The politicisation of sexual behaviour

Although the liberal establishment is generally far more open and accepting of sexual expression and activity than was the case in the pre-permissive era there are two categories, rape and paedophilia, that have become highly politicised, and against which the response of the liberal political elite has hardened considerably. The most serious cases of rape and child molestation have always carried heavy penalties, and there is a near universal consensus across the political spectrum that such crimes should always be severely punished. However, in the past couple of decades an atmosphere of emotional hysteria and scaremongering has attached itself to both subjects, which does not appear to be present to the same degree in other serious crimes such as murder, burglary or robbery.

In the case of rape, the agitation has come largely from feminists whose agenda is central to the politically correct establishment. In respect of the threat from paedophiles, the driving force is a somewhat loose alliance between tabloid newspapers, social services and children’s charities. In both instances the hysteria generated has had a detrimental effect on normal societal relationships between men and women, in the case of rape, and between men and children over the paedophile threat. In both cases the emotionalism and alarmism employed need to be exposed for what they are so that, as a general principle, the law should only intervene when there are unambiguous grounds to do so to address clear instances when a person is likely to suffer harm. As sexual activity is essentially a private matter, in the first instance individuals themselves should be trusted to take responsibility for handling unwelcome sexual advances. Clearly when force, of the threat of force, takes place the law will need to step in to deter such obviously unacceptable behaviour.