I had quite a bit of free time at work yesterday. And well, I don't like twiddling my thumbs. Therefore, in addition to playing with some super cute students during lunch, I decided to start making notes for a new article. This article is going to be a little different from the others, as I will focus on the positives of being a MAP. Naturally, some of these positives come with accompanying negatives, and may not be applicable to everyone; this article is largely based on my personal experiences. Caveats out of the way, let's take a look at what's cool about being a MAP!

MAPs have a youthful outlook

I've been to some well-attended MAP meetups in the past. Think MAP Camp, but without all the drama. So many of the people I met there seemed young for their age... in a good way. Being inclined to work with children may have something to do with it; working with kids all day will definitely help to keep you young. However, I think there's something inherently youthful about MAPness, in the same way that a lot of gay people have a number of feminine traits. It would be an interesting research proposition.

MAPs have unique personal freedoms

While some MAPs do get married and have children, many do no not. Adult-attracted men typically feel a need to settle down, get married, and have (or adopt) kids. Sadly for them, many marriages are incredibly unhappy ones that end badly, and tie a person down regardless of how satisfied they are.

Without a wife and children, I have no such drama in my life. I can do whatever I want in the evening, move city or even country as I please, and travel wherever I wish. All of my decisions are my own. I wouldn't have it any other way.

MAPs are more open-minded

Being treated as subhuman really makes you re-think everything. Having analyzed MAP oppression from every angle, I've come to the conclusion that no values are really sacred, and that no group is truly deserving of hate. Everything is just a lighter or darker shade of grey, and open to interpretation. I don't think this is uncommon among MAPs.

Along with this comes the ability to care less about what people think. It's obvious that humans make decisions and judgments based on ridiculous social frameworks and hysterical emotions, so why care? Their opinion of me really doesn't matter in most situations. It's remarkably freeing to just not care.

MAPs are encouraged to explore

The country I'm originally from is pathetic. And yet, if I were not a MAP, I may never have been given the much-needed push to explore beyond its borders. So many people I grew up with remain not only in that country, but in the very same town where we were born. Even brushing the MAP hysteria aside, I'm pleased I'm not still stuck in such a shitty place.

Now, I know it's not the case for everyone. So many MAPs do stay in the crappy towns in which they grew up. But for some, MAP hysteria pushes us to move overseas, and for the better.

MAPs are pushed to learn

I am, by nature, a brutally honest and direct man who hates having to lie. However, when everyone wants you locked up or murdered for nothing more than your feelings, you do learn to lie. This is an incredibly important life skill in general, and one I'm grateful for having learned. I wouldn't have done so were it not literally a matter of life or death.

Another skill many MAPs are pushed to learn is secure computing. The public treat simply being a MAP as equivalent to a crime, and law enforcement agencies have publicly threatened MAPs who are not breaking the law. Therefore, MAPs need to make every effort to avoid having any content that identifies them as a MAP accessible on their computer. Effective knowledge of computer security requires a comprehensive understanding of how computers work in general, which is very useful knowledge for daily life and employment.

MAPs see a unique form of beauty

OK, you're really just trading one attraction for another here; we like boys or girls instead of men or women. But as someone attracted to 8-14 year-old boys, I see a beauty that few others see. Isn't that kind of cool? Some of the younger boys at work have recently taken a shine to me, and when I look into their excited little eyes, I believe I feel the love and brightness much more intensely than is possible for boring old 'normies'.

Conclusion

Being a MAP in such a hysterical world is challenging, but it's not all doom and gloom. Ironically, some of the plus points actually come from the very hysteria itself!

What are some other benefits of being a MAP? Feel free to reach out with your thoughts!