Is "catch a predator" really a catch for aspies?

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I got to paragraph six before I realized it would take a while to get to the point of the thread. Then I gave up.

As for the title... trap for Aspies? Are you suggesting only Aspies are pedophiles?

I realized it sounds like I was talking about at least two different topics (one being finding a thesis advisor for ph.d. and the other being catch a predator show). But here is a connection: in both cases the following takes place:

a) A person is judged by intentions as opposed to actions

b) A person is being pushed to follow their "wishes" even if they insist on not wanting to

In case of my finding a thesis advisor people made an "assessment" that I was not interested in a project at hand based on some "words" I have misspoken. Based on that, they refused to be my advisors (part a), and also they tried to encourage me to look for an advisor that is better match for my intersts, no matter how much I insisted it doens't matter for me (part b).

In case of catch the predator show, they judge people by their intentions, that is, based on what they write to decoy. They never actually talk to minors, since the decoy is 19 years old. But they punish them SOLELY by their intentions to do so (part a). Then, there were few predators who were quite cautious in the chat and/or when they came to see a decoy. But decoy was encoraging them to follow through, since that is what they presumably want (part b).

Now, the way BOTH of the above relates to aspies is this: aspies don't actually DO anything wrong. But NT-s judge them by their attitudes, which comes off wrongly due to their poor verbal and non verbal social skills (part a). Then, when an aspie insists that they DO want to socialize after all, NT-s tell them not to worry about it and to stay isolated since PRESUMABLY aspies "don't want" to socialize, no matter how many times they say that they do (part b).

Now, regarding whether or not I said aspies are pedophiles, no, they aren't. BUT they can easilly be MISTAKEN for a pedophile. Suppose, for example, aspie never heard of a law that you shouldn't date a minor, and then he goes to date a minor out of desperation since they are lonely. And yes, NOT HAVEN HEARD of something is very much related to Asperger. When I went to graduate school, I haven't heard that in graduate school research is more important than courses; hence, I focused on courses and neglected research which put me into trouble. There are plenty of things I haven't heard of. In fact, I don't even know when I would have learned about 911, if my mommy didn't call me that evening to tell me what happened.

Now, another scenario is suppose an aspie did hear about the minor thing but didn't take it seriously. There are plenty of things I havne't taken seriously. A number of people were telling me that research IS important, not just courses. But I ignored it until I was nearly expelled for not doing research. Also, a lot of people told me that making good impression on professors is important. Again, I ignored it until AFTER I finished ph.d. When I went to India to do post doc I FINALLY realized that DESPITE my good progress on research, no one wants to pay attention to it because I come off unfriendly. I was told about it YEARS before but I didn't care until I had to face it.

So what if there is an aspie who heard that you shouldn't be with a minor, but didn't care until he faces it. Then, when he faces it, it turns out that he has NO PEDOPHILE TENDENCIES WHAT SO EVER. The ONLY reason he went to see a minor was just because he was bored and didn't have anything better to do. But no one believes him. They all tihnk he has such a strong sexual desire to see a minor that even a jail sentence is worht it. That is why the actress tried so hard to perswade him to follow thoruhg: she thought she was doing him a favor, just like professors thought they were doing me a favor when they refused to take me on just so that I can find a better match (never mind that I was in danger of being expelled).

Exactly.

The people on "To Catch a Predator" = perverts, who are probably neurotypical - they "act weird" when they are caught, because they KNOW they were doing something they weren't supposed to, and are trying to worm their way out of it. As for the fact that they weren't REALLY talking to underage kids, the important thing is, that they THOUGHT that they were talking to underage kids - it doesn't really matter whether they were talking to a real 12-year-old or to a 20-year-old decoy, because they were under the impression that they were saying all those disgusting things to 12-year-olds.

It has nothing to do with being an Aspie.

But why would an aspie tell a fake minor they want to show them what sex is like or make out with them if they aren't planning to do it? You have noticed in that show how all these men tell the decoy they want to have sex with them and show them what it's like and what it is?

exactly.
i've seen that show a few times and it's not even uncommon for the pervert to bring beer/condoms/sex toys with them from te episodes i've seen.
which kinda shoots down the OP's theory of some misunderstood desperately lonely aspies getting busted on the show simply for thinking they were travelling simply to "hang out" with a minor.

People who come just to "hang out" have no business loading their car full of freshly-bought beer and condoms

it is not conceivable that anyone with any modicum of intelligence would have never heard that there is a law against "dating" a minor. even if it was true that a person never heard that it is "against the law", the fact that they are attracted to immature humans is still a perversion. children are not sexually attractive to a healthy mind, and if someone is attracted to children, then they are not normal, and they are dangerous.

if i never knew it was against the law to kill another person, i would still innately know it is wrong. if it became legal to kill people, i would still be as resistant to the idea as i am now. it does not take "laws" made by others for me to to know what is right or wrong.


that is still no excuse. even if you can not see why it is wrong, and you think that you should not be punished because you do not perceive the wrongness in it, it does not mean that society is going to say "oh well, we will let you do it then".

the point is that perverts are incarcerated to protect children. whether or not the pervert perceives that what he is doing is wrong is inconsequential. the potential for a child to be abused by someone who does not have any idea why it is wrong to abuse them is circumvented by the incarceration of the person who has a high likelyhood of abusing children no matter what reason the person may have for doing so.

on another note, i must admit i am driven to hysterical laughter when the pervert is suddenly exposed. it is amazing to watch a person trying to back pedal out of a black hole.

I guess the lesson for both the OP with his potential advisor AND the hypothetical Aspie chatting about perversions they didn't intend to actually do with a minor is this: "Don't say stuff you don't mean."