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I think a class gets protected when it's powerful enough to have popular support to demand that. The examples of Nazis and peadophiles show that it's not really

I think a class gets protected when it's powerful enough to have popular support to demand that. The examples of Nazis and peadophiles show that it's not really a fundamental principal - Nazism is an ideology, much like a religion so shouldn't it get the same protection as religions? Peadophilia is a sexuality so shouldn't it be protected just like any other. Maybe it already is?

apatters 8y ago
Well maybe religions should receive the same protections as Nazism, which is to say, not many beyond those which are provided for free expression in general. Pedophilia is a special case versus other sexualities because pedophilic sex acts are criminal acts. Sure you can argue that all laws ultimately reflect common societal values which do change, but the justification for criminalizing pedophilia has some awfully deep roots -- namely in the idea that minors are incapable of certain types of consent, rendering pedophilia a form of assault.
- lopmotr 8y ago
  Back in the day, one of the reasons people didn't like gay men was because they might molest their children. Eventually people realized that not all gays are child molesters, and now that association is gone. But the same misjudgment still exists, only it's been concentrated on an even narrower minority - peadophiles. I would expect the vast majority have never molested a child because it's such a difficult, risky, and cruel thing to do. Your immediate association of attraction to children with abuse of children is common but also a bigoted stereotype. We hardly know anything about peadophiles because the only ones who are known are the criminals. Nobody else can admit to such a preference without being persecuted. I think these are people who are still in need of legal protection but they haven't managed to achieve something like a gay rights movement to persuade people to stop hating them.

apatters 8y ago

Well maybe religions should receive the same protections as Nazism, which is to say, not many beyond those which are provided for free expression in general. Pedophilia is a special case versus other sexualities because pedophilic sex acts are criminal acts. Sure you can argue that all laws ultimately reflect common societal values which do change, but the justification for criminalizing pedophilia has some awfully deep roots -- namely in the idea that minors are incapable of certain types of consent, rendering pedophilia a form of assault.

lopmotr 8y ago
Back in the day, one of the reasons people didn't like gay men was because they might molest their children. Eventually people realized that not all gays are child molesters, and now that association is gone. But the same misjudgment still exists, only it's been concentrated on an even narrower minority - peadophiles. I would expect the vast majority have never molested a child because it's such a difficult, risky, and cruel thing to do. Your immediate association of attraction to children with abuse of children is common but also a bigoted stereotype. We hardly know anything about peadophiles because the only ones who are known are the criminals. Nobody else can admit to such a preference without being persecuted. I think these are people who are still in need of legal protection but they haven't managed to achieve something like a gay rights movement to persuade people to stop hating them.