Can We Be Serious?

OK. so the Hubster and I were watching the tube tonight while The Milk Leech was winding down. I do so love my NBC, so we were catching yet another episode of Dateline and their "To Catch a Predator" series. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is a "sting" operation that has been set up to catch and expose (in such an embarrasing and satisfying way!) creeps who try to solicit sex with underage kids.

In the past, I have TiVo'ed these episodes and forced my kids to watch them. The Prince and Priness were sufficiently freaked out. Couple that with the fact that we constantly monitor them online, and I feel cautiously safe. Oh yeah and there is the fact that Hubby and I have a background in computers (not to mention my ex'es profession as a network guru). They cannot make a keystroke that we don't record. Communisim? Nazism? Who cares, they are my kids. Let them sue me!

Anyhoo, the "question of the evening" tonight was this:

Have there always been this many perverts and pedophiles in the world, OR does the Internet contribute and manufacture more of them? Is it the fantasyland provided by the annonymity of a computer screen? Do some people take it too far, get caught up and go over the edge? Or were they nasty felons to begin with?

Keep in mind, I don't care what the answer is - I am not making excuses nor advocating for disgusting perverts. I think any and all people who solicit underage kids for sex should be punished to the fullest extent of the law (and then turned over to the victim's parents). I am just curious why there seem to be so MANY incidents of this now than when I was a kid.