We live in a very strange moment. The mass media and commercial culture sexualize young people endlessly--it's everywhere--yet at the same time, there's this strange hyper-vigilance that's new in society. Behaviors that used to be unremarkable are now taboo. It's really over the top for men. Men (at least those with any sense of self-preservation) run from any situation where they might find themselves alone with a young person of either sex. Friendly relationships that were completely normal and encouraged when I was young are unacceptable now. Try making Karate Kid now, or any of a hundred movies where the central dynamic was an adult interacting with a child or teen. Try writing a novel like Silas Marner. The culture was full of that just a generation ago. I had several grown men take a mentor interest in me as a young person and they were invaluable in my life. Very few guys would dare to do that today. I know I wouldn't. It's a real shame.