The Cavalier Daily
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Pedophilia is not humor

On Sept. 26, The Cavalier Daily ran a comic titled "Whoa" by Tiffany Chu. The comic featured two bears, one of them holding a heart-shaped box of what appeared to be candies, and another the so-called "Pedobear" with a caption saying "Sorry! Little Boys Only!"

Pedobear is a pedophilic cartoon bear that has its origins in the online messaging board 4Chan.org. As I understand it, the character is meant to be an irreverent and humorous depiction of the pedophilic culture. It is my belief that this comic was printed, at the very least, in poor taste and at the worst to be offensive. Personal beliefs about the social morality of pedophilia notwithstanding, making light of men and women who have sexual relations with underage children is inappropriate. The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder estimates that one out of six boys and one out of four girls are sexually abused before age 18. If we as a community are to address issues like pedophilia, it should be done so that it does not offend those who may have been victims of sexual abuse at a younger age, as well as those who believe such a lifestyle is healthy. Sometimes comedy is not the best way to depict a sensitive issue.

Jonathan Bryan\nCLAS IV

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