Okay but if I'm not talking about killing pedophiles, how will I virtue signal to the rest of my Klan?

And if we're actually stopping pedophilia, then why the hell did I bother having twenty kids?

-every american

Been saying this for a long time. Nobody chooses who or what they are attracted to, but they don't ever stop to think about the fact that these people aren't choosing to be into children.

I can agree to the major stake on your claim about mental illness. And I'm sure that definitely exists and is a factor for a number of people...

However, you're dismissing two other major categories and groups of people: power and taboo.

Its been studied and reported that many rapes/sexual assault happen, not solely for sexual attraction/gratification but to dominate. To have power over another. Not a mental illness or attraction, just a want to exert power.

Another group would be those into the taboo. The exotic chaser types. The thrill is in doing something forbidden.

And when those two groups collide with someone who has a lot of money and live consequence free, you end up with Epstein. Rich people who want to do something forbidden, to exert sadistic power over others. Its not a mental illness, its not an attraction. Its because they can.

Yeah I had a conversation with a redditor where they were all like "You don't understand what it's like to actually live near them" and it just made me feel like I was talking to Uncle Cletus about Dominicans or some shit. It's all the same mind virus everywhere.

Two groups of people I can’t stand: people who judge someone purely for where they’re from, and the Dutch.

the I'm not racist but...

A problem with those discussions is a lack of nuance and knowledge.

You'll get Americans, who'd hear some western Europeans complain about 'gypsies', assume they're racist against the Roma, not realising they're often talking about Irish travellers who aren't Roma at all. Not sure if the latter is racism, in the strictest sense. Invariably still bigotry though.

You'll get Eastern Europeans complaining about Roma like they're all the criminals, who are entirely oblivious to the fact that they themselves interact with Roma on regular basis without any issue. If you spend a bit of time in Eastern Europe, you'll soon realise that a lot of Roma pass as non-Roma. They often aren't considered Roma or don't openly call themselves Roma, so much so that some will even vote for a virulent racist like Orban.

Then there's the Western Europeans, who may have had bad experiences with a Roma gang (which unfortunately is a thing), who become incredibly defensive when you point out they shouldn't stereotype all Roma and end up pretending anti-Romani racism isn't a huge problem. Anti-Romani racism like when a member of Orban's Fidesz party comes out with statements calling Roma animals and describing them as a problem that needs to be solved by any means (I'm quoting almost literally).

In my experience, European racism and bigotry really is far more complex, due to the lack of a melting pot, especially outside larger cities. Far more intersectionality and added classism, nationalism, regionalism, etc. Sometimes people will hate you if you're from the wrong side of the river, and I'm only half joking.

I'm so tired of it, that once my parents die, I'll be moving to a large cosmopolitan city. Things are better there. Suppose that's not so different in the US.

Sorry for the long comment.

Yeah, that always blew my mind. I guess it because Americans dont care to educate themselves on European culture, so Europeans just kinda have free reign to be racist and generally not be judged online as long as the Americans don't know ehat they're talking about. Thats just my guess though, im a stupid american who doesnt know european culture lol

A lot of gringos get stuck on the terrorism thing too :/

There is a tragically high recidivism rate for sexual predators, which is probably the best argument for long sentences: there aren't many opportunities to abuse children in prison.

Though the American rehabilitation system is pretty weak in general, other nations have had much better results. Norway has a sex crime recidivism rate below 10% (vs 67% in the US).

Punishment as deterrence has some validity too. But past a certain point, amping up the punishment isn't going deter any more people, and could interfere with rehabilitation. Most US sentences are well beyond that point though. Restorative justice is also important, but shouldn't put the perpetrator in anything like an indentured servitude situation where they'd be unable to support themselves.

I always feel like they are hurrying to get me to sign when I start actually reading everything it says. It's such emotional manipulation to get you to sign for something like the pedophiles should serve 80% of the sentence, but you read it and there is so much more about redefining what crimes are considered pedophilia.

Like, these are not simple 1 sentence things. Politics is not the simple solutions that people like to taut and quick and easy. Things need to be thought through thoroughly, written clearly, and extremely well defined.

I feel like the people who respond to "common sense solutions" are so unfathomably dumb not to realize that if it were so simple or easy it would have been done already. Or that it actually already exists and they just don't know about it.

No but see I dont consider prisoners human so its fine.

That would include like half my family and most of my co-workers. Chill a bit.

Trump doesn't need any special punishment; he needs the prescribed punishment for the treason of which he is guilty.