I cringe when I read about Epstein being a pedophile. I know better than to expect accuracy, much less precision, from the media. From the mainstream media, I fully expect them to call him that, as it allows them to sidestep a major SJW issue. From others, well, I’m sad to see them using the same sloppy meme.
Jeffrey Epstein was either a hebephile or a ephebophile, depending on which definition you go with. My own take is that he was an ephebophile, which is to say that he was focused on post-pubescent girls.
Why does it matter? Well, for one thing, it matters to the victims. Everyone jumping on the pedophile bandwagon is not helping those who are victims of either. Second, it obscures a number of problems going on today with sexual abuse — and various institutions.
Pedophiles are generally attracted to pre-pubescent children, and in general will go after either sex. There are, of course, a few who are gender specific, but most don’t care which gender is abused. For the victims, the abuse is a life sentence in that there are documented changes to the brain as a result of the abuse. There is also the long-disproven stigma that those abused become abusers themselves. In fact, only about ten percent of those abused will become sexual or other abusers, and there are several other things involved that have a far stronger impact on that happening than the sexual abuse. I would also point out that in addition to the documented changes in the brain, there is growing evidence that childhood abuse is related to significant inflammatory and health problems later in life.
Hebephiles and ephebophiles concentrate on those who are pubescent or post-pubescent. Statistically, they tend to be gender-specific unlike pedophiles. To some extent, such interest is normal and results in things like ‘wow, he turned into a handsome young man’ or ‘she is gorgeous/has bloomed/etc.’ thoughts or comments as we are wired to notice those who can now produce children. For most people, that is the extent of it.
However, those who are hebephiles or ephebophiles, it is not enough and there is a strong sexual attraction. While such was indeed common in the past, more so than many would like to consider, it is not accepted today. It is also a topic that the media wants to avoid like the plague as it ties into certain practices — particularly grooming.
While there is some coverage of heterosexual grooming, I suspect one reason a number of sex scandals in almost every church (hint, it’s not just the Catholic Church) and other institutions are getting scant coverage is that there are strong signs of organized and extensive homosexual grooming — and that is something the media will go far to avoid covering.
A while back, I contacted a pundit who was accusing a political candidate of being a pedophile. I pointed out that the person was not, that there was scant evidence that he was a hebephile or ephebophile, and that the pundits comments (which went beyond just accusation) were, in fact, harming victims. I was told that the pundit didn’t care, what mattered was winning, and that I and real victims could ‘fuck off.’
Of course, this is not the first time the media has ignored, distorted, or outright lied to push a meme. Want a good example? Let’s go to Vietnam, and a photo that changed the course of the war, another that continued that push.
Today, the media continues to advance the chosen narrative. The only difference is now that the mask has slipped. Anyone who cares about the truth can easily see the mask and where it has slipped. Here’s three photos that make the point.
A hat tip, writ large, to Instapundit, for links and for the photos. I also need to give a hat tip to Iowahawk for his line, which I cheerfully use on a regular basis.
Some food for thought this morning.
