To Catch a Predator
I just recently started watching the Dateline "To Catch a Predator" shows. I'm curious what you guys think of it. I guess I mean from an ethical standpoint.
Something about it feels dirty to me. I don't really mind the idea of a sting, in theory. Protecting children from actual predators is a pretty good thing I guess. But I can't help but feel like mixing an operation like this with a TV show (which is obviously driven by ratings) is a horrible, horrible idea.
Some of the people caught have past records and are obviously scum bags, so I'm not sympathetic to them. But some of the people seem quasi-respectable and insist that they just had a lapse of judgment. And given that they're seeing a really attractive 19-21 year old actor or actress on the webcam, and chatting with decoys who know exactly what buttons to press, I tend to believe them. If you try really hard to get someone to do something, sometimes you'll succeed. I'd imagine that going after the rabbi or the successful cancer doctor makes for a better TV show than settling for the same cast of degenerates.
I'm not saying that society shouldn't still see these people as some sort of a problem. Obviously it's natural to conclude that since they showed up at the house they're more likely to endanger a child than the average person. But being exposed on national television as a "child predator" and being charged with a felony seems really unfair. Basically I think you have to be real careful with your methods when you conduct a sting operation like this, and I think making a TV show out of it makes that basically impossible. I'm curious what you guys think.
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