Essay:Backyard Politics For Minor-attracted Adults - Revision history

The Admins at 21:37, 22 March 2023

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	Attracted To Children -- http://www.attractedtochildren.org/		Attracted To Children -- http://www.attractedtochildren.org/

	~~Accounts_and_Testimonies -- http://newgon.net/wiki/Accounts_and_Testimonies~~		[[Accounts and Testimonies]]

	Legal Issues and Court Cases: affecting sex offenders -- http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/		Legal Issues and Court Cases: affecting sex offenders -- http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/

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	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

	[[Category:Essays]]		[[Category:Essays]][[Category:Jay Edson's Essays]]

The Admins at 01:29, 30 September 2021

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	Attracted To Children -- http://www.attractedtochildren.org/		Attracted To Children -- http://www.attractedtochildren.org/

	Accounts_and_Testimonies -- http://newgon.~~com~~/wiki/Accounts_and_Testimonies		Accounts_and_Testimonies -- http://newgon.net/wiki/Accounts_and_Testimonies

	Legal Issues and Court Cases: affecting sex offenders -- http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/		Legal Issues and Court Cases: affecting sex offenders -- http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/

The Admins: minor corrs

2009-12-24T13:53:18Z

minor corrs

The Admins at 19:24, 21 November 2009

2009-11-21T19:24:35Z

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	<div style="margin-left: 25px; float: right;">__TOC__</div>'''Backyard Politics For Minor-attracted Adults'''		<div style="margin-left: 25px; float: right;">__TOC__</div>'''Backyard Politics For Minor-attracted Adults'''

			By '''Jay Edson'''.

	A Primer for Political Action in an Impossible Situation		A Primer for Political Action in an Impossible Situation

The Admins: /* Challenge Society's Identity Templates -- Across The Board */

2009-10-21T19:05:23Z

Challenge Society's Identity Templates -- Across The Board

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	:'''An Occasion for Mirth'''		:'''An Occasion for Mirth'''

	:I'm becoming earth.		:''I'm becoming earth.''
	:It's an occasion for mirth.		:''It's an occasion for mirth.''

	:''I have rocks''		:''I have rocks''
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	This is a poem about what I call my gardungle self. The gardungle self is both wild and domesticated. It exists at the edge of things. Its a place where we are in-between – where we draw on the complete multiplicity of seeds that we have at out disposal as we formulate and affirm our identities – where we are forever sending out rhizomes to new places. Within our natures we can find both a man and a woman, an adult and a child, a domesticated and faithful pet and a wild thing, a garden and a jungle. We strike a poor bargain when we exchange our rich and diversified inheritance for a bowl of pottage – for a uni-dimensional and safe, but sterile, identity template.		This is a poem about what I call my gardungle self. The gardungle self is both wild and domesticated. It exists at the edge of things. Its a place where we are in-between – where we draw on the complete multiplicity of seeds that we have at out disposal as we formulate and affirm our identities – where we are forever sending out rhizomes to new places. Within our natures we can find both a man and a woman, an adult and a child, a domesticated and faithful pet and a wild thing, a garden and a jungle. We strike a poor bargain when we exchange our rich and diversified inheritance for a bowl of pottage – for a uni-dimensional and safe, but sterile, identity template.

	Every template is a prison. To refuse to be confined by society's identity templates is a political act. It is also a political act to be appreciative of the complex of identity elements in our friends and acquaintances.		Every template is a prison. To refuse to be confined by society's identity templates is a political act. It is also a political act to be appreciative of the complex of identity elements in our friends and acquaintances.

	==Support Other Marginalized Groups==		==Support Other Marginalized Groups==

The Admins at 16:34, 21 October 2009

2009-10-21T16:34:19Z

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	By taking carefully considered political action you will be stepping beyond the your own frustration and needs, and taking on the cause of an entire mistreated group. Taking on this larger cause of trying to help build a fairer, more accepting society – win or lose – can in itself be liberating.		By taking carefully considered political action you will be stepping beyond the your own frustration and needs, and taking on the cause of an entire mistreated group. Taking on this larger cause of trying to help build a fairer, more accepting society – win or lose – can in itself be liberating.


	==References==		==References==

The Admins at 16:33, 21 October 2009

2009-10-21T16:33:42Z

The Admins at 16:28, 21 October 2009

2009-10-21T16:28:21Z

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	With the community of people who are psychiatrically labeled we find a similar situation. Certainly one of the most difficult and stressful psychological realities that anybody has to deal with is the discovery that they are driven by impulses that society considers disgusting, vile, and monstrous. If the very fount of a person's love energy is perceived by a person to be polluted at its source, such a person would be much more likely to develop problems in living that would eventually gain him or her a psychiatric label. Perhaps inroads with some other marginalized groups could be made by an appeal that they not abandon some of their own natural membership.		With the community of people who are psychiatrically labeled we find a similar situation. Certainly one of the most difficult and stressful psychological realities that anybody has to deal with is the discovery that they are driven by impulses that society considers disgusting, vile, and monstrous. If the very fount of a person's love energy is perceived by a person to be polluted at its source, such a person would be much more likely to develop problems in living that would eventually gain him or her a psychiatric label. Perhaps inroads with some other marginalized groups could be made by an appeal that they not abandon some of their own natural membership.

			==Avoid Unnecessary Risks, And Take Care Of Yourself==

			It is not possible to do politics in a way that is totally risk free. But then, neither is it possible to NOT do politics in a way that is totally risk free. How does one weigh the relative risks of doing nothing against taking action? No general assessment is possible. Every situation is different, and each person must find her or her own balance between risk and safety. It is possible to say, however, that with a life of action one can at least have some hope for a better future, and can live in the present knowledge that one is doing what is possible to make that future a reality. At the same time, we need no macho politics. The point should never be to prove how daring we are. Rather, calculated risks should be taken to achieve goals that might possibly be attainable. There is a time to attack, and a time to retreat – a time to lay low, and a time to speak out. Our actions and reactions in the moment must fit into a larger strategy.

			Minor-attracted adults – especially ones who have been “outed” and have tasted the unholy wrath of our fellow countrymen – have a tendency to fall into what I would call “nightmare mode.” If you have ever experienced this, you will know exactly what I mean. You are living your life and managing fairly well, when suddenly you are reminded by a passing event – something you hear, or read perhaps – of some of the more terrifying or humiliating things that have happened to you. Your waking life takes on the subjective quality of a nightmare. Your appetite for life dries up. Your thoughts become negative. There is nothing to be done, you tell yourself. Power always trumps truth. Hope evaporates and the despair you have only barely managed to hold at bay swallows you up.

			Nightmare mode is a fact. It will happen. But we cannot afford to allow ourselves to be remain passive and helpless in its clutches. Nightmare mode is fed by negative thoughts and isolation. Knowing what feeds nightmare mode provides us the clues we need to fight it. First we must examine exactly what thoughts are feeding it and either counter these thoughts with more positive ones, or make some change in our situation that reduces the immediate risks that have thrown us off balance. Then we need to find someone we can talk with. This cannot be a professional counselor, of course. They are all mandated reporters. They work for the system whether they want to or not. So we must reach out to a friend who will listen to us and help us evaluate the risks in a realistic manner. Nightmare mode distorts our perception of things. We must always keep this in mind. We may at times need the corrective influence of others.

			As political activists you must take care of yourself. Do not be an easy target. Keep connected with others who can provide support. Avoid nightmare mode. Back off when the immediate threats outweigh any gains you are likely to be able to achieve. If you survive today, tomorrow you will find another opportunity to act. Keep some activities in you life that give you pleasure. Above all, do not give up hope. Our persecutors have numbers on their side. The relentless repetition of misinformation and demonizing images in the mass media has had its effect. Also the persecutors have the legal and bureaucratic machinery of the society under their control. It can indeed look hopeless. But we have the truth on our side, so it is perhaps an equal battle. The sex abuse industry has built its case on prejudice, hysterical fears and misinformation. Like all flat earth theories, this structure of belief will crumble in the face of accurate facts. Misinformation is their Achilles heel. We know this, and and that gives us good reason for hope that we will eventually prevail.

			By taking carefully considered political action you will be stepping beyond the your own frustration and needs, and taking on the cause of an entire mistreated group. Taking on this larger cause of trying to help build a fairer, more accepting society – win or lose – can in itself be liberating.


	==References==		==References==

The Admins: /* Support Other Marginalized Groups */

2009-10-21T16:25:03Z

Support Other Marginalized Groups

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	It is unlikely that minor-attracted adults will be able to form alliances with groups that are afraid of being tarnished by their intense stigma. Even so, it is probably in the interest of minor-attracted adults to support other marginalized groups in whatever ways they can, while at the same time they challenge the wisdom of the other groups who will not reciprocate.		It is unlikely that minor-attracted adults will be able to form alliances with groups that are afraid of being tarnished by their intense stigma. Even so, it is probably in the interest of minor-attracted adults to support other marginalized groups in whatever ways they can, while at the same time they challenge the wisdom of the other groups who will not reciprocate.

	The fact is that other marginalized groups reject a significant portion of their own natural membership when they reject any alliance with minor-attracted adults. This is most obvious in the case of gay men. As was pointed out in an article by Bruce Rind, the historical norm for homosexuality was not relationships between adult men, but intergenerational relationships between men and boys.<ref>[Biased Use of Cross-Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Male Homosexuality in Human Sexuality Textbooks. The Journal of Sex Research 35:4 (1998), pp. 397-407]</ref> It is almost certain that many if not most gay men feel some degree of attraction to pubescent and adolescent males.		The fact is that other marginalized groups reject a significant portion of their own natural membership when they reject any alliance with minor-attracted adults. This is most obvious in the case of gay men. As was pointed out in an article by Bruce Rind, the historical norm for homosexuality was not relationships between adult men, but intergenerational relationships between men and boys.<ref>[http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/rind_98_biased.html Review of: Biased Use of Cross-Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Male Homosexuality in Human Sexuality Textbooks. The Journal of Sex Research 35:4 (1998), pp. 397-407]</ref> It is almost certain that many if not most gay men feel some degree of attraction to pubescent and adolescent males.

	With the community of people who are psychiatrically labeled we find a similar situation. Certainly one of the most difficult and stressful psychological realities that anybody has to deal with is the discovery that they are driven by impulses that society considers disgusting, vile, and monstrous. If the very fount of a person's love energy is perceived by a person to be polluted at its source, such a person would be much more likely to develop problems in living that would eventually gain him or her a psychiatric label. Perhaps inroads with some other marginalized groups could be made by an appeal that they not abandon some of their own natural membership.		With the community of people who are psychiatrically labeled we find a similar situation. Certainly one of the most difficult and stressful psychological realities that anybody has to deal with is the discovery that they are driven by impulses that society considers disgusting, vile, and monstrous. If the very fount of a person's love energy is perceived by a person to be polluted at its source, such a person would be much more likely to develop problems in living that would eventually gain him or her a psychiatric label. Perhaps inroads with some other marginalized groups could be made by an appeal that they not abandon some of their own natural membership.

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:53, 24 December 2009
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	:'''5. Factoid: The “pedophile” is a brutish, primitive, self centered person who is incapable of empathy.'''		:'''5. Factoid: The “pedophile” is a brutish, primitive, self centered person who is incapable of empathy.'''

	:'''Fact:''' Who have been some well ~~know~~ pedophiles? (I will use this term to mean a person who is strongly attracted to children or young adolescents.) Here are a few: Thomas Mann, James Barrie, Lewis Carroll, Alan Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, T.E. White, W. H. Auden, and last but not least Shakespeare. Most people who know anything about these people would not see them as brutish and primitive.		:'''Fact:''' Who have been some well known pedophiles? (I will use this term to mean a person who is strongly attracted to children or young adolescents.) Here are a few: Thomas Mann, James Barrie, Lewis Carroll, Alan Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, T.E. White, W. H. Auden, and last but not least Shakespeare. Most people who know anything about these people would not see them as brutish and primitive.

	:'''6. Factoid: Minors never feel positive about their relationships with older partners if there is a sexual component in that relationship.'''		:'''6. Factoid: Minors never feel positive about their relationships with older partners if there is a sexual component in that relationship.'''
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	As we come out of the closet we begin to develop friendship networks, and eventually political networks, with other like-minded individuals. These networks need not have any official organization, or name. They are simply networks of individuals who know one another, support one another, and work together. Invariably some people will be members of more than one network, and consequently networks will become interconnected. In this way the possibilities of various kinds of support, and access to information and other resources, will be greatly expanded. Possibilities for meaningful action will also be expanded. We will find out that, as the title of that liberating movie suggests, ''We Are Not Alone''.		As we come out of the closet we begin to develop friendship networks, and eventually political networks, with other like-minded individuals. These networks need not have any official organization, or name. They are simply networks of individuals who know one another, support one another, and work together. Invariably some people will be members of more than one network, and consequently networks will become interconnected. In this way the possibilities of various kinds of support, and access to information and other resources, will be greatly expanded. Possibilities for meaningful action will also be expanded. We will find out that, as the title of that liberating movie suggests, ''We Are Not Alone''.

	The following account is written by a person who we will call Mike. Mike was fairly well ~~know~~ in the field of preventive health care. Because of his speaking too freely about his love of boys, he was accused of illegal activities and vilified in more than one newspaper. As the result of reading one of these articles, Jake, a colleague in the field of health care came to visit him, and confessed that he too had similar feelings about boys. They were able to talk openly about their experiences, and this marked the emergence of a new and supportive network of relationships coming into Mike's life.		The following account is written by a person who we will call Mike. Mike was fairly well known in the field of preventive health care. Because of his speaking too freely about his love of boys, he was accused of illegal activities and vilified in more than one newspaper. As the result of reading one of these articles, Jake, a colleague in the field of health care came to visit him, and confessed that he too had similar feelings about boys. They were able to talk openly about their experiences, and this marked the emergence of a new and supportive network of relationships coming into Mike's life.

	:"''As result of my being vilified and outed, I often felt I was in a kind of prison without walls. Fortunately, however, as some doors closed to me, others miraculously opened. My unforeseen interchange with Jake was the start of a whole new network of understanding and supportive friends, including a number of men who, like me, were attracted to boys. I found myself at the doorway of a largely underground sector of the community that I had formerly had little knowledge of.''		:"''As result of my being vilified and outed, I often felt I was in a kind of prison without walls. Fortunately, however, as some doors closed to me, others miraculously opened. My unforeseen interchange with Jake was the start of a whole new network of understanding and supportive friends, including a number of men who, like me, were attracted to boys. I found myself at the doorway of a largely underground sector of the community that I had formerly had little knowledge of.''
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	:''I'm becoming birth.''		:''I'm becoming birth.''

	This is a poem about what I call my gardungle self. The gardungle self is both wild and domesticated. It exists at the edge of things. ~~Its~~ a place where we are in-between – where we draw on the complete multiplicity of seeds that we have at out disposal as we formulate and affirm our identities – where we are forever sending out rhizomes to new places. Within our natures we can find both a man and a woman, an adult and a child, a domesticated and faithful pet and a wild thing, a garden and a jungle. We strike a poor bargain when we exchange our rich and diversified inheritance for a bowl of pottage – for a uni-dimensional and safe, but sterile, identity template.		This is a poem about what I call my gardungle self. The gardungle self is both wild and domesticated. It exists at the edge of things. It is a place where we are in-between – where we draw on the complete multiplicity of seeds that we have at out disposal as we formulate and affirm our identities – where we are forever sending out rhizomes to new places. Within our natures we can find both a man and a woman, an adult and a child, a domesticated and faithful pet and a wild thing, a garden and a jungle. We strike a poor bargain when we exchange our rich and diversified inheritance for a bowl of pottage – for a uni-dimensional and safe, but sterile, identity template.

	Every template is a prison. To refuse to be confined by society's identity templates is a political act. It is also a political act to be appreciative of the complex of identity elements in our friends and acquaintances.		Every template is a prison. To refuse to be confined by society's identity templates is a political act. It is also a political act to be appreciative of the complex of identity elements in our friends and acquaintances.
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	==Avoid Unnecessary Risks, And Take Care Of Yourself==		==Avoid Unnecessary Risks, And Take Care Of Yourself==

	It is not possible to do politics in a way that is totally risk free. But then, neither is it possible to NOT do politics in a way that is totally risk free. How does one weigh the relative risks of doing nothing against taking action? No general assessment is possible. Every situation is different, and each person must find ~~her~~ or her own balance between risk and safety. It is possible to say, however, that with a life of action one can at least have some hope for a better future, and can live in the present knowledge that one is doing what is possible to make that future a reality. At the same time, we need no macho politics. The point should never be to prove how daring we are. Rather, calculated risks should be taken to achieve goals that might possibly be attainable. There is a time to attack, and a time to retreat – a time to lay low, and a time to speak out. Our actions and reactions in the moment must fit into a larger strategy.		It is not possible to do politics in a way that is totally risk free. But then, neither is it possible to NOT do politics in a way that is totally risk free. How does one weigh the relative risks of doing nothing against taking action? No general assessment is possible. Every situation is different, and each person must find his or her own balance between risk and safety. It is possible to say, however, that with a life of action one can at least have some hope for a better future, and can live in the present knowledge that one is doing what is possible to make that future a reality. At the same time, we need no macho politics. The point should never be to prove how daring we are. Rather, calculated risks should be taken to achieve goals that might possibly be attainable. There is a time to attack, and a time to retreat – a time to lay low, and a time to speak out. Our actions and reactions in the moment must fit into a larger strategy.

	Minor-attracted adults – especially ones who have been “outed” and have tasted the unholy wrath of our fellow countrymen – have a tendency to fall into what I would call “nightmare mode.” If you have ever experienced this, you will know exactly what I mean. You are living your life and managing fairly well, when suddenly you are reminded by a passing event – something you hear, or read perhaps – of some of the more terrifying or humiliating things that have happened to you. Your waking life takes on the subjective quality of a nightmare. Your appetite for life dries up. Your thoughts become negative. There is nothing to be done, you tell yourself. Power always trumps truth. Hope evaporates and the despair you have only barely managed to hold at bay swallows you up.		Minor-attracted adults – especially ones who have been “outed” and have tasted the unholy wrath of our fellow countrymen – have a tendency to fall into what I would call “nightmare mode.” If you have ever experienced this, you will know exactly what I mean. You are living your life and managing fairly well, when suddenly you are reminded by a passing event – something you hear, or read perhaps – of some of the more terrifying or humiliating things that have happened to you. Your waking life takes on the subjective quality of a nightmare. Your appetite for life dries up. Your thoughts become negative. There is nothing to be done, you tell yourself. Power always trumps truth. Hope evaporates and the despair you have only barely managed to hold at bay swallows you up.
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	Nightmare mode is a fact. It will happen. But we cannot afford to allow ourselves to be remain passive and helpless in its clutches. Nightmare mode is fed by negative thoughts and isolation. Knowing what feeds nightmare mode provides us the clues we need to fight it. First we must examine exactly what thoughts are feeding it and either counter these thoughts with more positive ones, or make some change in our situation that reduces the immediate risks that have thrown us off balance. Then we need to find someone we can talk with. This cannot be a professional counsellor, of course. They are all mandated reporters. They work for the system whether they want to or not. So we must reach out to a friend who will listen to us and help us evaluate the risks in a realistic manner. Nightmare mode distorts our perception of things. We must always keep this in mind. We may at times need the corrective influence of others.		Nightmare mode is a fact. It will happen. But we cannot afford to allow ourselves to be remain passive and helpless in its clutches. Nightmare mode is fed by negative thoughts and isolation. Knowing what feeds nightmare mode provides us the clues we need to fight it. First we must examine exactly what thoughts are feeding it and either counter these thoughts with more positive ones, or make some change in our situation that reduces the immediate risks that have thrown us off balance. Then we need to find someone we can talk with. This cannot be a professional counsellor, of course. They are all mandated reporters. They work for the system whether they want to or not. So we must reach out to a friend who will listen to us and help us evaluate the risks in a realistic manner. Nightmare mode distorts our perception of things. We must always keep this in mind. We may at times need the corrective influence of others.

	As political activists you must take care of yourself. Do not be an easy target. Keep connected with others who can provide support. Avoid nightmare mode. Back off when the immediate threats outweigh any gains you are likely to be able to achieve. If you survive today, tomorrow you will find another opportunity to act. Keep some activities in ~~you~~ life that give you pleasure. Above all, do not give up hope. Our persecutors have numbers on their side. The relentless repetition of misinformation and demonizing images in the mass media has had its effect. Also the persecutors have the legal and bureaucratic machinery of the society under their control. It can indeed look hopeless. But we have the truth on our side, so it is perhaps an equal battle. The sex abuse industry has built its case on prejudice, hysterical fears and misinformation. Like all flat earth theories, this structure of belief will crumble in the face of accurate facts. Misinformation is their Achilles heel. We know this, ~~and~~ and that gives us good reason for hope that we will eventually prevail.		As political activists you must take care of yourself. Do not be an easy target. Keep connected with others who can provide support. Avoid nightmare mode. Back off when the immediate threats outweigh any gains you are likely to be able to achieve. If you survive today, tomorrow you will find another opportunity to act. Keep some activities in your life that give you pleasure. Above all, do not give up hope. Our persecutors have numbers on their side. The relentless repetition of misinformation and demonizing images in the mass media has had its effect. Also the persecutors have the legal and bureaucratic machinery of the society under their control. It can indeed look hopeless. But we have the truth on our side, so it is perhaps an equal battle. The sex abuse industry has built its case on prejudice, hysterical fears and misinformation. Like all flat earth theories, this structure of belief will crumble in the face of accurate facts. Misinformation is their Achilles heel. We know this, and that gives us good reason for hope that we will eventually prevail.

	By taking carefully considered political action you will be stepping beyond the your own frustration and needs, and taking on the cause of an entire mistreated group. Taking on this larger cause of trying to help build a fairer, more accepting society – win or lose – can in itself be liberating.		By taking carefully considered political action you will be stepping beyond the your own frustration and needs, and taking on the cause of an entire mistreated group. Taking on this larger cause of trying to help build a fairer, more accepting society – win or lose – can in itself be liberating.