There are people who think that “sickos” and “psychos” are at the root of everything that is wrong with the world.
In fact there are many things worse than “sickos” and “psychos.”
There is genocide. There is war. There is destruction of whole ways of life. There is rainforest deforestation and federal debt. These people are hyper-focusing on issues concerning themselves even as they do nothing to address major problems affecting everyone else. And until they have sympathy for matters concerning others, they have no right for sympathy for matters affecting themselves.
In recent times we have seen a demonization of sex offenders. They are being treated as demons. They are not demons; they are people who did something wrong. Sex crime is just that: a crime. It means that you’ve done something bad. It doesn’t mean that you are incurably evil.
The sex offenders in jail are treated terribly. I take issue with disproportionate punishments. Even if a man has committed a sex crime it doesn’t mean that he deserves to be buggered and beaten every day. And it also doesn’t mean that everyone must treat him as though he had cooties.
Are there “sickos” and “psychos?” Of course there are. But they are not at the root of everything that is wrong with the world. Most wrong done is done by people who are perfectly normal. And, given that these people are behind many of these problems, their stance singling out the “sickos” and “psychos” is totally hypocritical.
It is important therefore that matters be put into perspective. If you don’t care what you’re doing to the world, the world should not be caring about your concerns. I would like to see things safer for children, but I condone neither demonization nor disproportionate punishments. And I would also like to see attention paid to bigger issues affecting us all.