Comments on: Going Too Far

By: tyouth

tyouth — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:27:11 +0000

I had a disturbing experience a year or so ago. At a condo where I was staying, a group of 4 gay guys have a unit that they share (I had enjoyed talking, occasionally, with one of these men who was a full-time resident over a two week period). One of his co-owners, a week-end resident, showed up and was introduced to me outside. When my nephew, a good looking blond kid of 11 walked up this guy leered and acted as if he would like to eat him. Who knows what was in his mind but he was digusting and I was disgusted and amazed. So, I don’t know how I feel about the law, but I know how I feel about this particular perv.

By: Slugger

Slugger — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:58:46 +0000

I agree with your concerns, and yet…
A couple of years ago, I was riding my bike on the east side of Portland when I stumbled onto a skateboard park ( featured in the movie Paranoid Park ) full of teenager doing amazing things on their boards. I watched them for a while and then noticed another man watching them. He was well dressed, standing next to a nice BMW with the doors open and hip-hop music blaring out. Something about his demeanor made me uncomfortable. I wound up ride my bike over to him and made a big show of staring at the plates on his car as if I were memorizing them. Then I rode off.
Not saying there should be a law, but some awareness of potential problems could be beneficial.

By: Sevesteen

Sevesteen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:13:43 +0000

The article that Dr Helen cited was poorly written–According to other sources (linked from her comments), there’s more to “Visual sexual aggression” than just looking. There have to be bare genitals, nipples or buttocks involved–Either an adult showing his/hers to a child, or looking at a child’s. The guy hanging around the bathroom was actually following boys into the bathroom to watch them, and the “loophole” was that the bathroom was public, not that he was looking at clothed children.

By: Shannon Love

Shannon Love — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:47:05 +0000

As a side note, notice that the law is predicated on the idea that the agents of the state will be able to determine if someone is looking “aggressively” at someone else in such a way that they can prove it court. It shows a staggering trust in the criminal justice system.

I think this is another instance of “recreating victoria” i.e. the attempt to recreate in formal law what was once enforced by informal culture. In the old days, if a cop saw someone looking at kids funny, they’d haul them in on some other pretext and rattle their cage or somebody in the community would have “word” with them in a back alley. The system probably worked pretty well because it relied on raw unprovable intution. In any case the case of error the worst an innocent person might get would be some bruises and not a life long sentence to a sexual offenders list.

Now days, we have to a law on paper but to have any hope of enforcement they have to have some sort real sanctions against the convicted. This law basically saws that if a cop doesn’t like the way you look at somebody, you life is ruined.

By: JoseAngel de Monterrey

JoseAngel de Monterrey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:32:47 +0000

I love watching my nephews and nieces play, I love hanging around with them and buying them ice cream or take them out to the movies. I love watching children everywhere they are, I simply believe children are, by nature, a beautiful thing to see and enjoy seeing, just like puppies and kitties and calves are a delight to see. Surely there are people who watch children perversely, surely there are perverted people, but who can tell the difference between one way of looking at them and another?

I think this law is non sense.

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:04:22 +0000

You’re just figuring out there is a war against men? Where ya been?