Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pedobear...Awareness or Hysteria?

The Attorney General's Office issued an alert last week about reported sightings of the Pedobear decal on NM vehicles...here is the news release.


Wednesday, November 23, 2011 Follow us on Facebook

AG’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit on Alert

“Pedobear” Sightings Concern Local Law Enforcement



(ALBUQUERQUE)---Attorney General Gary King says depictions of a cartoon-like bear that is linked to pedophiles could be an indication of increased child sex offender activity in the Albuquerque area.

“Our ICAC unit has received reports that the Pedobear window sticker has been sighted in Albuquerque on at least two vehicles recently,” says AG King. “We are very concerned about the potential link between the Pedobear symbol and pedophiles; we also want to increase public awareness of the potential danger to children, especially young girls.”

The concept of the Pedobear began on the Internet as a digital representation of a bear that has a sexual interest in underage girls. Pedobear symbology has spread from the online subculture to mainstream depictions all over the world in the last couple of years.

Recently, a man dressed as the Internet-based Pedobear was escorted by police from the San Diego Comic Con event, where he had been distributing candy to children.

A photograph (see below) of a vehicle in Albuquerque sporting a Pedobear window sticker was forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office by the New Mexico Department of Corrections. Also attached is an information flyer for parents and other concerned adults with more details about the Pedobear history.




The news release caused quite a commotion amongst Pedobear sympathizers and others who think it was irresponsible for the AG's Office and media to even talk about the potential link to real-life pedophiles..(as opposed to wannabes?). Even some of the journalists who covered the story were hesitant or scared off the story because a few vocal people were adamant in their claims that the whole Pedobear thing was a big joke that the media and AGO had been duped into reporting about. Thanks to the media folks who had the courage to report the story, I realize you put your hard-earned credibility on the line. You did the right thing. Some people thought it would cause a backlash of vigilantism against anyone who displayed a Pedobear sticker or flag or T-shirt. For the record, of course our investigators know that the Pedobear symbology began as an Internet meme joke, poking fun at pedophiles, and yes, we know that anyone who has the bad taste to display a Pedobear symbol is not necessarily a pedophile...emphasis on the word "necessarily." If you are a parent of a three year old, can you really take a chance? This is most assuredly NOT fear-mongering by "well meaning government officials," as one journalist seemed to wonder about. Law enforcement personnel across the country know about Pedobear, they are also concerned. This is the Attorney General's Office simply trying to make New Mexicans aware that the Pedobear symbol is out there and we think the general public, especially those who are not clued in to today's Internet culture, deserve to know what the Pedobear symbol is about and how it is interpreted by law enforcement. Individuals can make their own conclusions as to the relative importance of this information. You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid to know what's in it, right? Lastly, if the Attorney General's Office is lambasted for being too cautious by doing anything and everything we can to help protect children from pedophiles...we're OK with that.

10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. ლ(◔◡◔ ლ) sticker profiling? minus whale start assuming everyone with a mexican radio station bumper sticker is an illegal immigrant. makes just as much sense.

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  3. I am sure this will get removed, as you guys at the AGs office HATE criticism. In your posting you said you were not "fear mongering", Sadly you are. You all slandered us who have these stickers, unknowingly I might add. The truth is, you may have inadvertently lit a powder keg. You know as well as I do, that there are some people who will take this information you posted and target people because of the sticker. It was irresponsible to publish this information as you did.I AM a New Mexico resident. I live in Roswell. I am a registered voter as well. BUT I am not a pedophile or any other kind of predator. I do and have applauded a lot of the stuff you guys and AG King has done, but I think , as a lot of others do. you all stepped over the line. Children's safety is paramount. BUT not at the expensive of innocent people.

    Sincerely,
    R. Savage

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  4. I disagree with the idea that we can just go ahead and be overly cautious for the sake of the kids. That creates a "boy who cried wolf" scenario. Enough of these bogus warnings and nobody will take the real ones seriously anymore. Truth is important.

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  5. It didn't "start as a joke," it remains a joke. There are absolutely no cases of real pedophiles using this sticker as some secret code.

    Using your logic, one might also write: "people who drive white cars are not necessarily pedophiles. Emphasis on the word necessarily. If you are a parent of a three year old, can you really take a chance?"

    Please.

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  6. You have exposed yourself as undoubtedly the dumbest AG's office in the entire country. Why would pedophiles use Pedobear specifically to attract children? Why not use, oh, Pooh Bear? Or Paddington Bear? Or the Berenstain Bears? Or Gummy Bears? Why on earth would a pedophile use an internet joke to attract children, while simultaneously exposing the pedophile's intent to adults?

    Quite frankly, if I could report you to the state bar for irresponsible fear-mongering, I would. In fact... I might.

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  7. If it's not fear mongering, there must be a demonstrable link between a pedo bear sticker and pedophilia. Does the NMAGO have a single instance of abuse with which to back up the claim?

    Without evidence, I'm not sure how this claim can be supported (without the old saw "if it saves just one life").

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  8. It is interesting to me that the only news outlet "courageous" enough to report this story, Was KRQE. I say "was", because even they have yanked it and their follow up story from there website. You praised them for put there "hard earned credibility" on the line and that it was "the right thing". I can not believe you have not been sued yet. Those reporters who were scared off, did the right thing. They are scared, because they know this has no validity. Way to go AGO. Not only did you slander thousands of people nationwide. You may have caused a lot of damage to a news station as well. You all have done a lot of good things for this state. But this is WAY over the line of professional reporting, and common sense.

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  9. How did you find time to protect NM from Pedobear when you should be prosecuting people sleeping in cars for DUI?

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  10. I guess the AG does not understand that sex offenders don't need a bear identifier because they already have a comprehensive list of sex offender names, address, and pictures on the "registered sex offender" website. If I want to throw a sex offender party, I'm not going to watch for pedobear stickers on cars, I'm going to use the state website.

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