r/nottheonion • u/DerangedUnicorn27 • 6d ago

Convicted child rapist qualifies for Olympics

https://www.newsweek.com/steven-van-de-velde-dutch-beach-volleyball-olympics-1918442
19.3k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

827

u/groveborn 6d ago

Rehab isn't about making people sorry it's about keeping them from reoffending.

I'm not clear how to stop a pedophile from reoffending. Well, I mean, nonviolently.

537

u/sunshine10zeros 6d ago

Usually the first step in rehab is admitting you have a problem? Or caused damage. He hasn’t or doesn’t take any personal accountability. And even didn’t pay the full sentence of 4 years .

0

u/Hideous4our 6d ago

Some obsessions don’t go away this is one of them

39

u/syizm 6d ago

I'm not saying you're wrong but how do you know?

17

u/ACoconutInLondon 6d ago

This is what was reported:

Upon his release, Van de Velde reportedly said: "I have been branded as a sex monster, as a paedophile. That I am not, really not."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-39292039

6

u/2canbehumble 6d ago

He’s a convicted p. Without remorse, without serving his sentence and now representing his country. Civilization has well and truly broken down. Karma where are you?

13

u/SoldierOf4Chan 6d ago

We censoring "pedophile" now?

-3

u/Senior_Ad680 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/YodasGrundle 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-6

u/Senior_Ad680 6d ago

I wish, but I believe in justice. Actual justice, not pretending these people will get better.

But good for you supporting the pedo in this situation. How strong of you.

5

u/be_kind_n_hurt_nazis 6d ago

I suppose on one level it's that we can't objectively measure whether it has gone away or not. We can know what they say, and sometimes know if they pursue or reoffend. But we cannot know if they are still attracted to children.

10

u/littlebobbytables9 6d ago

If they don't reoffend who gives a fuck

2

u/be_kind_n_hurt_nazis 6d ago

In this context, because you don't know if they're re-offending unless they get caught again.

-5

u/sunshine10zeros 5d ago

The victim?? All victims. This whole situation is sending a clear message.

5

u/littlebobbytables9 5d ago

This comment thread is obviously not about the situation in the OP. The claim I made is simply that I don't care what fucked up things go on in someone's head as long as they don't reoffend.

1

u/Intrepid-Reading6504 6d ago

Thought experiments are great for this. Imagine you lived in a society where attraction to adults was viewed the same way we view pedophilia. Would any sort of punishment or societal condemnation change your urges? Mine would remain the same. 

 We can assume pedos are similar to us but reversed

10

u/IdentifiableBurden 6d ago

That's not a good assumption, as a victim of pedophilia who has done a lot of both research and therapy on the subject. 

A better analogy, at least in the types of cases I'm familiar with, would be a short-circuit. There's something in the sexual attraction part of the brain that got crosswired with the childish empathy-seeking part of the brain, most often (though not always) due to being molested as a child themselves. Adult pedophiles often honestly believe that the child is initiating the relationship because their perception of attraction and human contact is damaged or impaired. 

There are also examples that arise more out of sexual frustration and a lack of inhibition, or of power-assertion over the vulnerable, both of which often lead to cases like teenagers molesting younger family members. Less common in adults who have other options.

I can't speak to this individual but I do believe it's possible for someone to heal that damage and develop a healthy differentiation between sexual attraction and feelings of connection/protection. Not everyone is capable of that healing nor does everyone want to heal from it, and those are the ones who should be locked up. But without being a clinician deeply invested in the individual, we can't know from the outside.

0

u/littlebobbytables9 6d ago

Sometimes I feel the urge to strangle a coworker but I've yet to actually do it

1

u/2canbehumble 6d ago

There’s always a risk.

4

u/IdentifiableBurden 6d ago

That risk is present in every human, prior offender or not.

-4

u/belowmie 6d ago

lol no way, most people have 0% chance of raping a minor. That's a lot of projection you've got there

3

u/IdentifiableBurden 5d ago

Life experience has taught me that the more a person presents themselves to me as safe, the more they deny that they have the capacity for harm in general or in specific; the less safe they actually are, especially when no one is watching. 

 Have a lovely day.

1

u/Chromotron 5d ago

most people have 0% chance of raping a minor

[citation needed]

A lot of people get very fucked up when they get horny, especially if they have been "needy" since a long time. From incels to war criminals.