If you’re not already following the exploits of perverted-justice.com, the vigilante anti-sex-predator group behind Dateline’s popular “To Catch A Predator” series, now might be a good time to familiarize yourself. Conviction #176, Frank Sierras, offers a detailed lesson in the art of “grooming,” which is the sexual predator’s preferred method of working his underage victims. By understanding how their minds work and the psychological tools they employee, you can better fortify your children’s defenses against these predatory, soulless assholes. Teach your child to recognize the baseless flattery (in the words of Ani Difranco, “for every hand extended, another lies in wait, keep your eye on that one, anticipate”) and divisive, undermining language they use to make their victims feel unloved at home. And let his chats serve as a wake-up call. People, this isn’t the 1970s. It’s no longer acceptable to be so wrapped up in your own life that your kids have to find and make their own way. They need your involvement. Children are like teeth - ignore them, and they’ll go away.
I’ve been following the work of Perverted Justice since long before their involvement with Dateline and law enforcement. Back then, they would post chat logs of predators, including home and work contact info, often leading to harassment, destruction of marriages, and loss of employment. To this day, I’m still a bit on the fence as to whether this, or even the legal approach (arrest) are appropriate approaches to the problem. It’s hard to believe that good things come from destroying a person’s life. I’d much prefer an approach that actually attempts to understand and correct whatever it is that makes someone a sexual predator. I understand society’s desire to label them as sex offenders and restrict their access to fresh victims, but as the Sex Offender population continues to grow, I wonder whether this is truly a deterrent. Could the numbers grow someday to the extent that they become a separate class of citizen and begin to demand their own set of rights? What if we start categorizing pedophilia as a lifestyle choice which must be respected? I’m not advocating that at all, but can you see the scalability of the current approach? I can’t.
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