[sciborg2]

Richard Dawkins defends 'mild pedophilia': Teacher putting hands down my shorts didn?t do ?lasting harm? | The Raw Story

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins refused to condemn sexual abuse he admitted to having suffered as a child in an interview with The Times magazine of England, Religion News Service reported on Tuesday.

While he told the Times that an unidentified schoolmaster “pulled me on his knee and put his hand inside my shorts” when he was a child, he argued that he did not think the abuse — which he referred to as a “mild touching up” — against himself and other children in his class “did any of us lasting harm.”

[Royce]

First of,I don`t often make comments about these kind of stories,because you know how easily people are quoted wrongly,or something said is taken out of context and so on.If he did say this I actually agree and disagree with him.

I actually have had a similar experience myself when I was a kid.A drunkard tried to get into my pants on the bus.
He wanted to give me money to see and touch my penis.Not one adult reacted,many actually turned around and saw what was going on,but no one did anything.I got away before any harm was done,but I left the bus somewhat different then before the incident occurred.It was creepy,but what bothered me the most was that no one stood up for me,and I do actually think that it made me trust humans less.

I agree that this sort of "mild touching" up does not cause as much harm as an actual rape,but I do think that if he examines his own experience,I am quite certain that it did "something" to him.It is either way wrong to legalize "mild touching" up,because there may be lots of people who are traumatized by similar incidents.

 

[Callan S.]

I think in terms of speaking for himself, he might be right - it might just have mostly been water off a ducks back. But of course the insensitivity cuts both ways - and he decides for others how they would feel about it - because he can't really imagine being in someone elses shoes because that takes some sensitivity. He treats everyone as being as dull to the world as he (for he can't imagine any greater sensitivity than his own - in part because of that lack).

Sometimes I think people and systems force the position of victim - and in a way assist tha assailant by doing so, when the person might actually like to think the fucker didn't get to them, only tried to. So I appreciate and acknowledge his own stance that he wasn't gotten to. But I think he's a dumb ass for applying it to anyone else automatically.

Sorry to hear about that, Royce.

[Royce]

Thank you Callan I agree with everything you say,and for me personally I guess I learned early on that some people are monsters,and others are cowards.You learn that at some point in life anyway

[EkyannusIII]

So I appreciate and acknowledge his own stance that he wasn't gotten to. But I think he's a dumb ass for applying it to anyone else automatically.

This.  Dawkins may speak for himself but it is arrogant for him to generalize his experience to others.

[Davias]

+1 Callan S.
I like Dawkins appearances in general, but this was unnecessary.