Esquire Magazine’s feature on Dateline NBC’s ‘To Catch a Predator’
An unbelievably disturbing article about an unbelievably disturbing show. The show, if you haven’t seen it, lures men to a house to meet an underage person to have sex with and then ambushes them with cameras and eventually a police take-down (which is alway much more violent than it needs to be). The strangest part of the show is when men have seen it and acknowledge they’re on the show and will be taken down by police when they get outside. It’s like some alternate universe.
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The idea of catching predators is a good one. It’s just unfortunate that we have to bring in reality TV to get law enforcement involved. Then legality gets muddied with stardom – and everyone loses. Real offenders don’t get prosecuted due to messy sting operations. Adults (posing as kids) become predators of troubled adults – helping to bring their perverted desires into real-time action.
Some might say it’s like badgering a former drug addict with offers of free drugs – then pouncing on the lousy SOB when he finally accepts your offer. Then parading around saying you are catching drug addicts.
What’s next? Public hangings on NBC? No, but we do have “The Moment of Truth,” premiering 1/23 on Fox. Contestents try to win $500,000 by telling their darkest secrets on TV. “Would you cheat on your wife if you could? Remember, she’s sitting right there. This answer is worth $1,000 if you tell the truth.” Meanwhile a polygraph operator sits by and tests the validity of the contestant’s response.
From Fox’s website: “What deep dark secret will someone divulge for hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
Maybe they should ask people incriminating questions then arrest them on the spot.
I wonder if anyone will shoot themselves in the head after they lose this game on national TV?