Thursday, May 22, 2008

Did It Occur To You - You Are A Sexual Predator?

Sexual predators have no distinctive features. They can be found in all socioeconomic, gender, age, religious and ethnic groups. Sadly, many would not even consider themselves as sexual predators. My message to each person within shouting range of my voice is this: IT IS NEVER OKAY FOR SOMEONE TO TOUCH YOU, SPEAK TO YOU OR EXHIBIT BEHAVIOR THAT IS SEXUAL IN NATURE WITHOUT YOUR FULL PERMISSION, NEVER, EVER AND IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT IF THEY DO!!!

Hey you guys at the pool, did you think pulling down the bathing suit bottom of a twelve year old girl was/is acceptable?

Or did you think exposing yourself to two young girls is/was acceptable?

Did you think your actions would have one twelve year old girl looking at EVERY Hispanic male she saw for many years with fear and suspicion?

Did you think it was okay to fondle the breast of teenage girls attempting to get their driver's license? Do you have daughters? Would you want a "trusted" state employee fondling your daughter?

Did you think it was okay to make lewd and lascivious comments and gestures to a young female employee?

Or you, telling your employee to be quiet and "look good"?

As a minister do you find it okay to use your position to fondle or otherwise have a relationship with girls or boys in your parish?

What about you guys that date rape someone? I think no means no.

Is it okay for a woman to take advantage of a young man?

Have you touched your son or daughter in an inappropriate way, why is this okay?

Sadly, there are hundreds upon hundreds of situations like the above and worse. We ask ourselves, why didn't anyone say anything? I am reminded of the accusations of Anita Hill against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She accuses him of sexual harassment prior to his confirmation as Supreme Court Justice. Ms. Hill was accused of not being credible in her statements and Clarence Thomas becomes a Supreme Court Justice. Did he sexually harass her? Maybe. He is in a position of power and why should anyone believe her. Currently, in his biography, the two have not resolved this issue. I use this as an example because it frequently did happen this way. It still happens. Did sexual harassment occur between Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, I don't know. What I do know is that sexual harassment and sexual predators do exist and are often not recognized as such. Another example, why didn't the above teenage girls expose the state employee who took liberties with them? The answer is simple, who would believe them? Some of the victims of sexual liberties believe that it is THEIR fault. They did something to attract undesired attention. Many sexual predators are being brought out and tried; but there are still so many tormenting the young, the old, female, and male. Again, I say...IT IS NEVER OKAY...SPEAK UP...SOMEONE WILL LISTEN!!!

To the sexual predators: I pray that someday justice will be meted out and you will be held accountable for your reprehensible behavior. May the Lord forgive you because I find it very difficult to do so.

Not all of the above situations happened to me, some did occur and some happened to people I know personally.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now THAT is a subject I was not expecting to be a post on your blog! WOW!!!
There are some sick sick people in this world. Sexual Predator's are all around us. I am scared to death for my daughters! really and truely scared. Everytime I think of what that guy did to that little girl that got off the school bus and was abducted from her own driveway and raped repeatedly, it literally makes me sick to my stomach. RIGHT HERE IN ELGIN, none the less!!!
Any person, man or female, that can abuse such a child in a manner like that deserves to burn in the fires of HELL!!!

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine what prompted you to post that but it is TIMELY.

One of the men I work(ed) with was arrested for possession of child pornography. What makes it just sickening is the fact that he doesn't think he did anything WRONG because he 'didn't hurt anybody'.

He is a man with a serious, serious problem and he had been abused as a child - which greatly explains where his problem came from - but the fact that he is blaming this all on his ex-wife because she was snooping through his stuff when they got separated, was just appalling.

Sexual predators, child sexual predators, and workplace sexual harassment share a lot in common. Usually it is not about desire but control, or desire for control/power.

For better or worse, though, my ex-coworker is branded for life.

__________________________________
I really hope they nail the guy in Elgin! My heart goes out to her.

scchesleys said...

I'm with Cindy, I live in fear of anybody coming near my kids. It's horrid and it hits too close to home sometimes.

Connie said...

Actually, it just makes me mad as hell and has been on my mind and I needed a place to sound off.

Anonymous said...

Powerful post. Makes me think of the Edmund Burke quote about all it takes for evil to flourish is for good men (in this case, women) to say nothing.