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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that peadophilia is not something to joke about?????

42 replies

Mamazon · 28/08/2008 12:32

here

I thought maybe i was just old and over sensitive but the more i think about it the more angry im getting

OP posts:
Original poster
Mamazon · 28/08/2008 12:44

ok. well maybe it is just me then.

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almostblue · 28/08/2008 12:48

Or maybe quite a few people have chosen not to click on a link that they have been told contains jokes about paedophilia (certainly not until they're out of the office, anyway)?

I have no idea what's behind the link. But if it's offensive, why on earth raise the site's traffic?

slavemum · 28/08/2008 12:48

that's totally sick

AvenaLife · 28/08/2008 12:48

Have you thought of reporting this to www.ceop.gov.uk

I didn't watch all of it, I don't have the stomach for it. It's sick.

ThatBigGermanPrison · 28/08/2008 12:51

I think paedophobia is something to joke about - I thought this sketch highlighted quite well how the media have overblown the threat of paedophilia until a casual observer would have us believe that it is a global pandemic.

It's tasteless and it's not very funny, it doesn't make me angry though

Original poster
Mamazon · 28/08/2008 12:51

It is basicly a networking site similar to Facebook/bebo/myspace etc.

but for some reason they refer to "peedo's" a lot. there is a link to people's profile entitled "find babies"

it is just totally sick.

it is nothing to do with peadophilia but it is making light of it in a totally offenisve way.

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CrushWithEyeliner · 28/08/2008 12:51

i couldn't sit trhough that it was hideous

sadandscared · 28/08/2008 12:52

sick.

ThatBigGermanPrison · 28/08/2008 12:53

How is it sick? In the same way South Park is sick - by saying things we don't really wish to hear?

VinegarTits · 28/08/2008 12:53

eugh why are you browsing on that hideous site, its full of weirdos anyway

Original poster
Mamazon · 28/08/2008 12:55

once you get to the actual site in question (faceparty) the actual pages themselves are all referring to "peedo's" as well.

the sketch is terrible but the way it is normalising and even belittleing the efforts to try and curb online peadophiles is just wrong.

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ThatBigGermanPrison · 28/08/2008 12:55

Sorry, I've seen sick, and a thoughtless sketch thought up by some callous and altogether Not Very Bright people isn't sick. It's stupid, yes, but I don't think it's sick. Actual paedophilia is sick, the Holocaust (yes, I know, I just lost by default) is sick, stupidity isn't sick, it's just stupid.

wonderstuff · 28/08/2008 13:05

Just not at all funny really. Didn't make me angry, bit bored. There are some funny jokes about paeodphiles though.

Saturn74 · 28/08/2008 13:07

I think they aspire to be Chris Morris, and this is an attempt to make a Brass Eye-style statement.
They don't really come close though.

VictorianSqualor · 28/08/2008 13:09

It's certainly not sick.
But then FP has rooms called things like 'oldermanforyoungergirls' and 'incest', so it's not exactly the best site.

hollyandnoah · 28/08/2008 13:10

:| i didnt even think FP was still around.. i made a profile on there yearrrrs ago! Wonder if it's still on there. Didnt talk about peedos back then as far as i remember!

minorityrules · 28/08/2008 13:10

A few months ago, the site in question removed members over 35, they say it was to do with government wanting them to pass on everyones email to help crackdown on paedophiles. They weren't willing to do that so they dumped the over 35's (as they said this is the age group most likely to offend )

This new stuff I think is in reference to that

They are also trying so very hard to be down with the 'yoof', trying way too hard!

It used to be a good chat site, now it is just pathetic

tiredemma · 28/08/2008 13:14

They appear more stupid than anything else.

nobbers

pagwatch · 28/08/2008 13:17

it is a stupid unfunny sketch on what sounds like an unpleasant site.
I am not upset or outraged. It is just a really pathetic attempt to be outrageous which failed.

silvercrown · 28/08/2008 13:20

The problem is that we keep saying oh the media has blown it all out of proportion but they can only report on things that are happening around us. The fact there are so many child porn sites and that people are being constantly caught by the FBI and other such organisations around the world on a daily basis means that it is a HUGE problem. I know that we as mothers perhaps start to worry that everyone who takes an interest in our child (particularly men) might be paedophiles but I just go along with the better to be safe than sorry route. It doesn't hurt to be careful who you leave your children with but obviously some people take things too far so a man seen sitting in a park alone is considered to be a paedophile and perhaps even abused in public because of it. However I still feel that there are too many people like ThatBigGermanPrison who simply believe that it really isn't a problem. The internet has fed many sick minds and allowed more and more access to such sick sites so that they can meet like minded people and share files on child abuse. There are literally millions of child abusers out there and we can't forget that - the fact that there are millions of people who are not child abusers also can't be forgotton but to claim it is blown out of proportion is just insulting to the victims. Remember when the FBI sent details of the peadophiles over to this country a few years ago the list included many people in positions of power - even a policeman working on the Soham murders and also my driving instructor so you're coming into contact with many people every day that enjoy these sites whether you realise it or not. The thing that people always come out with afterwards is "he seemed like such a nice man too - you would never have thought it" because they rarely go about publicly leering at children with a big neon sign above their heads.

mayorquimby · 28/08/2008 13:25

i don't think there's anything wrong with making jokes about paedophilia in general.
that is of course different from laughing about actual paedophilia, in the same way jokes about illness/death in general can be funny, but you wouldn't exactly make light of an individuals death to their family.

i don't find that particular sketch funny, but i have heard funny paedophilia jokes and i still think paedogeddon by brass eye was an outstanding piece of satire and the funniest episode of the series.

then again everyone has different thresholds and sensitivities about certain subjects. personally i think either everything is ok to joke about or nothing is.

mamadiva · 28/08/2008 13:35

Did I miss the offensive part of the link?

What's the big deal it was just proving what we already know.. that in todays society we suspect everyone who comes near us is a peado. Which isn't true!

Anyway I do find certain jokes about peadophilia funny but only as a generalisation not a specific event or person IYKWIM.

wonderstuff · 28/08/2008 13:42

silvercrown you are right that there are many many sick minds in our community, but the reality is that it is very, very rare for a child to be abused by a stranger, when it happens it gets massive media attention and due to this people really worry about there dc's safety. The reality is that most child abuse happens within families, pedophiles don't often go out and attack strangers, they attack thier children, stepchildren, nieces and nephews. We should (and do) vet people who seek to work with children, but really shouldn't be worried about the bloke on the park bench iyswim

angelnyx · 28/08/2008 13:47

I can see how it must appear to the casual viewer but I believe it's been taken out of context here. They're not joking about paedophilia, they're trying to make a statement.

Faceparty has always been a site designed for over 16s but earlier this year laws were changed and they had to check all their older members email addresses against the sexual offenders list. Because they didn't validate peoples email addresses when they signed up they were unable to comply with this new law. As a result in order to comply with the new laws they deleted all accounts belonging to people over the age of 35.

The video is part of something Faceparty is calling "Paedophile Week" and is aimed at like minded individuals who are unhappy that the government seems to think that anyone over the age of 35 might be a paedophile. As a company they were unhappy that they had to delete over 7 million accounts leaving just 200,000 members "just in case" when the site was designed for those over the age of consent.

This was reported rather badly in the media and Faceparty ended up with a reputation of being full of paedophiles. As a company they have done a lot to make sure their members are safe yet they're still branded as monsters, so paedophile week is them hitting out at being labelled in such a way. An "if you can't beat them, join them" type statement.

Original poster
Mamazon · 28/08/2008 21:52

HMM thank you for teh explanation Angelnyx.

It still doesn't sit too well with me but at least that does go some way to explain it.

Sadly i didn't find the Peaageddon sketch funny either. i think because i have worked within this area maybe i am too involved.

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