Use of the "Pedophile" Word in Entertainment Media

[FairBlueLove]

I recently happened to watch 'Ted Lasso', and on two occasions the word 'pedophile/pedo' was used - surprise, surprise - in an inappropriate manner.

The first instance is when a girl uses it as a derogatory term, "you creepy old pedo" (episode 3, season 2).

The second instance is a more jokingly one. It is in episode 8 of season 2, when Rebecca says: "Oh my God, I'm a pedophile?", because she is in her 50s and discovers suddenly she fell in love with a 21-year-old boy.

As an exception, which pleasantly surprised me, I want to mention the movie "Vacation", where a boy ask the father "Hey dad, what's a pedophile?", and he starts replying: "Well, Kevin, when a man and a boy love each other very much...". Unfortunately he got interrupted by his wife, which I found quite, yeah, inappropriate.


I'd love to hear about any similar instances you've come across in other movies or shows.

[BLueRibbon]

Mainstream TV and cinema is much less guilty of this than social media, where pretty much any age-gap relationship now makes the older person a 'pedo'.

[Not Forever]

As an exception, which pleasantly surprised me, I want to mention the movie "Vacation", where a boy ask the father "Hey dad, what's a pedophile?", and he starts replying: "Well, Kevin, when a man and a boy love each other very much...". Unfortunately he got interrupted by his wife, which I found quite, yeah, inappropriate.

My addition may seem rather foolish, but I envisioned how the scene might unfold - where he questioned whether his father loved him, and consequently, whether his father was also a pedophile. To which the latter responded with "platonic pedophile".

[JGHeaven]

Using the term in humour, can that desensitise people to it and make it a less abrasive term for people?

[FairBlueLove]

Using the term in humour, can that desensitise people to it and make it a less abrasive term for people?

A good example in that regard is Louis C.K. Check out his shows "Sorry", "Sincerely" and "At the Dolby". Here is a citation taken from the signature of Fragment:

I'm not saying that all scoutmasters are pedophiles. I might be saying that the best ones are.
Louis C.K: Sorry