We’ve all had occasions when we’ve carelessly said the wrong thing or made a humorous remark, only to find out that it wasn’t remotely funny or even appropriate. At that point, most of us sense the chill in the room and stop talking.
For some reason, Tom Flanagan, a University of Calgary political science professor who is also one of Canada’s top conservative strategists, appears rather oblivious to a disapproving tone in the room.
A couple of years ago, he glibly commented that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be “assassinated.” His mouth kept right on rolling, stating that he wouldn’t be unhappy if Assange “disappeared” and that he was feeling “very manly” by making these comments.
So we shouldn’t be too surprised that a Wednesday-night lecture at the University of Lethbridge went sideways quickly when a student shifted from the topic of native affairs to ask Flanagan about his 2009 statement suggesting that child pornography is essentially acceptable and harmless.
Flanagan put his foot in his mouth almost immediately by suggesting that conservatives who have fought for laws against child porn are on some sort of “jihad against pornography and child pornography, in particular.”
Flanagan has long been an insider with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, and the federal government has made much of its efforts to create laws that strengthen penalties for making, distributing, accessing and possessing child pornography.
Flanagan then stated that he has “no sympathy for child molesters, but [has] grave doubts” about putting them in jail for their “taste in pictures.” The crowd jeered, but Flanagan’s mouth kept on going like the Energizer Bunny. He claimed it is an issue of personal liberty and even gave an off-the-cuff mention that, “due to a long story,” he was put on the mailing list of the national man/boy love association and received its mailings for two years.
That caught my attention — that he would take NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) and its publications so lightly. Rather than being mortified — or even educated — by what he saw, he seemed to think it humorous.
A police officer with the vice squad asked to see me a number of years ago, and brought with her several copies of NAMBLA publications. She was concerned that child molesters in Canada now had access to this material and that NAMBLA organizers were attempting to start a Canadian branch.
So what’s the problem?
NAMBLA and its members advocate for, and seek to normalize, sexual relationships between boys and men. It attempts to set itself apart from pedophilia by claiming that it only endorses the “enjoyable, consensual [and] beautiful” love of a man for a boy and a boy for a man.
They actually justify their actions by claiming that the love is mutual and what young boys want. Perhaps that’s why NAMBLA is often associated with the motto “sex before eight, or else it’s too late.” They don’t believe that any harm is done to children through respectful, non-violent, adult/child sexual interactions and say that society has no right to prevent the selection of a child as a sex partner.
Really nice people. It’s very generous of Flanagan to suggest that they are harmless and should be allowed to continue their activities unencumbered because of some distorted notion of liberty that allows one group to prey on another.
In 1988, William Marshall of Queen’s University reported that exposure to pornography served as the instigator for 36 to 38 per cent of child molesters and 35 per cent of rapists to offend (on at least one occasion).
It’s a huge leap to suggest Flanagan endorses child molestation on the basis of a glib comment about NAMBLA and ostensibly upholding the right to view child pornography. Indeed, Flanagan issued a statement condemning the sexual abuse of children Thursday.
But Flanagan’s ignorance and careless humour suggests the professor desperately needs an education on the harm done to children through child pornography.
Susan Martinuk is a Calgary Herald columnist.
