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The Mainstream Media and its Efforts to Normalize Pedophilia

La normalización de la pedofilia está cada vez más presente en los medios progresistas

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The leftist mainstream, for several years now, has been pushing a new, positive talking point about the disorder of pedophilia. The intent is clear: to destigmatize sexual deviance in order to subsequently normalize it in the eyes of society.

To achieve this goal, the media is showcasing and giving a platform to the school of thought that pedophiles are born with brain deviations that drive them to be attracted to children and not that they were made along the way. This thesis is pushed by specialists such as the embattled Dr. James Cantor, of the Addiction and Mental Health Center in Toronto, Canada, who has devoted himself to studying the brains of pedophiles and arrived at the controversial determination that pedophilia is a “sexual orientation,” like heterosexuality or homosexuality.

These “studies” have determined that pedophiles have crossed wires in their brains that, instead of provoking a feeling of protection towards children, activate sexual desires in them.

Despite the studies and theories, there is no scientific consensus on how, where, and why pedophilia originates. Nor is it known whether a pedophile can be cured of his disorder. One of the few certainties about pedophilia is that it is unequivocally rejected by most society, as there is undoubtedly fear of the harm that a child can suffer at the hands of an adult who is sexually attracted to children.

However, for a long time now, there have been movements and activists seeking to normalize and wash away the negative image of pedophilia. As we read in The Guardian, in 1976, the National Council for Civil Liberties, made a monstrous submission to parliament’s criminal law review committee that said: “Childhood sexual experiences, willingly engaged in with an adult (…) result in no identifiable damage (…) The real need is a change in the attitude which assumes that all cases of paedophilia result in lasting damage.”

To this day there are individuals and groups who maintain this argument. There are also progressive media outlets that have given space to the normalization of pedophilia, publishing articles where self-described “virtuous” or “non-offending” pedophiles are presented in a warm and empathetic way. People who claim never to have abused a child, but are sexually attracted to them.

The Los Angeles Times, in 2013, published an article titled “Many researchers taking a different view of pedophilia.” the piece reads, “Like many forms of sexual deviance, pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a sexual orientation as immutable as heterosexuality or homosexuality. It is a deep-rooted predisposition —limited almost entirely to men— that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.”

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Title of the Los Angeles Times article on pedophilia. (Screenshot)

In that article there’s a phrase that, practically, has become a common denominator in the progressive press: “Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles.”

A year later, in The New York Times, an opinion column entitled: “Pedophilia: A Disorder, Not a Crime” was published. The article read, “The Virtuous Pedophiles website is full of testimonials of people who vow never to touch a child and yet live in terror. They must hide their disorder from everyone they know — or risk losing educational and job opportunities, and face the prospect of harassment and even violence. Many feel isolated; some contemplate suicide.”

The article basically calls to stop stigmatizing pedophilia and start empathizing with pedophiles.

The showers of negative comments against the Times have not stopped since 2014, especially on social media.

Recently, USA Today experienced a similar experience to the Times after publishing an article and thread on Twitter normalizing pedophilia and presenting the controversial views of scientists and specialists such as Dr. Cantor.

According to the thread, deleted after the huge wave of criticism, Dr. Cantor explained “pedophiles need better access to therapy, which can be difficult since those afflicted may be ashamed to seek help or worried about being reported to the authorities if they do”.

Following the questioning, USA Today also decided to change the title of the article. Initially, it was “What the public keeps getting wrong about pedophilia,” later replaced by a more general title: “The complicated research behind pedophilia.”

These articles published in The New York Times and the LA Times, USA Today present pedophilia as a disorder that is not chosen by its victims (the pedophiles) based on the opinion of “the experts” who call for empathy for these people with unacceptable disorders.

But beyond the articles that try to explain the possible origins of the pedophilic disorder, there are media that have gone further in seeking to normalize pedophilia. This is the case of the Canadian magazine VICE.

VICE is, for example, a magazine that defends pedophiles self-defined as “non-offenders”, whom it describes as a “community” where “most of them claim they have never engaged sexually with a minor. They also claim that they never intend to do so.”

The report where VICE makes an open apology for pedophilia is titled: “I spent a year living with “non-offending” pedophiles. It was published in 2017 and written by Alexander McBride Wilson. It tells the story of several “virtuous pedophiles” who claimed to “never” attempt to abuse a minor and have no intention of doing so.

One of the stars of the VICE report is a man named Gary Gibson, 65, who was accused of rape by an adopted daughter he had 12 years ago, according to the British newspaper Daily Mail.

In another article, VICE defends pedophiles from the cancellation they receive on social networks. “Social networking sites can’t decide how to handle ‘non-offending’ pedophiles.”

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Concern about the normalization of pedophilia

As the empathetic narrative toward pedophiles gains traction in progressive media, there is a growing sense of concern that is manifesting itself in social networks and op-eds in alternative and conservative outlets.

“The left has a pedophilia problem, and it’ll keep getting worse unless the right is entirely unencumbered by disingenuous appeals to ‘tolerance,’ meaningless catchphrases like ‘love is love,’ or empty insults like ‘homophobe.'” wrote for The Federalist, Spencer Lindquist. “Such rhetorical devices are not used in good faith, and treating them as if they are anything other than well-crafted maneuvers to undermine any sexual ethic that leaves childhood innocence intact is the height of naivety.”

On networks, particularly Twitter, one also reads criticism of those who seek to normalize pedophilia and concerns about the consequences that could be generated if this disorder begins to be socially acceptable.

“As a Christian, I firmly believe we need to show compassion to pedophiles, while still clearly prioritizing the safety of kids. But you’re an absolute fool if you believe that major institutions in this country aren’t willing to normalize pedophilia and call it tolerance,” wrote Mark Hemingway, of RealClearInvestigations.

For several days now, the topic of pedophilia has been among the most important topics on Twitter, with influencers, journalists and thousands of citizens expressing their opinion on how serious it would be for society to destigmatize and normalize the pedophilic disorder. Against this backdrop, there is concern that the campaign of acceptance of pedophilia will grow, directly or indirectly provoking the monstrous acceptance of pederasty by a certain sector of society.

Media such as VICE or USA Today, meanwhile, don’t present these concerns and worries in their published articles, leaving only the condescending and sympathetic approach towards pedophiles. A symptom that the normalization of pedophilia will continue to gain space in the progressive media.

Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.

Contacto: [email protected]

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