[gochi]

They've brought up 3 ways in which it can be abusive (trained on abusive materials, created for the intent to abuse, or continuing self abuse rather than seeking help), but argued those should be separate discussions vs my thinking which is that these are linked to determining if such material is abusive.

[kleiba]

First of all, thanks very much for these comments - all too often, threads quickly deteriorate into flame wars or emotional finger pointing, and I'm quite happy that this exchange of (opposing) opinions has remained very civil on such a hot topic.

I just wanted to clarify that I did not mean that these topics are all unrelated. When I wrote that these are separate discussions to be had, I was rather trying to imply that these questions are important enough to deserve an own treatment. However, I do agree with you that in the end, they all contribute to the question whether or not artificially generated child porn is abusive or not.

I do appreciate another sibling comment that points out the relation to other fictional child porn, such as literary works.

Additionally, I would like to add another dimension to the topic, namely that IMO, there is often an unspoken underlying assumption that portraits consumers of child porn as (potential) predators. However, unlike a juvenile delinquent who might find it cool to break into a local corner shop at night to steal some cans of beer, pedophiles are usually not attracted to child porn as a matter of choice. Like many sexual preferences, it is often innate, and can also be a burden to them: imagine you know that what gets you on is morally wrong, even a crime, and for most of your life you are forced to suppress your real sexuality as a consequence.

I'm thinking that fictional child porn, even when it's not AI-based but perhaps created with photoshop or in form of stories, could potentially help pedophiles to find ways of somehow dealing with their sexuality without actually preying on innocent children.

However, all of these thoughts come from a very naive understanding of the subject matter. Neither am I a pedophile myself, nor do I know anyone who is, nor am I a psychologist or something who works in the field. So I am very interested in corrections or additional options - especially, as I pointed out before, if they are done in equally civil ways as they have been so far in this thread.

[wsintra2022]

“Neither am I a pedophile myself, nor do I know anyone who is“ Glad you cleared that up for the readers at home.

[GaggiX]

We live in a world where the author of parent post would be unironically accused of being a pedo by several people for having that opinion so don't be surprised.

[kleiba]

Unfortunately, this.

[tekknik]

I mean you described it quite well and defended them. I raised an eyebrow and am still unsure even though you’ve said you weren’t one.

It’s kinda like arguing that racism is a fact of life for some and we should allow them to vent their racism in a controlled environment. Hard disagree.