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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion

COLUMN: We're promoting pedophile culture

We’ve coined some new buzzwords and terms recently, like cultural appropriation and rape culture, but even more recently we’ve noticed the phrase “pedophile 
culture.”

Todd Nickerson wrote a column for salon.com titled “I’m a pedophile, but not a monster” in September, and in it he discusses his sexual attraction to children and his unwillingness to act on it.

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear “pedophile” is the word “sick.” The person is mentally ill, and these sexual urges he has for children are sickening. I’m going to assume anyone who’s not a pedophile would think the same.

Nickerson explains in his article why he shouldn’t be condemned a monster because he would never harm a child. He even writes that pedophiles like him who neither molest nor want to molest children might get even more upset than “non-pedophiles” when reading about cases of sexual abuse involving 
children.

He asks for understanding and support for “non-offending pedophiles” like him who love children and would never want to hurt them.

But what’s even more disturbing in Nickerson’s column than coming out as a pedophile is an entry where he admits to spending a good duration identifying as a “pro-contacter” — a pedophile who believes sex with children should be legal and ethical. Even more disturbing is his question about whether he could marry an adult in the future despite being a pedophile. He asks, “Can I ever love and want her as much as I do a child?”

Not only are some of these pedophiles sexually attracted to children, but some aren’t even capable of being attracted to adults. You know, people their own age.

In one of the many responding articles to Nickerson, Alicen Grey raises many exceptional points in her article, “You’ve heard of rape culture, but have you heard of pedophile culture?” at 
feministcurrent.com.

Her article sheds light on the dark fact that, while pedophilia might seem taboo and massively hated, that it is actually not the case. Grey writes that “pedophilia is actually rewarded and celebrated” in our culture.

Grey supports this argument rather accurately, defining it as “pedophile culture,” with examples like Pornhub’s top category’s being “Teen.” Grey also mentions the rise in labiaplasty and hymenoplasty, procedures that reduce women’s labia and reverse women’s vaginas to “virgin-like tightness.” I’d say all of these are a pretty strong indicator of our society’s sexual desire for pre-pubescent women.

She concludes in her article that Nickerson’s plea for our support and understanding isn’t support but our submission, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Women are constantly dominated by the patriarchal society we live in and aiding Nickerson would only be supporting it.

However, paraphilic disorders, which pedophilia is categorized as by the American Psychiatric Association, is so stigmatized in our society that I can’t help but to wonder if we should totally condemn these “non-offending pedophiles.” If people like Nickerson are supposedly unwilling to act on their desires and asking for our help so as not to offend, then shouldn’t we help them? And to be clear, I don’t believe in support their desires, but I believe we should help them change. If not for them, then for the innocent children.

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