Posted On: January 22, 2007, 10:49 pm CST

Posted By: Jane

AZUW - I don't think there is suddenly a rash increase of predators. Some of our politicians and the media are having a grand time generating "politics of fear" and "media hype". I got into studying the issue and what I learned is that the true numbers are not increasing. It is how the numbers are counted. The FBI is counting every communication between two people that is sexually suggestive, as solicitation. That includes two teenage girls talking to each other online about what they do with their boyfriends.

The "predators" are in majority - males looking to meet females for what is really just that old normal birds and bees/boy meets girl or vice versa stuff. When I went checking myspace out as a parent, I saw teenage girls all over the place lying about their age - well I guess we did that too when I was one. Except now, it really works well to feed the irrational hysteria that is going on when an older male falls into the teenage girls trap.

I might also add that the internet is a place where people can present themselves to be anything and anybody. And so many are doing exactly that. It is not for purposes of preying on others. It rather is like superegos expressing inner fantansies and playing out roles. They are having fun and as teenagers have always loved to do, freaking out the establishment in their process.

I would bet those FBI guys are having a heck of a lot more fun too playing sex police rather than going after real criminals.