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NEWS: Man Pleads Guilty to Coercing Girl He Met at Anime Con

having low self esteem explains promiscuity but it doesn't excuse it.

just like how if we found out that the guy was molested as a child by his step father or some other random crap it would explain his perversion for little kids, but it wouldn't excuse it. Nothing would excuse it.

While this particular offense did not occur at the anime convention itself, the amount of "off the record" rumors I've been told regarding actual at-convention incidents of this very crime on the part of anime dub voice actors alone is great enough to practically fill a book. In fact...one of them HAS written a book! One may say that rumors are just that, but here in Florida the founder and chair of what is advertised as the largest anime convention in the state (personally, I wouldn't call it an "anime convention"...) was himself convicted of a similar crime as what is being discussed. Callous as it is on my part, this story strikes me less as an anomalous anime convention occurrence and more of a "this is the one they actually caught" one.

I highly doubt that cross-checking pre-registered attendees versus public offender registries would significantly deter such a crime from taking place. Let's say for the sake of example that such a system is implemented: that a sex offender pre-registers for a convention, and the registration staff after carrying out the MASSIVELY time-consuming task of looking up every single pre-reg finds a match. The person's pre-registration is thus rejected. What, then, is to stop this hypothetical person from simply buying their badge at the door? You don't need to show any form of ID at an anime convention. Most people don't even identify themselves by their actual names, and even if you knew what the person looked like, masking of faces is commonplace at such gatherings.

As such, even if Katsucon implements such a system I don't see such a practice becoming the standard for anime conventions any time soon. It's completely unfeasible for small conventions due to a lack of staff, and larger conventions would require thousands if not tens of thousands of manual lookup operations.

Teriyaki Terrier wrote:

But I wonder, the guy is in the late 30's, why didn't he just date women around his age or at the very least someone around 18 or so?

While I can't condone the offender's actions, how many single women in their 30s (or even 20s) do you typically see at anime conventions, clubs, or other such advertised gatherings of anime fans? Statistically speaking, there aren't really any in attendance.

"Promiscuity" doesn't need an excuse because promiscuity is not an illegal or morally reprehensible activity.

Promiscuity is also not what happened here.

There's scads of research that suggests that even at 18 years old and older your brain isn't fully formed to the point that you can make fully rational decisions about your well-being. Calling a thirteen year old girl a "slut" because she was taken advantage of is detestable. You are stripping this girl of her personhood. "She was asking for it" is one of the worst sentences in the English language. Why do you say it? Does it make feel better about yourself that you weren't "that stupid" when you were young? Maybe you weren't smarter, just luckier.

"Promiscuity" doesn't need an excuse because promiscuity is not an illegal or morally reprehensible activity.

Actually, in some parts of the world it is illegal.

If you actually believed in the moral codes of a Christian, a Traditional Buddhist, or a Muslim you will acknowledge that what she did was morally reprehensible, and she should share some responsibility with the pervert she had physical relations with.

When I was that age I normally hung out by myself so I would get occasionally hit on by middle aged creepers. I've had old strange men try to get me in their car before, but funny thing is, a simple snub always seemed to work. I never gave any old dudes my contact information at least thats for sure. Sure, kids that young aren't capable of making fully rational decisions, and yes, she was clearly taken advantage of, but thats not to say they don't have some sense in what they're doing. If you truly believe that nothing a kid does is there fault then your going to have a hell of a hard time punishing your kids when they mess up. So by your logic were the girls at your high school that slept around not sluts (not that its a bad thing, it just is what it is), and instead they were just being raped every other night?

I mean, these foolish little girls with their tiny undeveloped female brains couldn't possibly be expected to be able to make any of their own decisions on who puts there p in their v let alone anything else in their life ()

This thread is becoming the talk of Twitter, and who knows where else. I'm sad for ANN. I'm sad for it's fan community too.

Some of the opinions expressed here (read: any blaming the minor for being coerced) turn my stomach. It's depressing and outrageous just how many people commenting here seem to advocate those views.

If there weren't misanthropic manchildren in every subculture, I'd be ashamed to ID myself as an anime fan.

We aren't all sexual deviants of course, though the public at large will continue to stereotype us as such, no thanks to the criminal mentioned in the article and the people defending him or demonizing the victim here.

And when that leads to further derision by the general public, and further scrutiny by law enforcement, when an opportunistic politician attempts to use Anime and its fans for cheap political gain, who to blame?

It's not that 13 year old child.

Strawberryelle wrote:

When I was that age I normally hung out by myself so I would get occasionally hit on by middle aged creepers. I've had old strange men try to get me in their car before, but funny thing is, a simple snub always seemed to work. I never gave any old dudes my contact information at least thats for sure. Sure, kids that young aren't capable of making fully rational decisions, and yes, she was clearly taken advantage of, but thats not to say they don't have some sense in what they're doing. If you truly believe that nothing a kid does is there fault then your going to have a hell of a hard time punishing your kids when they mess up. So by your logic were the girls at your high school that slept around not sluts (not that its a bad thing, it just is what it is), and instead they were just being raped every other night?

Your experiences are not the standard, do not and should not represent the experiences of every other person in the world. I don't judge people who smoke, drink, or have casual sex because I know enough not to impose my lifestyle on anyone else.

What you are doing is truly slut-shaming, and reeks of misogyny. If she were male, you wouldn't give it another thought. Like it or not, there is a male bias in society where having sex with multiple people is acceptable, and even encouraged by many, for men, but perish the thought of women having a sex life.

But that is so very beyond the point when it comes to this case. This is not a case of high school girls, who are usually at least 15 as opposed to 13 (this can be a huge difference in intelligence/common sense), but a case of a previously convicted sex offender luring a young girl out and molesting her, then admitting to it with his plea. To call her a slut or insinuate she's to blame for being manipulated, again, shows that one is out of touch with such issues. Aside from running away, she's an innocent victim.

Strawberryelle wrote:

I mean, these foolish little girls with their tiny undeveloped female brains couldn't possibly be expected to be able to make any of their own decisions on who puts there p in their v let alone anything else in their life (9_9)

When they're raped, no, they can't. Surely this isn't new information.

Some of the opinions expressed here (read: any blaming the minor for being coerced) turn my stomach. It's depressing and outrageous just how many people commenting here seem to advocate those views.

What you are doing is truly slut-shaming, and reeks of misogyny. If she were male, you wouldn't give it another thought. Like it or not, there is a male bias in society where having sex with multiple people is acceptable, and even encouraged by many, for men, but perish the thought of women having a sex life.

Whatsmore, your understanding of the Five Precepts and the Eightfold Path is, to be blunt, wrong on almost all levels. Google it. You'll find 2 thing, 1) sexual activity isn't "morally reprehensible" in anyway, it is merely unpure and a distraction from the path to enlightenment, and 2) the suggestion that one abstain from sexual activity is only for a person who is on the path, not for a lay-person.

As for Christians, you are essentially right that her behavior was amoral, but she did not commit a cardinal sin (somewhat a catholic point of view) and if you truly understand Christianity, you'd look the more to the gospel (in particular the beatitudes and John 8:2-11) than to the old testament.

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Some of the opinions expressed here (read: any blaming the minor for being coerced) turn my stomach. It's depressing and outrageous just how many people commenting here seem to advocate those views.

I am not blaming her for being coerced. I am blaming her for willingly having carnal knowledge without her parents approval and without being married.

Quote:

What you are doing is truly slut-shaming, and reeks of misogyny. If she were male, you wouldn't give it another thought. Like it or not, there is a male bias in society where having sex with multiple people is acceptable, and even encouraged by many, for men, but perish the thought of women having a sex life.

I love how feminists assume hypocrisy. I condemn the bastard who had sex with the girl and lied to her. Strawberryelle never said she didn't think the same.
Assume good faith.

Quote:

Whatsmore, your understanding of the Five Precepts and the Eightfold Path is, to be blunt, wrong on almost all levels. Google it. You'll find 2 thing, 1) sexual activity isn't "morally reprehensible" in anyway, it is merely unpure and a distraction from the path to enlightenment, and 2) the suggestion that one abstain from sexual activity is only for a person who is on the path, not for a lay-person. As for Christians, you are essentially right that her behavior was amoral, but she did not commit a cardinal sin (somewhat a catholic point of view) and if you truly understand Christianity, you'd look the more to the gospel (in particular the beatitudes and John 8:2-11) than to the old testament.

I was using Tradtitional Buddhism as a catch all for the patriarchal cultures of the Far East. I don't believe a religion can be understood outside of it's actual practice. I could have included Hinduism.
I am a Roman Catholic, and a Cardinal Sin is strictly speaking only a cardinal sin. It is a sin that can lead to greater sins, but most of them are Venial (minor) sins on their own. Sexual sins are almost inherently in the category Grave sins, sins that are required to be confessed to a priest. Only the Old Testament ritual and punitive law has expired, not Old Testament morality.

This is my last post on the subject. We all know where we stand.