutor in the nastiest jurisdiction in CA, in the juvenile division. His gnarliest case? Sexual assault of a 4 yr old by a 9 yr old cousin, with family siding with the rapist (288b, if you are interested). It was… Awful. Convicted, upheld on appeal, but didn’t exactly heal that little girl. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![maxvzeider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@maxvzeider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maxvzeider)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/64 "2014-09-20T06:59:08Z")
Molesters: from listening to what seem to be armchair antimolesters and from all that I hear all of you saying. What I know is across the board about drugs and alcohol for all humans and therefore ‘molesters’ from my actual real life experience. Mix a guy who can control himself when he is sober with drugs and/or alcohol and you will have someone who likely can and will commit molestation given certain circumstances. From my experience there are many young somewhat emancipated and/or freely allowed to run around the town girls out everywhere that are forceful to experience some form of sexuality with an older man, in fact very excited about it. So I don’t know much about these girls or even if they are on drugs or alcohol but I experienced a group of house breaking girls that knew I was drunk and they were all over me. When I sobered up I was in jail facing charges that there was no way out of no explanation could help me from then on I was marked and the persecution is absolute prejudice. That fixed my alcoholism I have been completely sober ever since. But the persecution is devistating. If not for the drugs and alcohol it would never have happened. I hear all the time guys saying “oh if I was stoned I would never have done that”. They have got to be ignorant. If it happened to them the same way they would realize what they said was ignorant! Feel free to respond verbally any way that you like. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/65 "2014-09-20T11:56:41Z")
Ha! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/66 "2014-09-20T12:36:36Z")
I don’t know if this is strictly relevant but it is folkloric that those bitten by zombies go on to become zombies themselves. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/67 "2014-09-20T12:57:04Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > That whole jump off sounds made up. Does the author provide cites for accounts like this? I am with you on this. A suburban mall with a bathroom window? The mother hovering anxiously outside the door doesn’t hear any noise during all of this? No other adult ever entered to use the bathroom? It’s not a factual account, it’s a parable, and not a very good one, either. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/68 "2014-09-21T01:10:10Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](#): > > I don’t know if this is strictly relevant but it is folkloric that those bitten by zombies go on to become zombies themselves. What about those who raise zombies on their first (and only so far) post? ---
**Author:** ![Kirasna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c89c15/32.png) [@Kirasna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirasna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/69 "2014-11-27T09:12:54Z")
[http://m.bjp.rcpsych.org/content/179/6/482.full](http://m.bjp.rcpsych.org/content/179/6/482.full) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/70 "2014-11-27T15:25:29Z")
To me, this is a highly specious snapshot, for a number of reasons. First, molestation is not empirically defined, its boundaries are very fuzzy. The same incident might be seen as a victim of molestation or as a willing participant in childhood fun and games. Only decades later does the event get tweaked by the recaller, who along the way is subject to plenty of psychooogical programming influencing his or her sexual values and mores. Second, accounts of molestation arise from a small subset of the society, those who are inclined for some reason to report their victimhood to examiners, or those perpetrators who run afoul of detection and their molestations come to light. An overwhelming majority of molesters have never been accused, and remain publicly unsuspected their entire lives. And a great majority of people remain unknown, whose experiences include events that were arguably classifiable as molestation. One needs to be very careful of blanket statistics purporting to show a correlation, when the sample is small as well as selective as well as subjectively defined. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/71 "2014-11-27T17:14:56Z")
“You can be like him or not,it’s up to you.” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/72 "2014-11-29T01:40:23Z")
I always classify this as the “milk and Alcoholics” argument. All Alcoholics started on Milk!" Does NOT mean “Everyone who drinks milk will become an Alcoholic”. I was abused (physically, emotionally, and sexually) as a child. It has never crossed my mind to harm a child. The larger idea - that we are slaves to our own childhoods - is absolutely abhorrent. It denies that we can think and imagine of different ways to live. I call BULLSHIT on the entire concept. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/73 "2014-11-29T05:54:23Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I always classify this as the “milk and Alcoholics” argument. > > All Alcoholics started on Milk!" > Does NOT mean “Everyone who drinks milk will become an Alcoholic”. > > I was abused (physically, emotionally, and sexually) as a child. It has never crossed my mind to harm a child. > > The larger idea - that we are slaves to our own childhoods - is absolutely abhorrent. It denies that we can think and imagine of different ways to live. > > I call BULLSHIT on the entire concept. I know exactly what you mean here. Great response. Absolutely right on. Every word. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2014, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457/74 "2014-11-29T06:58:02Z")
> [@maxvzeider](#): > > Feel free to respond verbally any way that you like. Verbally as in you want us to talk to you on the phone or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-molested-grow-up-to-be-molesters-really/506457.md?page=3)