Sexual Deviancy the Norm
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother watching or reading the news. I start to become disillusioned about staying informed due to the kinds of sick behaviors that are so often reported on. How often to I have to hear about a rape investigation, or about a doctor taking advantage of his anesthetized patients, or a teacher using his or her position to solicit sex from their pupils? (And no, I don’t mean they’re literally soliciting sex from their own eyes, obviously.) Today this general feeling of mine came to a boiling point as I read the local news.
You begin to wonder when sexual deviancy became the norm. I think it began sometime shortly after the civil rights movement. My theory is that people had so much pent up energy from not oppressing others based on the color of their skin that they decided to channel it into a different medium: sex. Others would argue that the hippies of the 1960s were responsible for the ’sexual revolution,’ (including my history teacher) which nicely complements my theory. This revolution, while annoying and ridiculous, wasn’t impure in its practice. Yes, I’m aware that some religions align their moral compasses with an abstinent north, thereby restricting sex to an activity only married people shall be permitted to engage in, and would therefore qualify such a ‘revolution’ immoral, but I speak specifically of the morals widely accepted by most reasonable people. Most would agree that the act of rape is not only immoral, but despicable (not to mention illegal). Most others would agree that it is improper for an adult to have sexual relations with a child. Still others would agree that it’s unacceptable for a person to use their position in a workplace to solicit sex from their subordinates. So while premarital sex may be a divisive topic among individuals varying in their commitment to morality (uber-religious versus pseudo-religious versus non-religious), it is widely accepted that the aforementioned sexual indecencies are just that: indecent. So why does it seem like such sexual deviancy has become the norm?
Exposure
I speak of two types of exposure in this case. The first type I speak of is the exposure of such acts in the media. Why does it seem like this country is being overrun with sexual deviancy? Because that’s all they ever report on. News is so ratings driven nowadays that the focus is now on the bizarre, brutal, and therefore captivating news stories. A brutal rape/murder investigation generates far more viewers than a fluff piece on a local charity. Of course that doesn’t mean people hope for these types of things to happen, but they are exploited in the media, in any case. The reason it’s so damn effective at generating viewers is that it causes people to be up in arms about the sick injustices of the world. So the obsession with such acts is logical, but problematic. Because of the sheer amount of sexually driven news stories, we start to become desensitized, disillusioned, and subconsciously accepting of such behaviors. Sure, when I say we, I don’t mean everyone. We’re not all murderers and rapists. But this stuff seems to be getting a hold of more and more people. The news needs to offer a diverse range of stories so that we don’t get stuck in a sexually deviant rut.
The other type of exposure that is likely driving this type of behavior is of the pornographic nature. Pornography is far more widely available with the advent of the Internet, and is able to fill a far greater range of niches (any ‘that’s what she said’ jokes will be greeted with a grammatical brow-beating) than it once was able to. Now, there are two types of people who watch pornography. Those who take it at face value and think that it’s realistic, and those who realize it is not representative of real life and therefore do not take lessons from it. 9 out of 10 people are probably the latter. But there’s the 10% that belong to the former group that are the problem. I will quote the FBI psychiatrist from Law and Order: SVU portrayed by B.D. Wong: “We all have crazy thoughts, but the difference is that we don’t act on them.” The 10% who think that pornography is based in reality are the ones who are more likely to act on such crazy thoughts and the notion that such films are based entirely in reality. When pornography was limited in its exposure, that 10% was relatively small, but with the widespread availability of the stuff, that 10% now represents a far greater amount of people. It’s a simple math equation that gives us an understanding of why sexual deviancy is such an emergent issue presently.
The Offenders
Who are they? It’s usually hard to spot one until it’s too late. Usually they blend in well with their communities, have a good rapport with their colleagues, and do generally good things. Once this pattern of loyalty, morality, and trust is established, the offenders tend to take liberties that they otherwise would not have been afforded. Today I will speak of the three types of offenders that currently annoy me, although it must be said that these groups of people are not the only ones that I take issue with.
- Rapists
I think it’s pretty obvious that rapists are bad. They too are generally trusted and valued members of the community. And that’s why it’s so hard for people to finally come to grips with the facts and actually believe that their friend, family member, or neighbor could be capable of such an act. But I find that most people aren’t so well acquainted with such a violent type of criminal. The more likely type of rapist that most people will encounter is the statutory rapist. The kind of person who thinks it’s acceptable to have sexual relations with someone under the age of 18. Obviously there are certain urges that are common to all people, but again, it comes down to the use of one’s conscience. As a person in your 30s, you should have the ability to make a conscious decision not to become involved with someone in their teens. The same goes even for people in their mid-twenties who may be tempted by a person as many as 10 years younger than them. The point is, there is no good reason to give in to such bizarre temptations, and the ones that do give in are reckless, irresponsible, and deserve what’s coming to them. I can’t think of anything more fun than spending a year in prison and then living in a group home with other sex offenders. Just ask my 7th grade science teacher how that’s working out for him.
- Home-Clinic Advantage (The Deviant Doctors)
You’ll have to excuse the title, but it’s how I describe doctors who take advantage of their patients. It seems like the most common case you hear about is the dentist who molests his or her patients while they are anesthetized for various procedures involving the mouth. If someone you know has an irrational fear of the dentist, either they had a bad experience with pliers as a child, or they are being felt up by their friendly neighborhood dentist. I just think it’s despicable for doctors to violate people who are supposed to be able to trust them with their lives. It’s these people who I believe need to take a step back and re-evaluate why it is that they are alive on this planet. If they are unable or unwilling to do so, I think it’d be prudent for the court system to do it for them. Using a medical background to take advantage of people should be grounds for the death penalty. It’s exploiting a profession that is supposed to be just, good, and moral, and such abuses are far too widespread. Making the punishment worse than losing your medical license would go a long way to stop these perverts from continuing with their deviancy.
- Exploiters of Subordinates
These people usually qualify as statutory rapists as well. They are commonly found in schools as teachers, or in workplaces as higher-ups and such. I spoke earlier of my 7th grade science teacher. He was in his 30s and had sexual relations with a 17-year-old student. Using a position of power or even just a position in a workplace to pick up underage girls is absolutely sick. For the love of God, people are sending their kids to these institutions with the expectation that the staff is going to keep them safe and protected from danger (and no, using protection does not satisfy this expectation, you sick bastards). The man had his teaching license revoked, was fired from the school district, spent some time in jail, and is now living in a group home (last I checked anyway). Some people would argue that being 17 isn’t much different than being 18, but the law would disagree. It doesn’t matter if you think the law is wrong, if you break it, you’re going to be prosecuted. Have a little common sense and keep your pants on and you still might have a career. This morning I read a news story about a 33-year-old teacher who had sexual relations with an 18-year-old student. He was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, but the case was thrown out because the girl was of the age of legal consent. Here’s what I think. I think the law should be amended so that government employees are unable to have sexual relations with subordinates. I also think that the state should revoke the teaching licenses of people who have sexual relations with subordinates. I think that it’s reasonable for a parent to expect that their children will not be subject to sexual deviancy while they are completing their K-12 education. I don’t give half a shit if they’re 18. They’re your student, and they should not be having sex with you. You are the adult, you say no. Saying anything else is utterly responsible and frankly disgusting. Employers who come across this behavior have every right to fire such offenders. It doesn’t matter what the law is: if the policy is to forbid sexual acts among staff members and subordinates, then offenders should be fired. Wrongful termination suit? Bring it on, you sick, twisted person. I have a hard time believing that you’ll win.