People both overestimate our influence and underestimate our humanity. Bly is a former co-director of Virtuous Pedophiles. Blog posts reflect his personal views, and are not statements from the organisation.
NORMALISATION / NORMALIZATION
This is the big word of the "MAPs are on Twitter!" debate.
Normalisation *is* a thing (and a dangerous thing in the hands of the powerful).
But to assume online MAPs can 'normalise' pedophilia for everyone massively overestimates our power.
>
>
(1) People's fear that MAPs online might 'normalise' the notion that 'pedophilia is acceptable' is
(a) incoherent, as we're mainly pointing out that pedophilia itself (the attraction) is a condition, not a moral position.
(b) a 'slippery slope' argument that ignores that >
> people reading our tweets have their *own* moral judgement and their *own* ability to react to facts.
The idea that we will appear on twitter, tell our stories and then parents, professionals and the public will reverse their stance on child abuse like iron filings following >
> a magnet is just silly.
(2) When normalisation is used by people in power (such as authoritarians) its success is not just down to them saying a terrible idea out loud and everyone falling behind it.
Authoritarians normalise counterintuitive or morally dubious ideas by >
> putting some kind of threat - implicit or otherwise - behind not falling into line.
Like the threat of social exclusion, gossip, career-stalling or violence.
That's how they shut down critical thought and honest assessment of arguments.
Online MAPs don't have even a >
> fraction of that power. In fact we are on the opposite end of the scale, almost buried under a giant counterweight of prejudice and excoriation that overwhelms rational thought for most people.
Our presence on twitter, arguing for rationality, and understanding of what >
> minor attraction actually *is*, is not a threat to reason, nor is it a threat to children.
Even if we were trying to 'normalise pedophilia', we couldn't.
Pedophilia is something you either have or you don't. A surprising number of people do. The majority are very afraid >
> to talk about it.
But if you have it, whether you talk about it or not, online or offline, it's ALREADY part of your normality. It cannot be 'normalised'. It can only be better understood.
If you don't have it, it CAN'T be normalised for you. It's just something, like many >
> other things that humans do, you may never 'get', but which you may come to know exists.
Yes, people do move from a fearful disgust to greater and subtler understanding of MAPs, but this does not 'normalise' either pedophilia or child abuse.
It ACKNOWLEDGES them.
And it >
> acknowledges facts about them, facts that may help us one day be able to prevent abuse - prevention that cannot happen without facts.
I believe there is nothing to fear from increased knowledge, and that if someone is telling the truth about their experience, there is >
> nothing to fear from simply hearing it.
That's why I believe we need our voices here on social media.
And that, despite the hate, is why I still show up. |::
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