Hi, Folks -

This subject came up in passing in Luke's WeAreChange video. And technically, it's correct: "Pedophilia is a disease, not a crime."

And that fact has been bothering me for awhile, in that we're commonly using the term pedophilia to mean something much more broad and heinous than the term actually means. Unfortunately I don't so far find a more apt term for the horrific behaviors we've found ourselves talking about lately. But let's consider it:

- Pedophilia is the term given to a preference or even a sole orientation toward sex with prepubescent children (younger than eleven, generally).

- Hebephilia is the term used to denote a preference or sole orientation toward sex with pubescent children (generally ages 11 through 14).

- Ephebophilia is the term applied to those with a preference or sole orientation toward sex with later adolescents (typically ages 15 through 19).

Note that all three terms are about preference or orientation, about "sexual interest", and none of them includes an idea that ones with such interests will proceed to take action on them. It's about what they're feeling, not necessarily about what they're doing, have done, or may do. It would not be unusual or unreasonable, for example, for an adult heterosexual male to experience a degree of sexual interest in a 16 or 17-year old girl; but if he doesn't act on that interest, there's no crime and arguably no deviancy, no violation of societal norms.

But then we come to the recent topics we've been referring to by that first term, pedophilia. Those topics, those actions, include forcible or at best statutory sexual aggression and assault of minors of various ages, with possibility of murder and more in some instances, clearly criminal and deviant behavior.

Just as rape is not a sexual act but one of aggression, control, and dominance over another, the behaviors we've been talking about lately are not really sexual either, but something horribly different we don't appear to have the right word for.

We're using "pedophilia" as a way to talk about it, till a more apt term comes along. But we're really talking about serial child rapists, at the least. And to the degree they lack any feeling of compassion for their victims, that qualifies them as the worst kind of psychopaths.

--hobie

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