There is a disjuncture between biological drives and legal restrictions. To pretend otherwise is just plain silly, even if a taboo subject in this age of hysteria. Men are biologically programmed to be sexually attracted to curves - hips, waist and breasts.
Biology doesn't give much thought to social or cultural norms, let alone legal ones. We may claim that a post-pubertal 14 year old girl is too immature to make sexual decisions but that is a legal assertion that history, cultural relativity and biology may disagree with.
This sheds a little light on why child abusers are so despised in prison. Most men literally don't see the sexual attraction of biological children. Without curves, i.e. pre-puberty, then there is literally no biological interest.
In this sense, the crimes of child molesters are incomprehensible. The very idea, the urge, the attraction, just doesn't fit in most men's heads.
Most crimes can be understood. Killing someone in a fit of rage or jealously; robbing a million quid to live in the sun; evading taxes to fund a better life... all are comprehensible, even if we ourselves condemn them and would never dream of committing them. Nearly all crimes can resonate with an urge, a sly wicked thought, which we have all had at some point.
But child molesters are different. For most people, nothing in those crimes chimes with anything in our own experiences or thoughts, their crimes are truly alien and incomprehensible.
So removed are these crimes from the understanding of most people that it does make me wonder as to the root cause. Is an attraction to children a brain defect, is it an actual illness? Or does it result from socio-psychological experiences in early life?
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When I studied psychology one of our require books was 'The Dictionary of Psychology'. The definition of 'Pedophilia' was - and I quote - 'a psychotic-sexual disorder' whereby the sufferer is sexually attracted to children and the disorder is such that the sufferer is convinced the child reciprocates this attraction.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, relaying that bit of objective information to 'Joe Public' goes down like a fart in a space suite. This is why I fear we have centuries ahead of us before a more enlightened way of dealing with this subject is reached.
Children are not only eager to please, they are also more easily manipulated by adults.
ReplyDeleteIf a man feels he lacks the ability to control a fully grown woman and feels that he wants control in his sexual relationships, a child can become to him a more attractive option.
This is one aspect of the awful price we pay for the inequality between the sexes, and indeed inequality in general.
Great blog Ben.
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for those who 'study' psychology: What sexual proclivities do those children that have been raised by wolves, show when they are sexually active?
Assuming that those rare documented cases are genuine, of course.
And as a bonus question: Is there any sexual context of shaving the pudenda, especially by homosexuals? I ask, as I am a little concerned that the Hampshire Constabulary was found to be the most gay friendly police force in Britain... are they trying to tell us something?
Jimmy, there are indeed very few verified cases of children being raised by wolves or dogs, but you might want to look up Oxana Malaya. The Discovery Channel actually showed a very interesting documentary about her a few years ago and it was also shown on Channel Four on 17th July 2006. I'm sure you'll be able to find it if you search. The telegraph newspaper also did a follow-up on the documentary.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3653890/Cry-of-an-enfant-sauvage.html
If you are interested in more specific aspects of the feral child's experience then I am sure that you would be able to find studies by individuals with far more experience in that particular field.
Alas Gaina, the days of scientific social 'sciences' passed away with the old masters, like Milgram, Asch, and Skinner.
ReplyDeleteThe social sciences, like history, have been taken over by the politicos, that study with the aim of their manifestos, rather than enlightenment.
So if they had discovered that Oxana's sexuality was 'doggy' styled, then they would have hailed the revelation that sexuality is culturally labile; whereas if the little girl grew to womanhood, complete with sexual desires for men, the generally left-wing social scientists would probably bury the news.
I think part of it might be the appeal of innocence. I confess, I find underage girls attractive, though I would hope that I have the moral strength to never act on that urge. I know that my feelings are wrong, but yet I still feel them. Ben wrote some time ago about an attractive female warden who dressed provocatively having complaints levelled against her by convicted rapists, afraid of their own urges. Similarly, I have several times deliberately avoided being put in a position of authority over children, just in case the temptation would prove to be too much.
ReplyDelete# Anonymous 1
ReplyDeletedo you know/have any theories about how/why you are able to do that?
Able to do what?
ReplyDeleteBe so disciplined/cautious/restrained?
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm not a slave to my urges. I'm going to make the assumption that you're male and heterosexual; forgive me if I'm wrong. You find women attractive, but does that mean you'd rape if you had the chance? I think it's entirely probable that I could cope with being in that position of authority; but just in case I couldn't, I prefer not to put myself in a situation where the temptation is there. It's not hard to be restrained from a distance. What's hard is resisting when what you want is right there for the taking. Best to simply not get into that situation.
ReplyDelete25 and female : )
ReplyDeletebut very interesting to hear your thoughts. I suppose what I am really getting at is what separates someone like you (able to be 'sensible', if you like, about the situations you put yourself in, and honest about how you feel) from someone who isn't. And I suppose that's not something that you could easily answer. Not least because those things may not always be conscious anyway.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete25 and female : ) says 'I suppose what I am really getting at is what separates someone like you (able to be 'sensible', if you like, about the situations you put yourself in, and honest about how you feel) from someone who isn't.'
What a thoughtful statement anonymous, I am 50 going 25 years of age. I lost 25 years of my life trying to make sense of this world. The reason why I don't judge people is simply because I know that I am also capable of committing exactly the same crime that other people commit. No disregard to Ben who is serving a sentence for murder, but I can not even kill a fly leave alone a person. However, in these last 7 years since I became politically active as a socialist, I came across people who tempted me to murder them. Perverts like someone called Chris Nineham who pushed me so hard trying to get his hands into my knickers such that he came into my room in a hotel in Caracas without invitation and I hit him so hard with the door that I thought I had killed him. But I am sensible enough to know that murder is a crime, hence I am staying away from the likes of this Chris, i.e. men/women who think they have a god given right to have sex with any woman/man they fancy to have sex with. We are all murderers, I did not kill this Chris and the likes of him because I can stand up for myself, but I am certainly capable of killing anyone who hurts a child or an elderly person if they are unfortunate enough to be caught by me before the police arrive.
Moderator, I can assure that this Chris Nineham will never libel you! In my view him and the likes of him are worse than murderers and should be behind bars. So please publish my comment.
Thanks Florence.
ReplyDeleteI work in a prison - not a screw -
and I look for answers/information anywhere I can. I think this blog poses as many questions as it does answers, but it's definitely interesting to come across someone who can express themselves and describe their experiences of prison with such evocative, incisive prose.
Your writings are fucking brilliant Ben! insightful, intelligent rich with wit humour and charm, the way you articulate prison life..I have learned more about the "justice system" from reading your blogs than i have from any other source my whole life.. you have educated and inspired me and will no doubt continue to do so..
ReplyDelete