The Watcher and the Watched

[supergee]

The latest kerfuffle is mega-seller John Grisham* getting indignant because a friend of his was arrested for trying to sign up for a porn site that promised "16-year-old hookers." As many people pointed out, looking at child or teen porn (or for that matter at stolen nude pix) is aiding in the commission of a crime, which is a good argument against doing it.

But I have to wonder how much good is done by dangling temptation and entrapping those who fall for it. I suppose that in theory if we could arrest everyone who wanted to look at the stuff, no one would make it, but that seems awfully indirect.
* Grisham's Law states that lawyer novels drive everything else off the bestseller list.

Comments

[johnpalmer]

Herm. I would assume a site promising "16-year-old hookers" was showing young-looking 18-year-olds. I'd be a bit more sympathetic if they were showing children.

[supergee]

That would be my guess, too.

[marahmarie]

This post sounds a bit "off" to me, somehow.

"But I have to wonder how much good is done by dangling temptation and entrapping those who fall for it."

Who was actually "dangling temptation"? Was this a sting (set-up in advance) of some sort? If so, then yes, I could see your point. Posing as a friend that's pointing him to the website because of course all men want to look is indeed not just unfair but actual peer pressure, making the question into, "We all do this, right, so why don't you?". And if that's the case, then that's just an awful thing to do to another human being.

I suppose that in theory if we could arrest everyone who wanted to look at the stuff, no one would make it*

*and all men over the age of 18 would be sitting in jail

I dread the day the mind-reading technology is not only complete but actually operating, with or without consent, within every human's brain.

No one's going to survive it.

[supergee]

It was definitely a sting, which is the current euphemism for entrapment.

[marahmarie]

Yeah, but I looked it up and it was a sting website, not a case of anyone the guy knew personally pushing him to go look at a sting website, so...I mean, he apparently wanted to see underage material and it's not like anyone twisted his arm to go to that site in particular, just his own bad luck. The same as if the dope dealer someone always hits up on the corner starts working for the government and that same someone just happens to be the first sale the guy makes after that. I'm not sure where my sympathy for people in either scenario is supposed to come in, just sayin'.

*shrug*

[legionseagle]

Apparently they included images of children under twelve having intercourse.

[supergee]

It sounds as though Grisham got the story wrong, and the stuff was worse and the perp more involved.

[legionseagle]

He appears to have written a letter of support when the perp applied to get his practising certificate back; might have been as well to have checked then.