Empowering the Prey

Dateline did a special--To Catch a Predator--in which representatives from Perverted Justice, an organization dedicated eradicating sexual exploitation of children, pretended to be adolescents on the internet and invited grown men over for (presumably for sex after the men initiated explicit conversations). When the men arrived, the Dateline anchor greeted them with cameras and questions. The men caught on tape included a high school teacher, a rabbi, a special education teacher, a doctor, and many others one would expect to be trustworthy. The methods used and actual accomplishments of the piece, particularly in regard to the humiliation of the rabbi, garnered a great deal of media. People were upset that these men had their lives destroyed because of this television show.

Okay, people--wake the hell up! These men, including the rabbi (although that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the thought of the teachers) showed up at a house intending to have sex with a 12-14 yr old! Many of them (including the rabbi) even brought condoms! They don't deserve a bit of humiliation?

The point of the piece was not to humiliate these men. The point was to make you aware that they exist, and that they could be anyone.

Know your predators. Find out who lives near your home. Know those who interact with your children and loved ones. It's amazing to think that someone you pass everyday could be the guy who ruined little Sally's life last week. Go to Family Watchdog and know their faces.

It's not about humiliation of tragic men. It's about eradication of repulsive detrimental behavior.