Essays and Theories
Essays and Theories
Most of the time, the internet is a world full of wonder and amazement. With
the right search tools, one can find more information concerning any subject in just one
day than one could find after weeks of searching in the pre-information highway era. There
is a child-like awe for me when I contemplate the speed with which the whole spectacle is
unfolding.
But just like a child, I too sometimes wander into places that have information that I
should avoid. The other night, when seeking new information on evolutionary psychology, I
collected one article that left me very disturbed. This time, I could not throw away the
article, nor ignore it, but found myself compelled to respond to its "findings."
The commercial search vehicle I was using found this "paper" amongst the
newsgroups. It was titled: "Attraction to Young Girls -- Evolution, not
Perversion:" The author of this paper was a one N.S. Aristoff. Dated 10 September 95,
the article was addressed to the following newsgroups: Alt.activism.children, alt.sex.,
alt.sex.pedophilia, alt.sex.intergen, and alt.sex.magazine. There was a second title under
the electronic addresses as well: Male Sexual Attraction to Pubescent and Adolescent
Girls: a Matter of Evolution, not Perversion.
This person was using the good name of evolutionary psychology to gather approval and
support for a morally wrong practice. Sex with children who are not ready for sexual
intimacy with an adult, for sexual gratification is wrong. Period. The reason for my
rebuttal to this paper is highly personal. I consider the emergence of evolutionary
psychology to be humankind's best hope to understand the emotional beginnings of our
species as we voyage the evolutionary waters. This is extremely important because, up till
now, most of our species has refused to consider ourselves as evolved from our lower
animal ancestors, from a world full of violence and "uncivilized" acts.
But understanding our emotions, and thus ourselves, is vital. Think of it this way. Once
we know how violence, aggression, bigotry, prejudice, and war originate in the human
brain, then we can begin to eliminate these scourges of humankind by modifying our
reactions to those emotions. Yes, we can make ourselves stop the emotion if we know where
and how it originates. If we understand ourselves; we understand our "enemy."
The bonus here is that once we know how the "negatives" in our brains work, then
we will also know how the "positives" work as well.
Now, it must be admitted from the beginning that everything our pedophile friend states in
his "paper" is correct. And the reason that everything is correct is because he
was quoting Donald Symons, a well regarded researcher, from the book, Sexual Nature,
Sexual Culture (1995, University Press). But Aristoff's error -- and it is a major
one -- is that he is using five pieces of a 50 piece puzzle to support his beliefs. (Here
I would like to point out that any quotes from the book are taken directly from Aristoff's
paper, and if any copyright violations have occurred in my rebuttal, then I suggest you
contact Mr. Aristoff.)
Although the author of this paper quotes Symons very heavily, he starts off by
paraphrasing Mr. Symons by explaining that in preliterate people (italics mine)
women almost always were married by the time they were close to nubility. That is correct.
But the important fact that this pedophile missed was the word preliterate. In other
words, 25,000 years ago, the selection of a female on the cusp of nubility was the
genetically determined norm. There are very little theories as to the origin of
pedophilia, but I hazard to guess that when the all young, strong male hunters left for
the hunt, then the logical conclusion must be is to decide who was left behind? Women,
children, and (old, injured?) men who could not participate in the hunt. The older,
mature males most likely were given the control of the remaining group for protection of
the women and children. These males were most likely then given access to, and most likely
took advantage of the situation for their own genetic advantage. How long did this
timeline behavior last? 100,000 years? 200,000? One can only speculate.
However, records today reinforce this theory by the overwhelming statistics that
seem to indicate pedophiles to be in their late forties to fifties (Old by ancestral
standards). Thankfully, morality and the concept of proper age differential has
taken hold in our societies and remain in effect today. But, the genetic
predisposition of the older male and much younger female most likely remains in place.
The male gender's willingness to participate in sex act is well known to last well
into his seventies and beyond(if he can find a willing partner). And, yes, it also
most likely remains in its proper proportion in the young female in knowing what the older
male wants -- and using that internal information to gather resources for herself.
One major assumption of evolutionary psychology that our pedophile friend is not aware of,
due to his eagerness to justify pedophilia, is that genes are responsible for only 20 to
40 percent of our behavior -- we react and adapt to 60 to 80 percent to our environment.
The environment primarily means the culture that is all around us. In short, our behavior
is influenced, not controlled by our genetic software. -- unless we allow that software to
influence our decisions and directions. Although at times it seems that we are out of
control, we can control our inner yearnings that push us toward both great achievements or
"perversions." That is what makes us human.
Let me quote Aristoff here: "Most evolutionary psychologists doing research and
theory acknowledge that men are sexually attracted by youthful appearance." He is
correct. Men throughout history have been attracted by youthful appearance, but the
primary reason is not to have sex with sexually immature young adults for orgasmic
releases, but rather to insure the passage of one's genes into the next generation. By
selecting a "young" female, the male increases the timeline in which to have
children. To our ancestral males, judging the health and procreative vitality of a
potential mate was done by visually comparing the physical strength (body muscularity) and
"beauty" (skin tone) of the female. An important point is that a pre-menstrual
female was not likely to have been impregnated by another male, hence guaranteeing the
validity of genetic origin for the selecting male. To quote Aristoff again:
"This tendency toward attraction to visual cues which indicate nubility (i.e., bodily
and facial characteristics) is confirmed among the Yanonamo, who are preliterate peoples
of Southern Venezuela and Northern Brazil who lived in undisturbed aboriginal
conditions."
Ah, yes! The Yanomano sect of South America. If our pedophile friend had done more
homework in evolutionary psychology though he would have also discovered that the males of
this sect engage in frequent chest-pounding contests, which occasionally escalate into
duels with axes. Since the cultural norm of this sect dictates that physical strength and
stamina equate to greater reproductive success through attracting females, the males on
occasion participate in the ravaging and looting of neighboring villages. Once a village
is vanquished, the killing of the male inhabitants is then used as a sign of added courage
and status. When that is done, the kidnapping and gang rape of the village women then
commences. Another cultural custom of the Yanomano directed at women is that if a Yanomano
warrior's wife decided that she is fed up with her husband, he has to right to cut off her
ears.
Our pedophile friend then goes on to directly quote from Mr. Symons' book concerning hip
to waist ratios which tend to indicate a preference to thin hipped women (and young males,
as our pedophile friend seemed to suggest). Mr. Artistoff then devotes several more
paragraphs to studies done by Mr. Symons concerning computer-generated faces of young
females. Males from all over the world, many different cultures, considered these faces
attractive. Mr. Aristoff then goes on to say that
If the Yanomano had "skin" magazines they would not feature any centerfold
models as old as twenty-one, but they would feature some fourteen-year-olds. In fact about
90 percent of Yanomano females are copulating with sexually mature males by the time they
are fourteen years old. ....During the course of human evolutionary history men may have
been betrothed and even married to prepubescent girls, as often occurs among living preliterate
(the emphasis is mine) peoples."
This is a very important point. Please see my essay Evolutionary Psychology and Natural
Rejection: Thoughts on Rejection in the Mating Process, which theorizes that
African-American and Mexican-American females reach menarche earlier than their Caucasian
females. It's their "tougher" environments which requires, then creates this
disposition towards early menstrual cycles. It is the same situation for Yanomano women.
On the subject of fertility timing, also see Chisholm,"Death, Hope and Sex: Life
History Theory and the Development of Reproductive Strategies," Current
Anthropology-34"1-46, and Geronimus,"What Teen Mothers Know," Human
Nature-Vol. 7, No. 4, 96.
The second reason that I must reply to this paper of pedophilia is that my step-daughter,
(she asked that I not use her name), was sexually molested at the age of ten. This
intelligent, trusting, and caring young women, who is now 22, still carries the mental
scars of that day. Because of this one act -- by a person of trust at her middle school,
she is to this day incapable of having a "normal" relationship with a male --
any male. This includes both emotional and physical relationships; with her natural
father, any male friends at college, and myself. There have been many times when I have
practiced random acts of kindness towards her which, from a emotionally secure
step-daughter, would have easily generated a physical hug in response. But in my
stepdaughter's case, I see the thought of giving a hug to me racing though her brain; her
facial expressions and pre-body movements indicate the act is close, but always, always
this simple sign of affection is withheld at the last moment. It pains me emotionally, but
I understand. I will not abandon my attempts at kindness.
There have been two occasions when I was writing in the den and I would hear her
whimpering as she slept on the couch in the living room. I would come out to see her
asleep on her back, with one hand raised as holding off an aggressor, crying out in a
muffled voice, "No, please -- please no, it hurts." After a few moments the
painful quiet wail would let out the words, "mummy -- please, I want my mummy."
On both occasions I resisted waking her, not wanting the dream image to coincide with the
visual reality of seeing myself above her. I thought it best to just report the incidents
to her mother.
The incident of that tragic day took several years to emerge. My stepdaughter, thinking
the incident was primarily her fault, kept the vile act to herself. Like any emotion that
is confined and not allowed to take its proper course within the brain, this led to actual
physical alterations in her health and emotional instability. (For a superb confirmation
of this, please read the new and popular book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel
Goleman, Bantam Books, 1995, especially chapter eleven, "Mind and Medicine.")
My stepdaughter is an artist and a poet of rare talent. Throughout her school years her
writing was regularly showcased in scholastic publications. Then that tragic day occurred
and her poetry and etchings took on the twisted course of violent revenge. Her poems cried
of depressed feelings and rage; her drawings took on the look of black blood drops
emerging from crying eyes. In some of her drawings an aggressive female warrior is
severing the heads of several unfortunate males. Both her mother and I agreed that
something was definitely wrong in her behavior, poetry, and artwork. We thought it best to
begin therapy sessions with psychiatric professionals. After four years of sessions, and
untold dollars spent, the forced sexual act was uncovered. It was explained to her that it
was not her fault. Both her mother and I agree that the worst is over, but we also know
that the scar is so deep that it may still take longer to heal before she can continue her
life. In the meantime, both her mother and I remain hopeful.
Our pedophile friend then ends his paper with a plea for understanding:
But those who continue to foam at the mouth that attraction to young girls is some
unspeakable perversion can only do so from an irrational faith in the myths created by
religion and politics.
The other 45 pieces of the puzzle that have been missing up till now in this rebuttal are
important ones. Our genetic foundation includes not only male sexual aggressiveness toward
females, but morality, and the innate basis for trust in young children towards adults. I
want to discuss first the trust that a child has for an adult. This innate trusting that
children have for an adult is extremely important in the learning process of every child.
The passing of genes into the next generation begins again at the birth of each of our
children. These little people carry not only our genes, but the entire ladder of our
ancestry. We must insure this passage through trust and understanding. I believe that this
trust is passed to children by both parents, but mostly the mother, into a non-verbal bond
which we call love. Because of this bond, we trust our adult teachers to give us accurate
information about our immediate environment in order to help us make it, not just for that
day, but through our lives. I strongly believe that when "normal" sexual
reproductive outlets are blocked, as with priests, prison inmates, and in our case here,
the pedophile, whose lack of self-esteem has created timidity in his relationships with
"normal" women, the brain still attempts to follow the DNA instructions for
reproduction. (See my essay: Evolutionary Psychology and the Male "Criminal"
Mind). When a pedophile gains the trust of a child, he may think that this
"trust" is a physical attraction. The actions of a child to draw near and
"believe" the adult is an innate reaction to expect "no harm,"
information and nurturing. At that moment, the pedophile is reacting to the genetic
cascade of hormones driving him to what he believes is "normal" reproductive
behavior. It is at this moment that he may resort to physical aggressiveness to
fulfill these "instructions."
The second part of this 45 piece missing puzzle is the innate sexual aggressiveness of the
male. We can not get around this in a polite manner: Our world is dominated by males by
the evolved interactions of strength and stamina. Thirty-thousand years ago, these traits
helped to perpetuate our genes and ensured our survival. Today these traits, while complex
and varied, are still in place. Males form alliances with other males in competition with
other males in the competition for the prize of obtaining resources. Today those resources
take the form of money, homes, cars, professions, and positions of power over others. Part
of this aggressive heritage is the sexual dominance of females by force. According to
studies done in the wild today, our chimpanzee female cousins do have a choice in their
reproductive partners. But in a small percentage, rape and forced sexual performance is
sometimes found. Although I can dismiss the practice as too horrid to contemplate, I still
have to say that the genetic basis for sexual aggressiveness toward the female exists in
the male brain. (Once again, see the above essay).
The final part of this missing 45 piece puzzle has to do with society and the moving
invisible wall of "normality," and "morality." What is normal and
moral? Well, let me tell you a little story and take our brains back 30,000 years ago to a
social grouping of our ancestors. Here we are in a group located somewhere on the savanna.
The group is gathered together in a large meeting area and formed a large circle. Everyone
in the group is naked and everyone knows everyone else in the group. The group is gathered
to discuss and judge the behavior that just occurred by a person named "Calvin
Klein." It seems that Mr. Klein, who owns a underwear company, had his company run an
advertisement campaign which had showed photographs of young teenage male and females who
were provocatively posed in peek-a-boo poses showing glimpses of his famous underwear
covering the area where their genitals were located. The visual connection to our innate
stored knowledge of where another person's genitals are located is quite obvious. Our
brains automatically drifted to those areas that morally we have kept off limits. Members
in the group were not pleased at the visual trickery. The group loudly protested the
actions of Mr. Klein's campaign as morally wrong and out of the bounds of normality. To
show their displeasure, the group threw sticks, stones, various fruits and rotten
vegetables at Mr. Klein, accompanying the physical thrusts with verbal abuse. Mr. Klein
not only promptly removed his person from the group, but also removed the controversial
advertisement campaign from circulation. Get the point of the story? Morality is a
constantly changing vehicle of behavioral "normality" permitted by any dominant
cultural group at any given moment in time. Do some behavior that may be on the
"edge," and the group may or may not respond with rotten vegetables. If nothing
occurs, then most likely, the new practice becomes the leading edge of behavior that would
be permissible and followed by those who wish to follow. After several generational
shifts, the behavior, if still alive in practice, becomes a "norm" of moral
behavior. This norm, if important to survival of the species, is transferred from
generation to generation, affecting the balance of brain chemistry and hence emotions and
behaviors that eventually become genetic instruction. How long this takes is still mere
speculation.
So in conclusion, I want to say to my pedophilia friend that, yes, there are innate
genetic preferences for males to be attracted to young females (and males). Your
affliction is not "perversion," but it is not evolutionary either because the
"morality" of the vast majority of the adults in our society will not allow the
practice to become "normal." In fact the practice will continue to be met with
rotten vegetables and verbal thrusts -- as it should. Hence the behavior will fade in time
because it will not become a "permissible cultural norm." But in the meantime, I
realize that this gives you little comfort. I know that deep in your genes are the
hormonal secretions of the "propagation software program" flowing to your brain,
commanding you to pass on your genetic heritage. What is needed is not acceptance of your
predicament, but understanding from the scientific, political, and law enforcement
communities to rethink their destructive attitudes towards pedophiles and homosexuals.
(Yes, I also believe that we will find a genetic predisposition for homosexuality.) I only
have a glimpse of several possibilities as what to do -- perhaps a virtual reality sexual
surrogate program -- but I know that those in the scientific community must have the
courage to approach this subject so long avoided.
Trapping the Frankenstein monster of pedophilia into the dark castle by an inflamed mob
will only force this unacceptable sexual practice into dark and hidden places making it
harder to locate. It would just add to the misery of missing and abused children and
untold agony of parents affected. If not, there will continually be places on this planet
where sexual slavery of our youth will be permitted in order to meet the invisible hand of
commerce that dictates: Need creates Demand which creates Exchange.
If Moses were to return from the mountain today with a new set of Commandments
from God for the 90's, I sense that the first new Commandment will be: Never
harm a child. Never. Ever.
Origin: November 1995
Updated: September, 1998
Copyright Evolution's Voyage & William A. Spriggs 1995 - 2008