Posting phptos of your naked children

[Hector Valdez]

I've always wondered about child pornography/child sexuality. For example, sexuality in children was a normal part of society, would children think of themselves as being victims? And if the children didn't think of themselves as victims, and the society didn't, would they still be victims? Of course, I say this because as a child I had a bit of a sexual encounter with a priest, but looking back on the event I can't recall ever thinking about it in a negative light. To this day I am interested in the psychology behind such events, and I always find myself thinking about the effect of my surrounding culture growing up on my perception of the encounter. For example, if the priest and I had been in upstate new york, the reaction of the people might have been very different. Would that have affected me?

I honestly don't know.

[Amicale]

I've always wondered about child pornography/child sexuality. For example, sexuality in children was a normal part of society, would children think of themselves as being victims? And if the children didn't think of themselves as victims, and the society didn't, would they still be victims? Of course, I say this because as a child I had a bit of a sexual encounter with a priest, but looking back on the event I can't recall ever thinking about it in a negative light. To this day I am interested in the psychology behind such events, and I always find myself thinking about the effect of my surrounding culture growing up on my perception of the encounter. For example, if the priest and I had been in upstate new york, the reaction of the people might have been very different. Would that have affected me?

I honestly don't know.

It's a question of consent, full cognizance of one's actions, and power dynamics (ie, between an adult and a child). Sexual play among children (ie, two kids playing 'doctor') is going to be looked at way, way differently than sexuality between an adult and a child, and rightly so. Often, children who are abused DON'T think of themselves as victims while it's happening, because the adult in question convinces them that it's OK, or 'normal' or 'a little secret', or 'no big deal', and so they learn from their abusers not to see themselves as victims. And only a generation or two ago, children who went home and said 'mom and dad, so and so hurt me', most often they wouldn't be believed, and would be accused of making it up -- in some cases, kids' parents or police officers refused to believe they were abused, and therefore refused to see them as victims either.

If someone is sexually assaulted against their consent, when they are not fully mentally/emotionally/physically mature enough to comprehend their actions, and when there's an imbalance of power between parties (adult/child, caregiver/cared for, student/teacher), then whether or not it's recognized that the person taken advantage of is a victim, they most certainly are.

Renege, I'm really sorry to hear that you were taken advantage of, as a child. Shame on the person who violated your trust.

[DeterminedJuliet]

I think there is something of a gray area, but it's hard to examine scientifically, or even talk about anecdotally, because it's so taboo. I do think that sexuality is part of the human experience, even from an early age. Obviously, how an adult experiences sexuality is far different from how a child experiences it, but, like Amicale said, it's impossible to ignore the power dynamic that comes into play when you have an adult/child sexual relationship. Adults simply has more tools at their disposal to manipulate and control the children they're involved with. Whether that manipulation leaves the child feeling damaged down the road can be hard to determine, I'd think. I don't think it's something worth gambling with, personally.  

[Hector Valdez]

Hmm...this is really interesting. The idea of an unequal power struggle never occured to me. Huh.

[Sandra Craft]

Hmm...this is really interesting. The idea of an unequal power struggle never occured to me. Huh.

Not so much an unequal power struggle but an unequal balance of power which automatically puts the child, even if a willing participant, at a disadvantage that they're not in a position to deal with the way an adult could.  That makes any sexual exchange between a child and an adult unfair at the very least and damaging at the worst.

[Tank]

Hmm...this is really interesting. The idea of an unequal power struggle never occured to me. Huh.

Not so much an unequal power struggle but an unequal balance of power which automatically puts the child, even if a willing participant, at a disadvantage that they're not in a position to deal with the way an adult could.  That makes any sexual exchange between a child and an adult unfair at the very least and damaging at the worst.

Agreed. The bottom line is that sex between an adult and a child can never be truly consensual in the way it should be between adults.

[Firebird]

There's also a large body of evidence showing how harmful such an experience is for the child psychologically, such as an increased tendency for drug abuse, depression, suicide, etc. It's not just perception of the child being a victim, they have been shown to be victims based on the way they struggle later in life. Their bodies are taken advantage of and they don't have the maturity to say no to that exploitation, which causes them to feel shame.
It really blows my mind to discover how many people get off on child pornography. How can so many people not be naturally revolted by the idea of looking at that or abusing a child in that way? Just seems so bizarre to me.

[Sweetdeath]

Hmm...this is really interesting. The idea of an unequal power struggle never occured to me. Huh.

Not so much an unequal power struggle but an unequal balance of power which automatically puts the child, even if a willing participant, at a disadvantage that they're not in a position to deal with the way an adult could.  That makes any sexual exchange between a child and an adult unfair at the very least and damaging at the worst.

Agreed. The bottom line is that sex between an adult and a child can never be truly consensual in the way it should be between adults.

Yeah
Mentally someone under the age of 16 or so just isnt developed mentally to understand the actions of  sexual encounters.

[En_Route]

Hmm...this is really interesting. The idea of an unequal power struggle never occured to me. Huh.

Not so much an unequal power struggle but an unequal balance of power which automatically puts the child, even if a willing participant, at a disadvantage that they're not in a position to deal with the way an adult could.  That makes any sexual exchange between a child and an adult unfair at the very least and damaging at the worst.

Agreed. The bottom line is that sex between an adult and a child can never be truly consensual in the way it should be between adults.

I agree with the sentiment, but regret the choice of the phrase "bottom line".

[Sandra Craft]

It really blows my mind to discover how many people get off on child pornography. How can so many people not be naturally revolted by the idea of looking at that or abusing a child in that way? Just seems so bizarre to me.

And then there's the practical consideration of actually finding anything about a child sexually attractive.  Even teenagers usually aren't alluring. 

[OldGit]

Even teenagers usually aren't alluring.

Boys may be unattractive to older women, but believe me, it's a different story with men and teenage girls!

[Ali]

Even teenagers usually aren't alluring.

Boys may be unattractive to older women, but believe me, it's a different story with men and teenage girls!

Why though?  I don't think I'll ever understand why men find girls attractive, as compared to women.  Maybe it's just my own vanity speaking, but when I think about myself in my late teens/early 20's vs me now, in my thirties, I think there's no comparison.  Sure, I may have been a little skinnier when I was a teen, but my experience tells me that having a "perfect" body is completely unnecessary in arousing interest.  As an adult woman, I still have the best parts of me when I younger (my intelligence, my sense of humor) but I also have a confidence and awareness of my own sexuality that was lacking when I was young.  I honestly do not understand what a man would want with a girl if he could have a woman.

[Buddy]

Maybe a girl is easier to get than a woman. It is the norm nowadays to lose one's virginity in their late teens, so a teenager would probably be pressured to have sex with someone so they are not seen as different. This would make it easy for the older men to find girls to have sex with. I mean, old horndog has sex, young girl no longer has to worry about losing her virginity. Everybody's happy, right?

Not that I agree with this, I am just trying to get a picture of why they do what they do.

[Ali]

That probably holds some weight, Buddy.  I just read an article about a study that shows men are attracted to women that seem more vulnerable to being taken advantage of, sexually.  If you define "attracted to" as "wanting to have a one night stand with."    Men!

[En_Route]

That probably holds some weight, Buddy.  I just read an article about a study that shows men are attracted to women that seem more vulnerable to being taken advantage of, sexually.  If you define "attracted to" as "wanting to have a one night stand with."    Men!

From my dim recollections of such matters, it usually requires two people (at least) to participate in a one- night stand.