Dateline has been airing several episodes of a series involving setting up prospective pedophiles to meet with supposed minors. They have a house set up with hidden cameras to capture these people showing up and then entering the house. Once inside, the series's reporter Chris Hansen appears identifying himself as Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC and confronts the person asking them why they have shown up to meet a minor. All of this is strange enough, but what is even more interesting is that Chris then almost seems to command them to have a seat so he can basically interrogate them. He says why don't you just have a seat and let me ask you a few questions and they do it without question!! It's almost comical and like a game show because a majority of them, at least the ones that air, immediately take a seat at a table or wherever Chris says and they just answer his line of questioning as if they were obligated knowing that he is not a member of the police. A few do what you would expect and proceed to exit as fast as possible only to be immediately arrested outside by waiting police. No matter what they are not going to get away but the fact that some actually just sit down and either fully admit they have a problem or try to justify it is bizarre when all they really have to do is try to leave. This also happens when the crew appears with handheld cameras and they still agree to stay and talk. I think that possibly some of these people are relieved they have been discovered and their nightmare is finally over as far as acting on their impulses. One guy just immediately takes all of his clothes off once inside the front door and the worst one that they caught was a guy that showed up to see a supposed 12-14 year old boy and brought his own 4 year old with him!!! Now that is truly one sick individual!! The point of this post is because I couldn't believe that these people would stick around and not just talk to but answer questions from a reporter even when cameras were visible.

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I think part of it is that confessional aspect. People don't go to confessional any more or seek counsel with respected members of the population for whatever reason (perhaps that is how their problems began!) so if they are carrying any sort of guilt the stress of being caught combined with their innert conflict may cause them to just barf on the spot. I've been to a counsellor for relationship advice and I found it amazing on retrospect how I could just gabble on and on to a perfect stranger.

Yes, I understand what you're saying and I did say that it was probably a relief to them that finally they are being stopped however it happens. But, these folks are going to be in ALOT of trouble and maybe that part hasn't sunk in when they decide stay and talk to Chris. Maybe, at first, they think that's all that is going to happen, just a little interview and then they can go because at first, there are no visible cameras. I guess the one's that stick around do want to get caught because they can't stop it themselves. Then there's the other question as to why a very young kid would think it's okay to invite a stranger, especially an adult to their house or wherever and even more especially after the kind of explicit conversations that go on between them. When they hang around, it just comes across as the adult being really bold and seeming to not fear anything and that's what really gets to me. They said the video crew just went to pieces when that one fool brought his own 4 year old with him to the scene.

They said the video crew just went to pieces when that one fool brought his own 4 year old with him to the scene.

This must be an alternate version of "Take a Kid to Work Day".