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I first started communicating with other pedophiles online in a major way when Virtuous Pedophiles went online in June of 2012. This series of "Surprise" posts is of a few key things I've learned since then that I did not know before:It's really, really hard for a lot of pedophiles to refrain from looking at CP. Many feel very guilty about it. But when you have a sexual attraction you can never express directly, and you know that you aren't actually, directly harming anyone from viewing, it's hard to avoid looking at all times. When feeling desperate or depressed it is especially difficult, especially as the CP is available 24 hours a day in the privacy of your own bedroom with a few clicks of a mouse. Based on a study finding that only 35% of men think looking at adult porn is morally OK, and a guess that 75% of men do look at porn, it implies that at least <40% of ordinary men view adult porn though they think it is immoral to do so> (See my post "Porn: Desire overcomes morality for 40% of men"). They suffer no legal consequences for that moral failing, but pedophiles in the same position face stiff criminal penalties.
I've always felt that CP viewing should not be a criminal offense based on civil liberties considerations alone. I have come to feel it's also just a victimless crime that is tempting to an awful lot of good people. Some of what is portrayed is morally horrible, but so are videos of people being beheaded or tortured. You would never go to prison for just having those videos.
Restrictions should remain in place on those who produce and actively distribute CP as we classically think of it. But this should not include virtual CP, cartoons, drawings, teen selfies, or child modeling pictures in suggestive poses.
I'm fortunate for avoiding the CP temptation in that I am non-exclusive and had passionate relationships with young adult women, CP was not at all easy to get when I was young and impulsive, and I have excellent self-control.
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