'Utterly disgusting’: Elon Musk blasts New York Times over 'paedophilia not a crime' article
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Utterly disgusting’: Elon Musk blasts New York Times over 'paedophilia not a crime' article")
NYT article, ELon Musk, Photo of Jeffrey Epstein and his victim release by DoJ Photograph: (WION Web Desk)
Why is Elon Musk attacking The New York Times over a decade-old opinion piece? His sharp reaction comes amid renewed outrage tied to the Jeffrey Epstein revelations.
What exactly did he say, and what was the article about? Scroll down to read more.
Elon Musk, the eccentric billionaire known for his often outlandish X posts, has hit out at the New York Times over a decade-old article titled "Pedophilia: A Disorder, Not a Crime". This comes amidst significant public outrage over the Jeffrey Epstein case, with new revelations from the infamous Epstein Files emerging daily and shocking the world.
What did Elon Musk say?
Musk reshared a post showing the cover image of an over a decade-old NYT opinion article by Margo Kaplan. The original post calls out the article with its caption: "No, it’s a crime...This is delusional".
Blasting the publication, Musk wrote, "The New York Times is utterly disgusting".
What does the article say about paedophilia?
The opinion piece by Margo Kaplan, a law professor at Rutgers University, suggests that paedophilia should be viewed through a mental health lens rather than a purely criminal behaviour.
"By some estimates, 1 per cent of the male population continues, long after puberty, to find themselves attracted to prepubescent children. These people are living with pedophilia, a sexual attraction to prepubescents that often constitutes a mental illness. Unfortunately, our laws are failing them and, consequently, ignoring opportunities to prevent child abuse," writes Kaplan.
In her article, Kaplan contends that while the sexual abuse of children remains illegal, recognising the act as a disorder instead of a crime could help people seek help before they act on their impulses.
She uses other mental health conditions, including substance abuse disorders, as examples. "Yet our laws ignore pedophilia until after the commission of a sexual offence, emphasising punishment, not prevention," she writes.
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Kaplan says that it is a "misconception" that "pedophilia is a choice". She contends that recent research, which she concedes is limited to sex offenders "because of the stigma of pedophilia" suggests that it "may have neurological origins".
"Pedophilia could result from a failure in the brain to identify which environmental stimuli should provoke a sexual response." She insists that there are people who suffer from the "disorder" and have vowed to "never to touch a child and yet live in terror".
"They must hide their disorder from everyone they know — or risk losing educational and job opportunities, and face the prospect of harassment and even violence. Many feel isolated; some contemplate suicide." However, she acknowledges that "There’s no question that the extension of civil rights protections to people with pedophilia must be weighed against the health and safety needs of others, especially kids. It stands to reason that a pedophile should not be hired as a grade-school teacher. "
