[Jack_]

Samuel and Greg thank God there's some people who share similar views on here

This article is absolutely ridiculous, and not because of the content, but because of the way it's been totally misconstrued to stir up outrage. The comment that sexual attraction to children is prevalent in most males was made by one professor and supported by very little others. The rest of the article raises arguments from sociologists which, quite honestly, make a lot of sense. Let's go through them:

The public, wrote Dr Taylor, “generally thinks of paedophiles as sick or evil men who lurk around school playgrounds in the hope of attempting unspecified beastliness with unsuspecting innocent children”. That, he reassured readers, was merely a “stereotype”, both “inaccurate and unhelpful”, which flew in the face of the “empirical realities of paedophile behaviour”. Why, most adult-child sexual relationships occurred in the family!

True.

“The isolation, secrecy, guilt and anguish of many paedophiles,” he wrote in Perspectives on Paedophilia, “are not intrinsic to the phenomen[on] but are derived from the extreme social repression placed on minorities …

“Paedophiles are told they are the seducers and rapists of children; they know their experiences are often loving and tender ones.

Also true, if there wasn't a social stigma attached to it (and at one point in history there wasn't) then there would be nothing to feel guilty about.

The only part I don't really agree with is this:

They are told that children are pure and innocent, devoid of sexuality; they know both from their own experiences of childhood and from the children they meet that this is not the case.”

But then it's important to remember that, as Samuel pointed out, childhood is a social construction and is one that fluctuates across different cultures and time.

The book sounds like quite an interesting read to be honest. At the end of the day all it is is sociological research and academic enquiry, it doesn't have to be taken seriously. It is just the opinions put forward by some academics in much the same way that every other aspect of the social world is theorised. After all, humans have created the rules, they aren't inherent or natural. And yes, that includes paedophilia. That doesn't mean having sex with children is acceptable before someone jumps down my throat, but childhood is a socially constructed categorisation and some people are unfortunately sexually attracted to children.