http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-extein-msw/fear-the-bogeyman-sex-off_b_4161136.html
"It can be said that sex offenders are the new bogeymen, mythical monsters
invented to scare children into social order. People convicted of sex offenses,
and subsequently placed on the public registry, are transformed into a concept
of evil, which is then personified as a group of faceless, terrifying, and
predatory devils. It would appear that this strategy is used to keep sex
offenders at a distance, in turn keeping our children and families safe from
harm. But in reality, such fantasy does just the opposite: ignoring the
realities of sex offenses puts children, families, and adults at greater risk."
"Sex offender" and its close relative "paedophile" is a classic
thought-stopper, along with "terrorist". The first question should always be:
how can we minimise actual harm (not just fear of harm, though that's also an
important issue) to everyone? Yes, that includes convicted criminals - for one
thing, they are part of other people's lives too (family members, friends and
co-workers).
Via Jim Feig.
Cheers,
Andrew
—
Andrew Pam
Partner, Glass Wings
http://glasswings.com.au/
