Am I Over-Reacting? Awkward Subject...

[When.Doves.Cry.]

I've been sorta lurking around and I figure maybe some of you guys might have some useful information for me. Sorry my first post has to be so disturbing and awkward, but that is the nature of my problem, so...

A number of months ago, in a moment of loneliness and desperation (and sheer boredom), I posted a personal ad on Craigslist and then slept on it. I went back and forth considering whether or not I'd actually meet anyone who replied to it, but I did go through and read them just to see. And something made me want to meet one of them, and that is how I met the guy I'm currently with. And everything's been great so far...except...

His "art". He really likes photography and paintings and things like that, and there's nothing wrong with having it in your home, but the thing is that it's not normal...if anything, it's disturbing. He doesn't seem to think much of it or appreciates it from some artsy aesthetic point of view, but to me, it looks like weird pictures of half-nude (and in some cases nude) little girls (I'm talking no older than 10 from the looks of them). I don't know how to explain it, I've never seen anybody possess that kind of material. One picture I remember is of some little kid lying on a bed with no clothes on, with blood all over her and the bed, in some kind of contorted pose...I kid you not about that, that one's in his bedroom. I think that's one of the LEAST unsettling pieces.

It makes me uneasy because of the recurring combination of children and nudity, not because they're gory. I wondered if it was illegal, but I'm assuming it's not since it's "art" and not "porn".

Now, I don't know a lot about art so I haven't said anything about it...I thought maybe I'm over-reacting because I just don't know about it?

According to him, I'm the only person (besides him) who has ever been in his house, which I found odd but didn't question. So I'll assume nobody else knows about it. He's a very private person so I haven't told anyone else about it.

I like everything else about him really...he's intelligent and well-spoken, nice, and everything you could want in a person (which makes the way I met him all the more strange). It's just some things about him (mainly the art thing but there are others) that make me wonder.

I thought about ways to initiate this awkward "why do you like pedo-art?" conversation but I may be overreacting. I've been thinking here and there that I should bring it up, but I never do.

[Jankers]

I dont know if this will help but you can tell alot about people from what they buy. Take clothes for instance, a happy person will go for brighter colors and fun clothes, while some down will go for darker, standard clothing. Im not saying this is the case for everything people buy but somebody buying pictures of bloodied up little girls and hanging them in his bedroom says issues to me. Tread carefully with this one.

[Hotaru]

I would be disturbed that it's a repeating theme, seemingly an obsession. It's not like it's just one or two shots and even then it would really depend upon how the shot was set up and taken. How does he even go about finding that many kids whose parents allow them to do nude photography in the first place?...

[dickriculous]

Well, if you're anything like me you would ransack his PC hoping to find kiddie porn with which to blackmail him, but you seem like a much nicer person than I am so instead you might try asking him what the art means to him and what the artist was trying to say with the painting, or what there is to it beneath the surface. Something along those lines. You might find something out that way and won't come off as judgmental.

Not that his answers are sure to convince me he's not a pedo/sadist, mind you.

[pisces25]

Trust your gut. If something doesn't feel right it usually isn't.

[HeartIsAching]

That's not art, it's child pornography.

[vashti]

I don't really understand why seeing a single photograph like that in his possession wasn't enough to make you run away screaming. What's WRONG with you? I don't mean that in a hostile way, but there is obviously a problem if you are willing to overlook child porn, particularly if it is violent.

[Maple1714]

This is some creepy weird shit and you should report him to the authorities. They need to investigate who these children are in the photos, who's taking the photo's and who's selling/buying them. This is not art....seriously. Get your head on straight and do the right thing. WTF? This makes me sick.

[When.Doves.Cry.]

Well since it's apparent from peoples' responses to it that I wasn't over-reacting too much, I asked him earlier to explain why one particular piece appealed to him. I guess he gave me an answer but I'm not really sure what it is...

He gave an explanation revolving around "death and naked purity" and that kind of thing, which got pretty fascinating but long. I did ask at some point whether he'd ever gotten in trouble for them and he told me that years ago (he lived somewhere else at the time) a lady had called the police on him for it, but nothing came of it.

So I began to think maybe it was all just his taste in art. At some point just to get it out of the back of my mind and make sure (that he wasn't a pedo or anything), I asked him if it turns him on at all...well he said yes, laughed at my confused expression, and changed the subject to something else. I'm still not sure if he was joking or not but I think he probably was. I know he's quite a kinky guy, but I regret asking that question.

As for the other questions I'm really not sure.

I guess as I get to know him better as the year goes on I'll find out these weirdnesses (I highly doubt this is the only weird thing I'll encounter) and deal with them, because I like him otherwise.

[searock]

He said that taking pictures of naked children covered in blood turns him on... whether it was a joke or not, he's pretty sick. I think you should leave, I know I would.

[HeartIsAching]

So I began to think maybe it was all just his taste in art. At some point just to get it out of the back of my mind and make sure (that he wasn't a pedo or anything), I asked him if it turns him on at all...well he said yes, laughed at my confused expression, and changed the subject to something else.

Ummm... no. He's a pedophile. I would recommend that you not "get to know him better".

[Maple1714]

Think of it this way- if you accept this weird shit now and get to know him better you might find yourself married to this dude or impreganted by him. If you have a long term relationship with him how could you ever have children? Would he molest them? Would he make your child take nude photos? What about your kids friends? You might be able to rationalize st right now and over look it, but looking towards the future you are just setting yourself up for something terrible.

[Ohne Dich]

What I don't get is how you're OK sleeping in a creepy house full of kiddie torture porn with an apparent psycho you met on Craigslist o_O

How do you sleep at night?

[Cerby]

When he is sleeping check the closets for secret passages and bodies...Since you're not sure about the child porn on the walls, maybe a couple of corpses will push you away.

This thread is pretty f*cked up, haven't seen one of these in a while.

[wilf]

Aside from any moral concerns, there could well be legal implications in this guy's use of photos of young children in his"art". Personally I'd run a mile and then inform the police.