"I知 a pedophile, but not a monster"

[KitSileya]

100. I think it is very important to listen to survivors. As I said downthread, they're the experts

As a rape survivor, I know that my voice will be discounted when discussing rape precisely because I am a survivor, because we do not want to hear was survivors have to say. It doesn't matter how many times we say that most rapists are normal, they're your (generic you) buddies, your husband, your sister, or your son. That they don't seem like monsters to you, because you are not their victim, and when you dismiss us because the rapist seems so normal, you are a rape enabler. Us survivors are hysterical, liars, attention seekers. The rapist, who has not undergone trauma, will sound reasonable, measured, calm when talking about it, so he is instantly more believable. That is why the first impulse when hearing someone say they were raped should be to believe them. Unfortunately, today the first impulse is to disbelieve them, and then to vilify them.

The same goes doubly for child victims. They have a much greater chance of not being believed when they dare tell an adult of what is happening, and that one of the reasons for that is because pedophiles are very good at sounding normal (like this guy.) They are expert manipulators, and this guy is trying to manipulate us, and Salon is giving him a platform to do so. It is nauseating, but ordinary people, especially people posting on DU, should know better than to be lured in.