The moral pedophile (a hypothetical)

[Elok]

Suppose you meet a pedophile. Not one who molests children, or who ever has, nor intends to--he understands that his urges are immoral, and does his best to keep them in check. He works as an electrical engineer, or some other job that minimizes his contact with kids, and otherwise tries to keep his monster at bay. He only tells you that he feels the urges in the first place because he lives near you and wants you to avoid putting him or any children at risk.

My question is simple: do you think you could treat this man like a human being? I.e., could you find it in yourself to respect him and treat him as just one of the guys, who has a problem he's doing his best to deal with? Or would you be too repulsed by the knowledge that he feels a strong desire to harm kids, and ostracize him to some extent, consciously or not?

EDIT: Dammit, there was supposed to be a poll--I checked the box, but it didn't give me the option to make one. The questions were going to be just "yes," "no," "I'm not sure," and just plain "banana," because the obvious banana options would be too tasteless for a classy thread like this. Is any mod feeling generous?

[Aeson]

I wouldn't view him as a human being as he'd obviously be superior to most of us (who do lots of dumb or harmful **** just because we get urges) ...

[Barnabas]

I imagine the number of pedophiles who keep it private and at most, just jerk, is larger than the number of pedophiles who commit actual crimes (by just jerk I obviously mean not to pedophile porn).

Wsn't there a case in Australia of a creep who was taking pics of naked kids in the beach, someone called a guard, they found his camera full of pics he had taken of naked kids, but finally could do nothing about it because he had commited no crime? he just took pics in a public setting and never abused anyone.

[Lorizael]

I know someone like this. I respect this individual a great deal. I also think this individual has unintentionally exaggerated the extent of said pedophillic urges.

[Hauldren Collider]

I would consider him to be mentally ill.

[Snotty]

Its probably worth trying to beat the pedophile out of him. You never know, it might work

[loinburger]

I'd be creeped out, but would make an effort to treat the guy normally despite him being creepy.

I would consider him to be mentally ill.

Similarly, if somebody said "I'm a schizophrenic and sometimes I hear voices telling me to felch goats, but no worries, I know that they're just auditory hallucinations and I'd never felch a goat," then I'd be creeped out, but would make an effort to treat the guy normally despite him being creepy.

You can't (rather, you shouldn't) condemn somebody for something they can't control (even if that something is a desire to have sex with children or an auditory hallucination telling them to felch goats), but at the same time I can't control being a bit creeped out.

[Aeson]

I consider Loin mentally ill because he can't control being creeped out, but since he's going to treat the creepy people nice even though he's creeped out by them I won't be creeped out by Loin.

[Kidlicious]

OP: I could.

[Dr Strangelove]

Why are there naked kids running around on Australian beaches?

[onodera]

Yes, I would treat him as a human being. He's better than most gays.

[Az]

oooooh boy, there we go

[Elok]

I know someone like this. I respect this individual a great deal. I also think this individual has unintentionally exaggerated the extent of said pedophillic urges.

Really? I asked because pedophiles have pretty much replaced Nazis as our epitome of evil, and I was wondering if it's possible for such a man to survive in society. Does everyone know about this man, or does he keep it on the DL except among very close friends?

[kentonio]

I imagine he doesn't put it on his resume.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

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