It seems that there is no end to the number of sick and disturbed individuals weaved into the very fabric of our society intent on exploiting and hurting children.
We have children abducted from their beds, front yards and neighborhoods only to be sexually assaulted and killed - and those are just the headline stories your hear about. There are far more that go unreported in the news, and even more that never make it to the authorities. Sexual abuse is a crime that still holds a stigma for the victim, even when the victim is a helpless child.
The most famous case in the news now is of course Michael Jackson, and what is so interesting about his case isn't that he is famous, but rather how obvious his profile as a predator is, and yet his "alleged" abuse went unchecked for years.
Michael fits the profile to a T, with the exception of his wealth and fame. Single man, over the age of 30, feels more at home with children than people his own age, obsessed with children of a certain age and gender, uses toys and gifts to attract children to him, showers children with attention and affection, tends to pick children who are troubled and vunerable and easy to manipulate. Most pedophiles of this type don't attack children they don't know, as that is too risky; their goal is to lure them into their net, groom them, seduce them, gain their trust and have the child "willingly" submit to the abuse. This has two purposes: it alleviates any lingering guilt in the mind of perpetrator that what they are doing is immoral, and it makes the abuse easier and less likely to be discovered.
Children lured into these types of abusive relationships often don't tell anyone about the abuse because they feel that they are culpable and therefore feel a sense of misguided loyalty to their abuser. It is a very sick but common occurrence, and often (but not always) these children go on to become abusers themselves, further perpetuating the vicious cycle.
I am not sure what happened in Michael's childhood that stunted his sexual maturity, but somewhere along the line his normal development from pubescent boy to sexual mature adult went amiss. It would be safe to say that he was more likely than not a victim of some kind of abuse himself. This is no excuse though, and knowing the source does not create a cure.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Eric Olsen
very nice job and I agree with your conclusions, although it would be quite gratifying to just shoot the fuckers
2 - Austin Amadasun
This is armchair posturing taken to giddy heights. Whatever became of "innocent until proven guilty". And are you sure "permanent incarceration" will satisfy your lust? Why not just "string-'em-up"?
The history of the criminal justice system is replete with miscarriages of justice; and this type of unbriddled hatred covered in a cloak of reason and caring for the vulnerable, is the exact cause.
It would seem that you are convinced that "psychologial profiling" is the way to determine the truth in legal cases.
I think you have a basic misunderstanding of the concept of "Justice for All"
3 - Aaman
Maybe she's inspired by Metallica:)
4 - jadester
I think that's the gut reaction of alot of use, EC, but after some thought you should realise it's not the best way.
If we could 100% fail-safe assess these nasty pieces of work and be able to split them between those who acted on their urges but know they're wrong and hate themselves for it, and those that don't, those that do should just be in plain, empty cells 24/7 with only the barest food and water given, so they can reflect on their crimes until the day they die. those that don't seem to distinguish, should be treated the same BUT, every few days, they should be subejcted to a large does of acid and a large dose of mescaline and left alone with a sharp knife for 48 hours in the cell. See if giving them a different slant on what they've done can make them realise what's the problem with it.
Both of these are strong psychadelic drugs that tend to draw on the content of your own mind as much as your surroundings (well, from what i've heard of acid anyways =+) and i truly believe it could help, in some cases, the criminal to see his (or her) crimes as they really are.
At the least, some of them would invariably experience a bad acid trip and end up tormented for life. heh.
5 - Eric Olsen
I didn't say we should just shoot them, just that it would be very gratifying. Austin, one can't resist saying "innocent until proven guilty .. for the 15th time." Dawn's point is that there is a class of incorrigible pedophiles who will not be rehabilitated - this is a crime with a very high recidivism rate. So what do you do with them? Jadester's take is interesting!
6 - Tristan
Ouch .....
I agree totally with Dawn's sentiments--as she well knows; I also totally agree with
Austin's question : What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"---
and I'm speaking only to the Jackson case here. So many people have read so much media stuff and pre-judged him. I readily admit it doesn't "look good"---but that isn't the same as guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. I know if I was in Jackson's position, and I WAS innocent,---I'd appreciate people withholding judgement until all the facts are in.
What poignantly comes to mind is a blog I was reading often while Jessica Lunsford was still "missing"--and each day it got more and more "out of control"---as the posters began saying how it looked as if the father had killed her--citing how "shaky" he was--must be on drugs, etc., and then on to the grandfather and his prior "history"-citing a 20 year old rape charge , etc., then on to the grandmother and how she had flunked 2 questions on the FBI lie detector test...
This went on and on each day getting hotter and hotter--when suddenly they arrested the homeless sexual predator who lived across the street who CONFESSED he HAD abducted and killed her.
I wondered how all those people then felt who had basically come out and said the father, grandfather, or grandmother had killed her ...????
To not kick the dead horse---it's hard to be patient, especially in cases like these that deal with child abuse, but the alternative--accusing and condemning an innocent person is pretty damned horrible also.
7 - Dawn
Tristan,
I suppose it isn't fair to assume that he is guilty, I was really comparing his MO to that of known pedophiles and saying they seem awfully similar.
As for the Jessica issue, while it is common to assume that the family is involved, especially in that case where there was no break in and no suspect initially, I felt right away that the father was not involved at all, he was completely willing to submit to ANY and all investigative measures and stuck me as completely sincere in his appeals for his daughter.
Sometimes you can tell, but hey, sometimes you can't.
I knew Scott Peterson was guilty immediately, Jackson, well, he seems guilty of something, but that has yet to be proven.
8 - Tristan
Hmmmmmm ............
that's so funny: I felt so strongly that Scott Peterson wasn't guilty--I was astonished when they convicted him; and I was "sure" Robert Blake WAS guilty---he gets off----
and Jackson---like we've both stated Dawn--it sure "LOOKS" like he's "guilty"- at least from the media I've seen on it, but we aren't in court and haven't seen all the evidence presented either.
It's easy to prejudge when we are sitting out here, and we are entitled to our opinions.
I just keep thinking of those people that were "SURE" that Jessica's father, grandfather, or grandmother had "done it" and how they must feel---not to mention how those three felt as they were still looking for her.....???
Also, we need to keep in mind the many that were on death row that HAD been "CONVICTED"---who later were totally exonerated once DNA was allowed to be introduced. It is not an easy situation for our society and the justice system is in a constant state of flux and growth because of that. This IS the best justice system in the world though I think, from all I've seen to date anyway.
There is always room for refinements and improvement also, and thank god/dess we DO have a system that allows input as ours does!
9 - Dawn
"There is always room for refinements and improvement also, and thank god/dess we DO have a system that allows input as ours does!"
True dat, I just wish more people were informed enough to give appropriate input for improvement.
10 - Eric Olsen
Tristan, do you mean you thought Peterson didn't do it or that he would be found not guilty in court? I didn't necessarily think he would be convicted but I never doubted for a second that he did it
11 - Danny Haszard
What the media needs to discuss is what turned Michael Jackson into the freakish 'wacko Jacko' in the first place.
I have been following MJ's bio since his baptism in the 1970's as a Jehovah's Witness.MJ and I are the same age and I can identify with the disastrously dysfunctional oppressive fundamentalist 'freak' upbringing of Jehovah's Witnesses children.
Clergy sexual abuse in the "other" religions.
Clergy pedophiles "per-capita" among the Jehovah's Witnesses exceed the Catholic church .
This is due to the church elders enforced 'code of silence' aka the notorious,"two witness take-down".
The Jehovah's Witnesses Church leaders absurd requirement of having TWO WITNESSES to the crime of child molestation.
The Worldwide Problem of Child Abuse and Jehovah's Witnesses
Is it Really a Pedophile Paradise ? What is the truth, what is the myth?
Myth 1: Jehovah's Witnesses protect children within their organization against confessed or convicted child molesters.
What is the TRUTH and what is the MYTH?
Get the answers to these questions. http://www.silentlambs.org/answers/index.cfm
Danny Haszard: Former Jehovah's Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation (been there). Now a counter-cult educator. My home page, WATCHTOWER WHISTLEBLOWER: http://www.DannyHaszard.com
12 - Tristan
EO:
for some reason---I just never got the feeling that he had done it-----!
seriously; no April 1st joke! heh ...heh ....
13 - michael jackson
I am not a pedophile, just an average, garden variety homosexual man who gets off on young boys, like Emperor Hadrian did.
14 - Eric Olsen
thanks for the clarification, MJ
15 - ever
Experts don't agree with you on Michael Jackson. But ehh what do those people know, they've just been studying pedophiles for decades, they haven't been learning from the book Court TV
All the rest of your comments are a bunch of truism. Who except for NAMBLA claims that child molestation shoudln't be punished ?? A real waste of webspace.
16 - anonymous
I personally don't like this article at all. Michael tries to help them not hurt them. I think the only reason its easy to see him as a pedophile is because you really don't get his gestures at all. I get really offended by these types of things because you think you know when its really nothing like this at all.
17 - Pure
I am now convinced he was/is a gay pedophile but only after watching a programme called Micheal JAckson : What really happend from channel 4(uk tv).
I think alot of people dont think he is a pedophile because of how blatently he did everything. e.g - Neverland and being seen with kids etc. You have to also look past his talent to realise he is/was just a Rich pedophile. A gay rich pedophile.
18 - Pure
@people who say he was just helping children etc. Other famous people help children and charity's but they dont ask to sleep with them in return or visit them around to 'PLAY'.
19 - Jasmin
I dont think its fair to say hes a pedophile just because he gets on better with children then adults.Also you have never met the man so how do you know weather hes a pedophile and did it or not.Have you spent vast amounts of time in his company talking and chating to him.Were you there at neverland when this things were ment to have happened no you were not.Also we all know the media twists things around just to get ratings.Also the boy who accussed him in 2003 said on the stand that he liyed because Mr Jackson had rejected him and his friendship.So i think you need to go and edicate yourself and read more about the people who were apart of the case and who reported the cases as well like a certin Diane Dimend before you write blogs like this.
20 - Mel
I agree 100% with every word in this article. Excellent take on Jackson's case.
21 - annonymus
it sickens me how supporters continue to support an OBVIOUS pedophile!!
has the world gone mad!!
he died last night, justice at last for those poor kids!!!
22 - ALAN SANDFORD
MAY JACKSON ROT IN HELL
23 - Silas Kain
There are two sides to every story and then there is the truth. So, you back water, close-minded, convenient Zealots, listen up. Take a 5 year old boy. Make him go to school every day, come home, do homework and rehearse. And once 4 hours of rehearsal are over go to seedy night clubs and strip joints to have your five boys perform for low life scum bags. Then as this child enters adolescence, work him even harder. Isolate the child from reality and make him a human ATM.
I don't believe that Michael Jackson was a pedophile based upon your narrow obersvations and judgements. Look at the whole picture, understand what precipitated the rise of MJ. Then realize the blame belongs squarely upon the shoulders of Joe Jackson. After the doctor, Joe Jackson should be considered an accessory to manslaughter at the very least.
It is my hope that Jackson's children will NOT be allowed to be cared for by Joe Jackson. Those children have been hurled into a media frenzy that will last for as long as they are alive. No child deserves that fate.
Challenge me on these points. Take your collective heads out of your exiting orifices and explain to me why Michael Jackson should be remembered as a monster.
There are lessons to be learned. Instead of faux 'conservative' pundits shooting off their mouths espousing half baked baseless opinions -- THINK! Your Lord commands that of you. Read the New Testament without picking and choosing the verse you want to use. It's eye opening.
24 - zingzing
judge not, etc.
remember that one?
25 - Silas Kain
Zing, I give a crap not. I'll judge because I KNOW what it is like to be a child thrust into adulthood. I KNOW what it's like to be repeatedly sexually abused as a kid. I KNOW what it's like to transition into adolescence with such self loathing and doubt that it caused me to make a lot of bad choices in my early life. And, I KNOW what it's like to come from a family where the patriarch / matriarch was more concerned about public imagery and hiding the "dirty family secrets". I know it all too well.
I am the fortunate one. When all is said and done, there were members of my family that propped me up, dusted me off and helped me deal with all those issues in a healthy way. Contrary to popular belief he who is abused as a child does not necessarily grow to become a pedophile. Personally, I believe the death penalty is appropriate in virtually all sexual molestation of children where the perpetrator has no history of abuse. In the case of a past history, they should be incarcerated for how ever long it takes to make them see the light, if ever.
Is has been the culmination of all those experiences that cause me to be so passionate about accountability. You see, had my own grandmother gone to the authorities in the summer of 1966 after she learned of my first abuse experience, another half dozen kids would not have been abused. And, let me tell you, the resume of those six children is horrific. Every day I think of all 6, and I mourn what would have been had my own grandmother done the right thing. If my caretaker worried less about public perception and more about her children, I would have accomplished so much more in the early years of my life. What happened to me has affected my religion, politics and overall attitude toward personal relationships.
Again, I am the lucky one. I'm healed and I'm on a mission to be sure that stuff like this never happens again.
Insofar as Michael Jackson is concerned, I see no indications of predatory behavior. I see an adult who was unable to relate as an adult. In many ways I honestly believe that he was a 12 year old boy trapped in a 50 year old body. He never quite got it and that badge of shame should be worn by Joe Jackson, period.