The Problem with Polarity

Yesterday in the UK, a prosecution counsel and judge both received criticism for labelling a 13 year old victim of sexual abuse a "predator". Don't worry, I'm not about to suggest that this was anything but a case of abuse - the 41 year old man in the case might not have realised she was only 13, but she was too young for him by any measure.

What bothers me is the absolute language used by those upset by the use of "predator". One commenter, Alan Wardle of the NSPCC, a children's protection charity, said "a 13-year-old child cannot be complicit in her own abuse", a statement I would like to take issue with. I think a 13 year old is perfectly able to be complicit, according to the definition of the word from dictionary.com: "choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having complicity". 

My point is that, according to his very absolute statement, Mr Wardle is suggesting that it is impossible that the girl, for whatever reason, might have gone after the man. Though we don't have access to the court records, there is evidence in many media sources that the girl at least initiated the contact, if not desired its final outcome. She was sexually experienced, and knew what she was getting into, up to a point. 

My point here is not to excuse the actions of the abuser in this case - as I've already said on this blog, although I write about situations such as these in my erotic literature, I don't agree with them in the real world. No, my issue is instead with those who would colour the world black and white. It's not so much that I want there to be creep in our society's position on sexual abuse just because kids like sex, but rather that any sort of sensible dialogue is impossible when such an attitude is taken.

Sensible, reasoned dialogue is important because without it we risk the real possibility that we might bury our heads in the sand on some extremely important issues. We can't speak in absolute terms because real life is never that polarised, and nor are the issues around child sexuality. Saying that a child is incapable of understanding what they are getting into when they climb into bed with another child or an adult means that by the same logic we either educate them, and risk them getting bored with our patronising attitude, or we don't educate them, and place the unaware fraction of them in greater risk. 

It is much better, to my mind, to say that yes, some kids want sex with adults, and are capable of making that decision. However, we must try to help them understand why this might work out badly for them. We cannot place all of the responsibility of a child's actions on the adult, because this disenfranchises the child.

This is a hugely unpopular view, I know, but to say the adult is the only party capable of making a sensible decision in a case of abuse is to risk missing a chance to tell kids to make sensible decisions. Don't go into the room with him - if it's just the two of you, and he's already been paying you compliments, chances are he wants to get in your pants. Educate kids so that they can keep themselves out of trouble. But don't take all responsibility away from them, because that will make them disrespect and ignore you, and your opinion, and that's the last thing you want...

First things first - a rant

It's probably bad form to start a blog this way, but the main reason I've come back to blogging under the name Zack McNaught is to get shouty at things. If you're reading this, it's probably because you're aware of my work. If you're not, don't go looking, you'll be in for a nasty surprise. NSFW... My first post on the new blog will be to make a serious statement about an issue which is extremely important in the context of intergenerational erotic literature.

I write what most people would consider to be highly unsavoury stories, even if in the darkness of the night they might quite enjoy them. I try to write about loving, non-abusive relationships, but under the generally accepted definitions of 'abuse', my stories by their very nature fall foul of this.

Recent events, on both a national and personal level, have highlighted in clearer terms than ever before the impact which unwanted attention can have on young souls, a devastating impact which can last a lifetime. Even 'wanted' contact can have disturbing long-term effects, when as a child grows up they realise that they've been 'abused' - I'm not even going to begin to get into the ethics of making people feel that they've been abused when previously they were happy with events; that's a discussion for another day.

It's vital, therefore, that we continue to hold to the doctrine that no unwarranted contact should be considered with an underage person, no matter how willing that child may be. The issue of 'consent' should always be considered with the qualifier 'informed' - it is part of the process of becoming an adult, and exploring the strange new realms which are opened to us at puberty with people our own age (and hopefully experience level), which allows us to comprehend and understand this strange new world in our own time. Remove that gradual process of learning and understanding, and you threaten to unduly affect the mind.

This isn't to say that every single intergenerational relationship will end in disaster - there's plenty of anecdotal evidence out there on the web to the contrary - but rather that the risk of things going wrong for the younger participant is extremely, extremely large.

What's the point of all this rambling? After all, I write stories portraying these very acts - why on Earth would I support abstinence? Doesn't that make me a hypocrite?

Well, perhaps it does, but I'm pretty sure my point still stands. My stories are just that - tales, fictions, unrealities. The people in them don't behave as normal people might. The dialogue is strained and too clearly manipulated. The actors never existed. I write these stories for my titillation, and to evoke the same reaction from my readers, and also because I simply enjoy writing, and I especially enjoy writing about subjects which I find interesting, and this certainly falls into that camp. They are a release valve, a mechanism by which I can help to relieve the tension which builds on a daily (even hourly) basis, and threatens to overwhelm common sense. Without this release, I may not be level-headed enough to take my own advice.

And, to counter those who would argue that I offer inspiration, I will say this: perhaps I do. Perhaps I mention something which someone hadn't thought of. But I don't think I turn a non-abuser into an abuser, any more than Agatha Christie novels make murderers out of otherwise placid souls. To accuse me of being the problem is to ignore the real root of the issue, and to excuse the protagonists.

By all means read my stories, but don't blame me if they lead you astray.