Sexuality is certainly natural; but how it is channeled is culturally driven. I would not say that having sex with children is natural; though I would say that children's sexuality is natural and adult sexuality is natural. They're just different and it is best if children and adults indulge in age appropriate sexual play.
I know that all sounded very lame but I can't think of a cool way to say it.
Joanna
jrdavis wrote:
> If sexual abuse is so prevelent then one must entertain the idea that
> it is a natural human activity thus should not be punished. If it is
> inate to the human condition to punish abuse is like punishing people
> for having blonde hair. If it is not natural it should be rare and not
> present in every family like Jesse suggests.
>
> Jesse Lemisch <utopia1 at attglobal.net> wrote:
>
> James concludes that he will not entertain Bettina Aptheker's
> description of
> her father's sexual molestation of her unless he has "corroborating
> evidence." Once again, this sounds to me like Pakistan. What
> witness might
> she bring forward?
>
> Anyone who watches Oprah knows that there is a socially
> conservative frenzy
> about pedophiles. It has yet to be seen that there is in fact
> sufficient
> attention, reporting and punishment for events like those Bettina
> describes
> in Intimate Poilitics. From what I understand, and know directly,
> just about
> every family -- yes, just about every family has a relative who
> has suffered
> in this way. Again, people ought to read the book rather than
> relying on
> secondary and tertiary versions.
>
> Jesse Lemisch
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "James Heartfield"
> To:
> Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 5:38 PM
> Subject: [lbo-talk] Aptheker allegations
>
>
> > Jesse writes
> >
> > 'Try it yourself: try to recall an event 40 years ago, and watch the
> layers
> > of the onion peel off. especially it you tell the story to a
> third party.'
> >
> > Hold on a minute, according to the memoir, this was not a
> singular event
> > forty years ago, but a regular event, over a ten year period,
> from the age
> > of three to the age of 13, and not just any event, but a truly
> shocking
> > event, which nonetheless, Bettina forgot about for 47 years.
> That tests
> > credulity.
> >
> > Jesse objects to my citing the many cases where courts and welfare
> agencies
> > have presumed parents guilty of abuse before eventually finding them
> > innocent, saying this is not comparable. It is not comparable. I was
> seeking
> > to make the point that far from being the case that child abuse
> was a
> hidden
> > crime, we have for the last twenty years been in the grip of a
> child abuse
> > panic, which has led to many innocent people being jailed. If
> you want a
> > comparison with lynching, that is a better one.
> >
> > What bearing does this have on the Aptheker allegations? Only
> that we live
> > in a society peculiarly sensitive to the danger of child abuse,
> not one
> that
> > is seeking to cover it up.
> >
> > Jesse seems to be unaware that abuse memoirs are an established
> literary
> > genre today, with contributions from Kathy O'Beirne. Constance
> Briscoe,
> Dave
> > Pelzer. In the case of the first two, siblings and parents
> strongly object
> > to the representation of their families, apparently refuting
> central facts
> > in O'Beirne's story. People tell all kinds of stories about
> themselves,
> many
> > true, some not so. Binjamin Wilkomirski compelling holocaust
> memoir turned
> > out to be a fiction, as did James Frey's addiction and self-harm
> memoir, A
> > Million Little Pieces. These authors dramatised their lives by
> presenting
> > themselves as victims of terrible abuse.
> >
> > On one thing, I can agree with Jesse that we cannot have 'absolute
> certainty
> > that every testimony along these lines is totally 100% true',
> which is why
> I
> > think it is fair to assume that Herbert Aptheker's reputation is
> intact
> > unless and until such time as there is corroborating evidence
> for Bettina
> > Aptheker's accusations.
> >
> > Forgive me if I definitely do sign off now, got to pack.
> >
> >
> >
> > ___________________________________
> > http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
>
>
>
> Jim Davis
> Ozark Bioregion, USA
>
> http://ismailism.wordpress.com/
> New: http://www.lulu.com/content/306796
> http://shops.half.ebay.com/brothershak_W0QQmZbooks
>
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