To be technically correct, as far as I understand it Epstein was not and did not cater to pedophiles (prepubescent). They catered to Ephebophiles (14-19) and Hebephiles (pubescent, or 11-14).
Men who were adults in the seventies and eighties (boomers for sure) had a strange fascination with teen girls. It’s all over film and music of the era. I’m Gen-X and I found it as gross then as I do today. I never got how the culture at large didn’t have a huge problem with it.
I understand not every predatory sexual behavior towards young people is pedophilic, because young people vary in age and maturity.
However, this is such a strange and uncalled “technically correct” reply, why would we care enough to differentiate between hebephile or whatever it is called and pedophile. Nobody cares, it’s still predatory and gross behavior no matter the name.
I think it matters in terms of psychological health. Internally thinking that an older teenager is attractive is a pretty normal thing that might happen to an allosexual human, whereas the same attraction for a younger teen or child is clear “get in therapy now before something bad happens” territory.
Please note that I have specified internal thoughts and not making gross conversation about how hot young people are and/or approaching them with sexual intentions.
But I agree that this is really not the context to bring up the difference.
It has been my experience that those who go out of their way to illustrate this distinction are doing so defensively because they, themselves, don’t want to be “falsely labeled” as a pedophile.
Yet, either way, you’re a kiddie-fucker. No amount of “eeh, technically…” will ever change that.
Richard Stallman, is that you?
