Trying to change people perceptions falls squarely in game theory IMO. The prisoners dilemma , and the ultimatum game to be specific. Media has conditioned society that sex offender and pedophile are synonymous. Creating a segregated cast that is judged upon simply gaining the knowledge that someone has been labeled.

The only way I have found to change someone preconceived notion, is to get them to reevaluate you under a different microscope. Change the focus. A method I found that works well is to make them consider the fairness of the punishment. My consistent go to is ” Had I murdered someone, I could have done THAT 3 times (coming up on 4), and be done registering and able to murder again !”

It’s a slap in the face moment, where their own safety is suddenly in question by someone not present with more violent tendencies, than by someone who is likely the person they know and being rational right in front of them.

This study only shows me that those in the US & Canada have skewed beliefs based on an oversimplistc understanding of those who carried the label. If I was a gambling man, I’d say it is largely thanks to trash TV like crime drama shows, idiots like Nancy Grace and John Walsh, and that godawful Dateline NBC entrapment show that has taught an entire generation to think in simple “they’re all (p-word)s)” labels.

I for one didn’t expect person-first language to make a big impact on a mass scale. It will to many individuals, but not society as a whole. The simple truth is that most minds regarding the registry won’t change until they or someone they know ends up on it.

To be frank, not all of us should be ambassadors. Like any population, we have our fair share of curmudgeons and too-rough-around-the-edges, as well as some offenses that are just so gut wrenching that there will be few opportunities to find a receptive audience. But, pretty much all of us could do better at serving ourselves and movement by improving ourselves (mind/body/heart/spirit), our mood and disposition surrounding all of this, our speaking abilities, our ownership and accountability of wrongdoings, and courage to put all of that to good use. It’s the life long journey we’ve signed up for, whether knowingly and intentionally or not, we’re here. Let’s make the best of it and serve this earthly purpose we now have.