Many of us know John Grisham for his amazing crime novels. However, last week he made a comment about how America is unjustly imprisoning too many people for viewing child pornography. Basically, he was defending adults who view and/or download child pornography. Grisham believes that viewing is not a crime, or as bad as, touching or molesting children. If you LOOK but don't TOUCH you should not be punished.You're joking, right?
Now maybe "viewers only" shouldn't be punished as harshly as those who are actually pedophiles (touching children as Grisham put it) - but the fact is this: viewing child pornography is a crime. Children cannot consent to any kind of sexual act, be it photographs or sexual acts. Children are not of legal age - including the 16 year old girls on the porn site he referred to in his interview (it doesn't matter if they look 30 or that they weren't 10 year old boys - because that would be the same thing). It is simply against the law to view child pornography.
The definition of a pedophile is "a person who has a sexual interest in children." It doesn't matter if you get drunk or are just bored or whatever your "excuse" may be. If you happen to come across a child porn site and enter that site you are committing a crime. It is even worse if you download those images, because you are more capable of printing and distributing those images. IT IS A CRIME. Oh, and it is a crime if you are white, black, Asian, Mexican - whatever! Just because you are a 60 year old white man you think you should be exempt from punishment?
I was a huge fan of John Grisham. He writes excellent books. But I cannot dismiss the fact that he said what he said. Just because you are a multi-milliondollar, lawyer, author, and 60 year old white man does not make you "holier than thou" in a sense. A crime is a crime.Needless to say, I don't think I will be reading another book from him..
What are your thoughts? On this clip and this argument in general. A clip from his interview is below; listen for yourself.
I read an article about child pornography and that the cops can actually track down when certain "children" sites are accessed and the location associated with it. Grisham's comments make me sick, it's really too bad he has that viewpoint....I love his books! :(
ReplyDeleteI know! once you hit the "download" button, you are committing a CRIME. It's pretty simple if you ask me.
DeleteThanks for the insight. I totally agree with you. Coming from a woman who has an ex husband in prison for child molestation, I know that looking can lead to action, and I am so grateful that even viewing child pornography is a punishable crime.
ReplyDeleteI hope this was insightful to you and all readers, and not demeaning of your ex in any way. Viewing child porn is a serious crime, and looking does lead to action. I think we live in a society with the attitude of "It won't affect me, I'm stronger than that!" But viewing leads to action, and those actions can and do have serious consequences. Thank you for sharing; your insight is enlightening on this subject.
DeleteWow, that is so sad. His understand is so skewed. I learned yesterday in my Infant development class that we have "mirror neurons" in our brains. Simply put, these neurons "mirror" other people..... in other words, we have the same neurological reactions in our brain when we actually do something and when we watch someone else do it. That is why Porn is so addicting. That is why the Savior taught, "Whoso looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery in his heart."
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty simple - what we see affects our actions and how we view the world. Viewing child porn is a crime.
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