Famous NY Catholic priest says:

[Racket_Man]

BLAME THE VICTUM. and first time offenders should NOT go to jail.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/catholic-pr...ry?id=17114892

An article with most of the interview that originally appeared in the National Register (now gone).
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/...?storyid=15427

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

Could that guy look any creepier? My goodness.

[LadyBarbossa]

Seduced by teenage boys, so it's not the abuser's fault? Are you kidding me? "This POOR guy", ie, Sandusky, really?

Okay. In that case, if a person is molested or raped and they pull out their pocketknife and cut the molester's dick or fingers off, they shouldn't go to jail or be charged, either, since it was their first offense and they didn't intend to commit a crime.

[Nekojin]

The blame lies with the person in a position of power. For all practical purposes, an entry-level secretary can't sexually harrass a CEO, since the CEO has the power to immediately end the harrassment by firing her. Similarly, in the example case that Rev. Groeschel mentions, the adult can't be forced to do something by a child - the kid doesn't have power over the adult, unless the adult allows it in some fashion.

No sympathy, and I have no respect for this priest.

[crashhelmet]

the kid doesn't have power over the adult, unless the adult allows it in some fashion.

This is where it all lies. it doesn't matter what the situation is. Whether it's a teacher and a student, priest and parishioner, employer and employee, family members, or complete strangers, everything lies in who takes control and who submits themselves to be controlled.

While it's rarely reported in the stories that come out, there are minors that seduce adults. I was 20 when I did my internship and 21 when I got my first job as a teacher. I had high school girls flirting with me all the time to the point that I had installed video cameras into my band & choir rooms to record everything and cover my ass.

There are also countless tales of "gold diggers" that seduce someone for their money or a job or with the intent purpose of either blackmailing them or getting pregnant by them to sue for support.

People, regardless of age and position, can be vulnerable. They can have their vulnerabilities exploited. And there are those that will gladly take advantage of those vulnerabilities.

[Nekojin]

People, regardless of age and position, can be vulnerable. They can have their vulnerabilities exploited. And there are those that will gladly take advantage of those vulnerabilities.

...and people shouldn't put themselves in positions where their vulnerabilities can be exploited by those who wouldn't otherwise have power over them. Particularly in the adults/minors situation - the adult is fully responsible for his/her actions, while the minor can still be said to have immature judgment. Even if the minor were actually the instigator, the adult is still responsible for the situation, because he/she has the real power in the situation.

Someone who has secret fantasies about banging 16-year-olds shouldn't take a job as a high school teacher. Someone who has pederastic/pedophilic urges shouldn't go be a priest (or any position that deals with children). No matter how strong you think you can be, you may eventually run into someone who can push your buttons, and get you to do things that put you in the doghouse. Or jail.

[crashhelmet]

...and people shouldn't put themselves in positions where their vulnerabilities can be exploited by those who wouldn't otherwise have power over them. Particularly in the adults/minors situation - the adult is fully responsible for his/her actions, while the minor can still be said to have immature judgment. Even if the minor were actually the instigator, the adult is still responsible for the situation, because he/she has the real power in the situation.

Someone who has secret fantasies about banging 16-year-olds shouldn't take a job as a high school teacher. Someone who has pederastic/pedophilic urges shouldn't go be a priest (or any position that deals with children). No matter how strong you think you can be, you may eventually run into someone who can push your buttons, and get you to do things that put you in the doghouse. Or jail.

Agreed, but it needs to be remembered that not all "victims" are completely innocent.

[HYHYBT]

This is getting very close to the one case where I feel "blaming the victim" is appropriate: a convincing lie about age.

[Nyoibo]

The blame lies with the person in a position of power. For all practical purposes, an entry-level secretary can't sexually harrass a CEO, since the CEO has the power to immediately end the harrassment by firing her.

You really don't want to go down that path, an entry level secretary can sexually harass a CEO, just as easily as a CEO can sexually harass the entry level secretary, after all, the secretary has the power to immediately end the harassment by quitting.

[Nekojin]

You really don't want to go down that path, an entry level secretary can sexually harass a CEO, just as easily as a CEO can sexually harass the entry level secretary, after all, the secretary has the power to immediately end the harassment by quitting.

The situations are not similar. With a CEO harrassing a secretary, the secretary's choices are both negative - endure and/or submit to the harrassment, or quit and have to start looking for a job. With a secretary "harrassing" a CEO, the CEO doesn't have to submit to the harrassment at all, since he holds the secretary's job in his hands - he can do something that is positive for himself, by firing the secretary.

Power imbalance matters when you're talking about harrassment.

[HYHYBT]

It does. But that makes harassment by the person with less power *less likely,* not impossible.