Ask Lemmy

The question is, would these people be predators if people didn't bait them into it? If they are doing this for "content" or some sense of moral judgement, then they have an incentive to push people into these things more than they originally would.

I can imagine the following scenario being common (to the point at which I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tutorial for it somewhere):

• Find someone online who has serious mental health problems or cognitive impairment.
• Emotionally manipulate them into saying or doing something nasty that they wouldn't otherwise do.
• Invite them somewhere public and humiliate then online for content.
• Congratulations! Not only have you managed to ruin someone's life, you've done it in a way that you get to feel morally superior as well.

Target some marginalised group as well, and you can also justify hatred towards them and show everyone that your group is better!

Vigilantism is never the answer. In pretty much every case the vigilante has far less noble motivations than they claim to have. Just look at the constant screeching about "groomers" by US conservatives.

There's an element of this that feels like it's operating under the assumption that someone will assault a different child if not the adult posing as one that makes me a little uncomfortable. It's a sort of Kantian outlook, but there's a part of me that wonders if those predators would find another target if the decoy "child" wasn't presented to them.

On the other hand, I imagine that the answer to that question is "Yes. This is an abuser actively hunting for a target." and that assuages some of the concern.

Them doing it for views and content is also upsetting, but that's the nature of living in a capitalist world. Everything, even justice, can and will be commodified and sold into a perversion of its original intent and goal.