[function_seven]

Good link to explain why "CSAM" is being used in lieu of "CP"

https://www.adfsolutions.com/news/what-is-csam

> However, the phrase “child pornography” is almost too sterile and generic to properly exemplify the horrors of what is being created. That is why many advocates, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), believe this phrase to be outdated.

> NCMEC refers to these kinds of material as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), in order to “most accurately reflect what is depicted- the sexual abuse and exploitation of children”.

> As a result, many organizations and advocates now refer to this material by the new term rather than "child pornography" because it explicitly ties the material to the source of the problem; the abuse that is being perpetuated to create it. Furthermore, children are re-victimized every time a file is shared, sustaining the abuse in a continuous loop.

[norov]

I realized child beauty pagents and other sexual exploitation of children would be considered Child Sexual Abuse Material in some cases. People, even those with good intentions, are not going to like where this is going.

[Teever]

What terrible reasoning.

'Child pornography' is already too long to say repeatedly in a sentence so it is often shortened to "child porn." CSAM has far too many syllables so it too is shortened to two syllables in the form of the spoken acronym "CSAM" and so we're back to square one.

With that said this is a fascinating display someone pressing the reverse button on the euphemism treadmill. I don't think I've ever seen that before.

[function_seven]

I don't think the number of syllables is the important thing here. Rather that the term "porn" doesn't—by itself!—impute any moral judgement. It's just a thing. Some people think it's all bad, others think some is okay while some isn't, and some think anything with consenting performers is fair game.

But children are incapable of being consenting performers. That's what separates abuse material from porn. So to make damn sure there isn't any overlap in the Venn diagram of media that depicts sexual acts, they'd rather not associate "child porn" with anything else that exists in the universe of "porn".

It's a completely separate category, not some "bad" end of a spectrum.

That's the reasoning I've heard before, anyway.

And I agree with you on the reverse treadmill thing. It's interesting. On a related tangent: I've always hated how journalists use the term "sexual assault" to refer to a wide range of offenses, from forcible rape to a passing grope. Although those are both bad things, it's clear that one is tremendously more harmful than the other. We should use language to clarify that.

[Teever]

The number of syllables matter if the goal is to prevent a term from feeling too sterile. If a term is too long and unwieldy then people will naturally shorten it to an acronym. And once they're using an acronym then we're back to square one because acronyms are devoid of the meaning that words have.

I've wondered if there is an intent to distinguish between child pornography that teenagers are producing on their own to share with each other and the kind child pornography that pedophiles and child rapists create forcibly against the will of the children in the content.

Maybe that's the actual difference between CP and CSAM. Maybe both are a subset of CP.

[function_seven]

Oh, that’s a good point about the syllables. I agree. “Cee-Sam” is a technical jargon-y sounding term. No visceral feeling behind it.

[headmelted]

The logic seems backwards here.

I think saying “child porn” is clearer. That term is horrific as it is. If anyone sees that in a sentence they’ll be rightly revulsed and know what’s being talked about right away.

I had to have someone explain the CSAM acronym. How many people are going to skip over that because they assume its something benign and unrelated?

[015a]

Well, it is from an organization named "NCMEC". Not exactly pros at inventing marketable acronyms.

[casefields]

You ever notice when cops bust a prostitution ring they never call it that? It's been renamed human trafficking. Law enforcement is all in on the marketing game.

Using scarier words will get the public to trade liberty for security every time.

[torified]

>Furthermore, children are re-victimized every time a file is shared, sustaining the abuse in a continuous loop.

I've seen this argument many times, and I agree that initial act is horrendous of course, but I believe this is overstating the ongoing damage.