Dehumanisation

Those who want to discriminate against or even persecute a particular disfavoured 'outgroup' have a long history of using propaganda, often (maybe even usually) comprised of outright lies, to convince 'the masses' that such discrimination/persecution is not only justifiable, but a worthy response to a supposed 'problem'. The Nazi regime's persecution of Jewish people is, of course, the best-known example from modern history, but it is far from unique. Enter today's theocratic fascists. Some might argue that Shoebat's evidence-free claims are so obviously and ridiculously false that no-one could take them seriously, but, as one of the commenters wrote, some people always will, and use them to justify (to themselves, if to no-one else) using violence to 'deal with' the 'problem'. And if that scenario is frightening enough for gay men in general, it's all the more so for those of us who actually are attracted to boys, but have no more intention of raping and murdering anyone than their so-called 'normal' counterparts. I've written before about how I believe 'thoughtcrime', i.e. admitting an attraction, even without the least intention of acting upon it, could be enough for the likes of me to end up spending the rest of our lives in jail, or even being summarily executed (by self-appointed 'vigilantes', if not by legal authority). If enough self-interested politicos jump on the 'moral panic' bandwagon, such criminilisation of attraction could come about very rapidly. Who, after all, is ever going to utter a single word in defence of 'paedos', even celibate ones?

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B