• Allero@lemmy.today
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    93
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    18 hours ago

    There’s one more angle to this - apart from the raise in vigilante violence and messing up with police operations which both are very valid.

    Just as we stopped getting TV feeds constantly equating pedophiles to child molesters, those guys stepped in to fill the void.

    Pedophiles are not inherently child molesters. This kind of equation is not only wrong, it also adds to promoting dangerous behaviors among them.

    Plenty of pedophiles will never abuse a single child, knowing full well it is dangerous and harmful for minors to be engaged in such relationships. However, the more we equate pedophiles to predators, the more people, especially in the emotionally vulnerable groups like teen pedophiles, will actually accept themselves in this role. Among those who stands against this anyway, plenty will become suicidal, not seeing an option to live a non-offending life.

    Current methods of therapy aimed at reducing child abuse rates go very strongly on this - pedophiles should face message of them not being inherently dangerous, not the message of them being an immediate and imminent danger. Not only this is scientifically correct, it is actually useful in making these people safer for others.

    • ubergeek@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      14
      ·
      17 hours ago

      The pedophiles being attacked are actively hunting, otherwise, they wouldn’t be caught in a trap…

  • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    29
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    1 day ago

    Oh I get it. So this stuff gets pushed on left wing spaces. Then the left wing adopts this ethos where they say “pedo hunters aren’t good” then the right goes “oh you’re all pedophiles” and then the divide is bigger

    • uienia@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      18 hours ago

      That’s not it. The right will lie about anything. If we change our beliefs to prevent the right from lying about us we would never have to stop changing our beliefs.

      This is more about right wing militias hunting lqtb+ people under the guise of pedophilia.

    • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      22 hours ago

      Poorly regulated pedo hunters that can end up ruining genuine law enforcement efforts at catching pedos aren’t good.

      • ubergeek@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        17 hours ago

        Genuine law enforcement efforts?

        Like their efforts to protect rapists? Or the genuine efforts to vote for a rapist and pedo for POTUS? And their genuine effort to provide cover for their pastor pedo?

      • LordGimp@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        21 hours ago

        The bigger problem is that genuine law enforcement efforts are discouraged from actually catching pedophiles because they often end up being constituents of those same cops, either politically or socially. It’s either a priest, a super PAC donor, or another cop on the other end of that investigation.

      • Ledericas@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        edit-2
        18 hours ago

        Actually Leo don’t do shit about pedophelia, because it usually involves powerful people, usually ends up being a pastor, priest of the church or one of their own, or a politician. Some sites online hide in plain site, with a format similar to r/pics if you dig deeper there’s significant talk about commiting pedophelia acts, beastiality. And the sites often get taken down for other reasons besides thst

    • Kbibble@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      17 hours ago

      Perhaps it’s best to make the distinction that this is creating a new type of predator, Violence Predators. Because that’s what the problem is. Right now they are going after the targets no one cares about, when they run low on those targets, either because the need for “content/violence” outpaces the supply of easy targets, some of them will find new ones, while using the old label to mask what they are doing.

      So make that distinction, because it’s not about the people hunting pedophiles, it’s about the people hunting for violence. If there’s an overlap that doesn’t need to be the focus of the argument, because that’s the red herring.

  • cley_faye@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    64
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    Great. Just dump anyone you dislike as a “pedophile” and then it’s a free for all.

  • Sam_Bass@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    21 hours ago

    They should be stalking the Repuglicans in Washington. Make a ton of bounty I bet

  • infeeeee@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    55
    arrow-down
    37
    ·
    2 days ago

    This is a symptom. If police won’t do it’s job there will be some guys who will take it into their own hands. The problem is they have even less oversight than police.

    • glorkon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      53
      arrow-down
      12
      ·
      2 days ago

      Is that really the only problem you see with people taking justice into their own hands? Less oversight?

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        23
        arrow-down
        11
        ·
        2 days ago

        When they go after the wrong person, yes. When they decide to both be the police, judge and executioner, yes.

        But if the judiciary system doesn’t do it’s work, what do you expect.

        • Microw@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 day ago

          I can assure you that the judiciary system in my country does work. It’s just that these people either a. just want to beat someone up and need an excuse, or b. don’t agree with our laws and think it should be prison time for a 18 year old who wants to date a 16 year old, or a 21 year old who wants to date a 17 year old.

        • glorkon@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          Even if the judiciary system in your country doesn’t do its work, people taking justice in their own hands is a fundamentally bad thing for a society. I don’t pity predators if they get what they deserve, but I pity the society that suddenly has to define boundaries - where do you draw the line? Not all cases are clear cut. Not everyone operates on the same set of morals.

          Example: Religious zealots really do believe that abortions kill children. If society doesn’t categorically forbid people to take justice into their own hands but goes “well, in this case, we can all understand”, you will have other people acting in ways they perceive as equally justifiable. And then abortion doctors get murdered.

          The users who downvoted me don’t seem to have this understanding, they would rather have revenge. If you people don’t understand that self-justice will ultimately lead to a more violent society, then go ahead, downvote me again. You’re the reason your country isn’t a more civilized place, wherever you live.

      • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 day ago

        Disproportionate punishment is another of course. They probably lump pedophiles (a person with a psychiatric disorder) and child molesters (a person that actually harms children) into the same group and you deserve to die for simply thinking the wrong things.

        • Microw@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 day ago

          They lump far more people into the same group. They attack anyone whom they think they can, even if they know that their accusations are BS.

      • TheOSINTguy@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        56
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        The problem is what if they mistake somebody for the wrong person? That’s enough to destroy an innocent persons life.

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          1 day ago

          The government mistakes people for wrong person all the time too though

          Sometimes on purpose

        • Telorand@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          36
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          That’s not the only problem. They’re making content, so finding “the right person” will inevitably be less important than finding a person. Can’t fall out of the Almighty Algorithm’s favor, amirite?

          • fishos@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            2 days ago

            So … What you’re saying, it’s that there would be less oversight when it comes to choosing their targets. Almost exactly like OP said. Almost like they were speaking in broad strokes and you failed to notice any nuance.

              • fishos@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 day ago

                Honestly? I just don’t really like that reddit behaviour of regurgitating the previous person’s comment and passing it off as your own unique idea, that’s all.

                • Telorand@reddthat.com
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  1 day ago

                  I took a general comment and said something very specific. What you saw as dual meaning, I saw as one. OP did not make their intended meaning clear.

                  Maybe we can be better than Reddit and be more charitable with each other here, yeah?

    • tumbleweed@feddit.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      104
      ·
      2 days ago

      Pedophile hunting is among several vigilante movements in the United States. Groups in the South try to catch alleged drug smugglers at the border; others monitor local crime. The new wave of pedophile hunters stands out for adopting the social media influencer model, using real-life violence to build a following online.

      This is about clout chasing and being violent monsters

      • Red_October@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        2 days ago

        And if anyone calls them out on it, they’re immediately branded as “pedophile sympathizers” if not actual pedophiles themselves. So, not only do they get to be violent monsters, saying that they shouldn’t commit horrible violence without any sort of legal oversight (or at all, really) makes YOU the bad guy!

      • JayGray91@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        30
        ·
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        They can deflect doubt because they are hunting pedophiles.

        “You wouldn’t defend a pedophile now, would you?” - clout chasing violence monger

        • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 day ago

          And if you haven’t found any pedophiles yet, well, I guess you’re not trying hard enough. Or maybe… you are one of them… 😠

          Can’t believe this needs an /s

    • Triasha@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      “less oversight than police.” A bar so low you need a shovel to get under it.

  • rekabis@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    24
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    1 day ago

    I don’t have a problem with actual pedophiles that are caught in these dragnets.

    My problem arises from the lack of rigorous and well-documented investigation into the target before shite starts popping off. As the article pointed out, there is nothing wrong with a 22yo dating an 18yo. And the problem here is a sense of vindictiveness trying to manufacture targets where not all targets are guilty of pedophilia.

    So: you want to take a pipe wrench to warm over a pedophile? Make sure there is oodles of evidence that clearly and unambiguously makes the person a pedophile, and sure as shite I will look the other way. But the problem is that there is no self-reinforcing framework in place within the vigilante system to ensure and enforce this threshold of evidence. And without this system, innocent people are going to get hurt or killed.

    • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 day ago

      You and the people upvoting you are gravely mistaken.

      This isn’t about protecting the innocent.

      It is about inflicting unaccountable violence.

    • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.business
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 day ago

      I’m going go assume from your instance you’re not American, but the big flaw in your logic is if you come after me with a pipe, I’m absolutely within my rights to put holes into you until you stop moving.

      Vigalante justice is going to get the people who think they’re “doing a good thing” killed, and with zero consequences to the pedos who shoot them.

      Perhaps a more adult, informed, nuanced take is of use here?

      • rekabis@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        12 hours ago

        Sometimes criminals also shoot back at the police that come after them with guns.

        In the heat of the moment, the only difference between a vigilante and a cop is the level of training, the assigned equipment, and the choice for the cop to follow well-established procedural rules. It’s only when you zoom out do you see the legal system supporting the cop. But when zoomed in and examining the individual incidents, nothing says the cop can’t come away with added lead, either.

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      13
      ·
      1 day ago

      As the article pointed out, there is nothing wrong with a 22yo dating an 18yo.

      Who said there is anything wrong with this?

      How is tbsi even example of pedophile rape? It is two adults.

      that’s a weird thing to bring NYT tbh

      Didn’t see NYT editor get caught with videos of rape of his own children on his phone recently?

      Maybe NYP?

      • rekabis@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        1 day ago

        Who said there is anything wrong with this?

        How is tbsi even example of pedophile rape? It is two adults.

        that’s a weird thing to bring NYT tbh

        Tell me you completely failed to grok my criticisms without saying that they flew clear over your head at 10,000m

        • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          1 day ago

          The point I was making… Is that the article brought a red herring fact that has nothing to do with anything

          Why did they bring it up?

          • rekabis@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            12
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            1 day ago

            The point I was making… Is that the article brought a red herring fact that has nothing to do with anything

            Why did they bring it up?

            It was not a red herring in the least, and it struck to the very core of my own criticisms: while some vigilantes may be very stringent about their own investigations and targets, others may not.

            In this example, these vigilantes artificially engineered a target where none was likely to ever exist. They drew the target in using the profile of a perfectly legal 18yo woman, but then turned around and claimed that the target was actually chasing the profile of an 17yo - and illegally young - girl, when he was in fact not doing so.

            This was a very clear situation of entrapment by false pretenses.

            • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              7
              ·
              1 day ago

              That’s what police already does tbh

              Also, if somebody is doing that and gets caught, I doubt they will get any sympathy from society.

              Vigelanty justice only works when target deserved like the dead CEO, otherwise it just crime.

              • rekabis@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 day ago

                Vigelanty justice only works when target deserved like the dead CEO, otherwise it just crime.

                You clearly see the world in black-and-white, when it really is made up of shades of grey.

                Which means that since you haven’t already gotten the point, all the crayons and construction paper in the world isn’t going to help.

      • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        23 hours ago

        Sadly there are a lot of weirdos who think ANY AGE GAP AT ALL is basically the same as pedophilia

          • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            7 hours ago

            As a writer myself, I can only imagine how many the “All characters are 18 or older unless specifically said otherwise” blurb has saved. I feel like that blurb has become standard in fanworks and web original stories, even when they don’t involve sex. If there’s even the slightest chance anything that happens could be interpreted as someone’s kink, you better believe it’s there now.

            I actually have one character from a series I wrote ages ago, I kind of abandoned it because I’m not edgy anymore, but I still use the lead character from time to time for art projects; commissions mostly, as she did have a fun character design being an undead gerbil and all.

            I’ve retroactively upped her age from 17 to 19, just to be safe.

            Though as I said, I was REALLY edgy when I wrote the book series (I was around 19 myself, I’m 33 now), so this is a change I’m actually happy to have made.

            It wasn’t pornographic, it was based on the movie “I Spit On Your Grave”, only if the lead character was killed and got revenge from beyond the grave, so there was a sex scene with her, but it was intended to be immorally wrong and disturbing… and mostly talked about how this otherwise fearless street tough was suffering… It was also over quick and not elaborated on too much beyond giving the sense that “This is horrible and she’s very much not a fan” as the point of the book was that she died horribly, but was given a chance at revenge in the afterlife. (There wasn’t even a content warning, because this was so long ago that “CWs” weren’t a thing)

            I’ve actually considered doing a reboot of her story and making it lighter and softer, maybe removing the rape from her death entirely.

            Not because of fears of being targeted mind you, but because I like the character I created and would love to tell more stories with her, but I’m not the edgelord I was when I first wrote her and if I wrote about her today would never have handled her story the way I did.

    • theblips@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      30
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Reddit would be outraged about an 18 yo dating a 16 yo, though. Some people have really weird and unrealistic views on this

      • sleen@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        1 day ago

        That’s why I find reddit so strange. Age gaps is apparently the most demonic thing you can do. No matter if you’re 19 dating a 17 or 34 dating a 27 you’re a huge red flag either way.

        • theblips@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          11
          ·
          1 day ago

          Yup, and the arguments are so weirdly self centered, too. “I went through so much when I started college, what would I talk about with someone in HIGH SCHOOL?” (19-17 gap) Dude, you started smoking pot and went to a few frat parties, it’s not that deep. Also are these people just always discussing life experiences for some reason? No shared interests, hobby groups, common acquaintances?

      • kandoh@reddthat.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        29
        ·
        2 days ago

        Those Redditors are probably 16 year olds themselves upset that the girls they like are always going for 18 - 20 year olds

  • StarlightDust@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    31
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    11 hours ago

    I monitor far-right groups pretty intensively and a good chunk of Paedophile Hunters are key organisers of said groups.

    Its also not uncommon for far-right groups to be family operations where the adults will groom their teenage children into organizing and encourage their children to date other, often older, fascist organisers.

  • OmegaLemmy@discuss.online
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    67
    ·
    1 day ago

    Oh. They’re just gonna call people pedo and attack them even though they’re not. It’s extremely obvious.

    • ours@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      16 hours ago

      Or very likely make mistakes. Vigilantes is nice in comic books and movies, in real life it turns terrible very quickly.

    • KuroNeko@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      6 hours ago

      Sad because actual paedos gonna be like “who, not me, someone cried wolf on me!”… As someone who was trafficked and abused with my sister and then even after she got out, I’ve heard them laugh about paedos caught in the news and act like they’re not exactly that. Meanwhile the people who actually hurt me stayed or died free because you also see on the news how false accusations ruin innocent people’s lives, so it feels like what we say as real victims not only doesn’t matter but will be ignored because sexism is back full-swing and they prefer us women to be seen and not heard once again like the old days. I wish patriarchal societies weren’t hell-bent on using and ending women and children to justify their means of global blackmail control.

  • Brave Little Hitachi Wand@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    ·
    1 day ago

    A quick word to anyone seeing this and thinking “oh that’s fine”, look into the Snowtown Massacres". That’s what it looks like when this kind of thing actually happens. Life isn’t a Tarantino film, those who accomplish their aims violently are generally very dumb.

    • nomy@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 day ago

      Hi everyone, just a friendly reminder that guns are legal in the United States for the time being.