Lena Dunham compares herself to a Sexual Predator

[SoulMonster]

Here's what Sam Rubenstein, a psychotherapist who specializing in child abuse, had to say about the revelations in the books:

If I had a quarter for every kid in that age demographic that touched somebody else out of curiosity, I'd be a rich man. I think that's a natural part of development and curiosity. There's no sense of control or shame or harm [in Dunham's writing]. It would be really hard to construe it that way.

I think you have to take into consideration her age, her history, and the idea that at that age, unless you've gone through severe sexual trauma, there's really almost nothing sexual about it. The same explanation could be used for grabbing the dog's tail. It's the same type of coercion. Just because it's in the sexual venue, people want to attach something to it, but it's almost totally different. It's an innocent type of thing.

On the "masturbation": That doesn't even sound like masturbation. It just sounds like a curiosity type thing. Whatever her reason is, it seems like somebody's making a bigger to do about it than what really is. There's a difference between masturbation and figuring out what's going on in your own body down there.

I remember, I made my brother touch like, hot shit or made him eat dog food. Are those things abusive? Yes, but not in the context of a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old. I think context is a huge issue here. If you want to get very psychological, in Freud's psychosexual stages, [Dunham's age] is consistent with the latency stage, wherein children of that age are almost de-genenderized and desexualized. That's even more evidence of why there would be no sexual connotation to it.

Source: http://gawker.com/therapist-lena-dunhams-stories-dont-sound-like-sibling-1654438044

Again, who are we going to believe: pundits or gut feelings or experts who study child abuse and know what the likely outcome of various childhood sexual acts are? If the experts see no problem with what Dunham has told, especially in regards to her sister's development and quality of life as an adult, then I won't either, because to me the well-being of those involved is much more important than my feelings of being grossed-out or any outrage I might have over Dunham comparing herself to a sexual predator.

[Facekicker]

Just when you think Dunham couldn't sound more creepy she comes out with this howler:

From The Guardian

Lena Dunham is to adapt Karen Cushman’s 1994 children’s book Catherine, Called Birdy, for the big screen. Speaking at the New Yorker festival in New York, Dunham revealed that she was currently working on a screenplay of the novel, which is set in 1290 England.

The book lends a modern-day take to the growing pains of 12-year-old Catherine, who is told by her father that she’ll have to get married when she gets her first period.

“It’s hyper realistic and really pretty and it’s full of incest and beatings, but it’s a child’s story,” said Dunham. “I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a kid.

[Georgy Zhukov]

The fuck is wrong with this woman?

[DR DOOM]

She should compare herself to a shaven ballsack, cause that's what she looks like.

[Georgy Zhukov]

I bet if she walks down the streets of NYC, no one would talk to her.

[Ace Nova]

That was one incident.

The other incidents occurred when she was 13 and her sister was 7. There was definitely sexually motivated grooming of her sister going on. That's an offence.

Makes me wonder what else was going on in that household, given that most children learn this behaviour from adults, usually as a result of having been victims of abuse themselves.

Finger your 7 year old sister and it's "just one of those things" if you're female but attempt to strike up a conversation with a random woman in the street if you're a bloke and you're a sexual predator who must be destroyed!

According to Soulmonster it is perfectly "normal" for an older sister to do this to her much younger sister, and specifically in this case, it's all good because the CHILD "mostly" gave her consent.

It is within the range of sexual behaviours that is considered normative for kids at certain ages, yes. But don't take my word for it, take the child psychologists' (I have quoted one earlier in this thread). And consent is incredibly important to separate abuse from non-abuse. Within the limits of sexual behaviour among kids, one specific act could be considered abuse if it was non-consentual but normal if it wasn't. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone, it goes for adult sexual behaviour, too.

Calling a child a child molester is ridiculous, *but* (all due respect to that one random article you posted) writing off a 13 year old seeking sexual gratification from a 7 year old as normal or healthy is utterly fucked. And dangerous.

I trust he child psychologists who describe such sexual curiosity as within the range of normal behaviour. I have quoted on child psychologists' comments oj this earlier in the thread. Unless of course you are actually an expert on the issue and could point to cases where this behaviour has resulted in deviating adult sexuality or other problems, especially for the younger sister.

For every psychologist or mental health professional saying it's within "normal range" you can probably find just as many, if not more, saying it's not.

[SoulMonster]

That was one incident.

The other incidents occurred when she was 13 and her sister was 7. There was definitely sexually motivated grooming of her sister going on. That's an offence.

Makes me wonder what else was going on in that household, given that most children learn this behaviour from adults, usually as a result of having been victims of abuse themselves.

Finger your 7 year old sister and it's "just one of those things" if you're female but attempt to strike up a conversation with a random woman in the street if you're a bloke and you're a sexual predator who must be destroyed!

According to Soulmonster it is perfectly "normal" for an older sister to do this to her much younger sister, and specifically in this case, it's all good because the CHILD "mostly" gave her consent.

It is within the range of sexual behaviours that is considered normative for kids at certain ages, yes. But don't take my word for it, take the child psychologists' (I have quoted one earlier in this thread). And consent is incredibly important to separate abuse from non-abuse. Within the limits of sexual behaviour among kids, one specific act could be considered abuse if it was non-consentual but normal if it wasn't. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone, it goes for adult sexual behaviour, too.

Calling a child a child molester is ridiculous, *but* (all due respect to that one random article you posted) writing off a 13 year old seeking sexual gratification from a 7 year old as normal or healthy is utterly fucked. And dangerous.

I trust he child psychologists who describe such sexual curiosity as within the range of normal behaviour. I have quoted on child psychologists' comments oj this earlier in the thread. Unless of course you are actually an expert on the issue and could point to cases where this behaviour has resulted in deviating adult sexuality or other problems, especially for the younger sister.

For every psychologist or mental health professional saying it's within "normal range" you can probably find just as many, if not more, saying it's not.

I don't hold psychologists in high esteem myself in the sense that they always agree, but in this case, based on a quick google search, it seems like everyone who has voiced their expert opinion have agreed that it falls within normal behaviour. So I think you are wrong.

Edited November 7, 2014 by SoulMonster

[Len Cnut]

*looks up Soulmonsters bum for his marbles*

[WFA]

Jesus what an ugly woman

[Facekicker]

For once I'm glad about the google adsense policy

[AxlsMainMan]

Certainly makes her come off as just a bit hypocritical after attacking Woody Allen in the press a few months ago.