UPDATE Man Faces Minimum 1 Year in Prison for Bringing Manga to Canada On His Laptop

[sapphi_snake]

naznatips said:

sapphi_snake said:

Torillian said:

sapphi_snake said:

Torillian said:

sapphi_snake said:
I'm curious though, what kind of person actually reads such material, if not a paedophile.

Well that depends what it was since all we know is that some guy at a customs office considered it child pornograpy, could just be some high school manga with a few risque scenes or it could be full on loli hentai.  If it's the second than yes he's a paedophile, but if he doesn't act out on his desires I see no reason he should be punushed for thinking whatever he wants long as the material wasn't made by exploiting children (which it wasn't) then the law shouldn't have a say.

But if it really was lolicon then shouldn't he be forced to at least see a psychiatrist. I mean, today he reads a lolicon mag, tomorrow he rapes a pre-schooler. It's not as if porn prevents people from commiting such crimes.

Only if you assume that having such thoughts means he will definitely act them out in the future.  By that right every person that is into furries should go to counseling so they don't commit beastiality, or anyone with a rape fantasy should be on the sexual offenders list.  I know some would say that we could prevent crimes this way, but you can't punish people for what they fantasize about based on what you think they most likely will do in the future.  

But if he does have sexual attraction towards small children, then he is a potential threat. Paedophilia is a mental diorder, and paedophiles generally don't think rationally, and make up bizarre excuses to justify their actions (things like "a person reaches full sexual maturity at the age of 5"). Heck, even the book Lolita presented a situation like that. Making this guy go to a psychiatrist isn't punishing him, it's helping him, and possibly saving a poor child in the future. Igf he really is sexually attracted to small children, then he'll eventually crack if he doesn't recieve help.

That's not how it works though. That's what the thought police laws want people to believe, but Japan, the country in which this material originates and sells frequently and popularly, has a far lower rate of child molestation than any western country, including the US, where people are prosecuted for fantasizing about such material. I agree, it's a mental depravity, and those people should probably seek optional counseling, but there is no evidennce to show that people who view lolicon material are any more likelly to rape or molest children than those who don't.

I wonder if the reason why that is, is because such cases are less likely to be reported in Japan. Having sex with children, especially young boys, was quite common in feudal Japan. I'm quite sure that people who view material involving young children in sexual situations are more likely to be a paedophile than those who don't. And sicne paedophilia is a mental illness, and paedophiles are a danger to society, therapy should be mandatory.