Are you really saying 14 states have legalized pedophilia?
Yes, asterisk.
Asterisk:
Unless those laws specifically have something like… you as a 16 yo can consent to sex with someone 16, 17, 18, some cutoff age after which it goes back to not being ok, then yes.
(I’m fairly confident a good number of those state laws do include some kind of consideration of that)
The age differential matters.
Once it gets too much, its no longer two post-puberty kids exploring their sexuality, the difference in maturity and social status becomes manipulative and exploitative.
Do you even remember how it is to be 16?
Yes.
I was interested in girls my age, +/- one year.
Lost my virginity to a 17 yo girl, one grade above me, not my teacher, 10 years older.
When I was 26? When I am now 36?
Uh yeah, still interested in women roughly my age, though the age range has widened a bit as I get older… doesn’t get anywhere near 16 though, more like +/- 5 at 36, +/- 3 at 26.
My sister has been happily married to her husband who is 15 years older than her for 30+ years, are you saying my brother in law is a pedophile because of the age difference?
Assuming your sister, at age 16, married a 31 year old… uh yes absolutely that’s disgusting.
You are judgemental and pushing your norms on other people.
Pushing my norms, no.
I’m expressing my opinion and stances, not mandating everyone else follow them.
I find your sister and her husband’s relationship to have a disgusting origin, but I’m not going to advocate your brother in law be jailed.
That would be pushing my norms.
Judgemental? Oh sure, absolutely, guilty as charged.
And it’s disgusting you have so many upvotes!
Well now who’s judgemental?
Its the internet. People are allowed to have strong opinions.
I don’t agree with yours, you don’t agree with mine.
This is… arguably the entire point of an online discussion system?
Are you also considering LGBT immoral?
Absolutely not, no, frankly I have no clue how you could even think that would be a reasonable other position to expect me to hold…
I am queer lol, I’ve dated a trans woman, I’ve dated an ambi-gender person, bi women… I’ve gotten handsy and made out with bi and gay guys a few times… I seem to mostly go for a feminine presenting person, or a person with feminine aspects… but I’m considerably more flexible with that than your stereotypical straight man.
LGBT relationships are an entirely different thing than massive age gap relationships, I again have no clue how that seems like a reasonable assumption to jump to.
It woukd be weird and creepy if a 26 yo woman had a romantic or sexual relationship with a 16 yo girl, if a 26 yo man had a relationship with a 16 yo boy.
As are most at that age, except it would have to be +, because if you go minus 1 at 16, it’s illegal! But you do not present any real argument only your opinion.
But really that wasn’t what I meant at all, what I was referring to was the ability to decide for yourself at the age of 16. Which most countries find you can.
You just cherry picked what I said so that you could continue mischaracterize what I am saying, by continuing to say I am or support thing I am not and do not, characterize a personal anecdote and direct answer to a direct question as reasoning.
Like I explicitly gave you my reasoning and you just ignore it and say I have none.
Its especially insane that you say I was knee jerk reacting.
I took almost an hour to write that out, with intention.
It is also insane to say that my worldview is based on religious indoctrination.
To the contrary, it is largely based on a rejection of religious indoctrination.
Formalization of child marriage is one of the most horrible things that religions, or variants of them, of all kinds, all over the world, do.
But by the same logic, it can or could also be very exploitative of boys… its just that such societies that go for a child bride norm are almost always patriarchal, though i am sure many men also do not appreciate being forced into marriages.
It perpetuates a concept of women as property, not people, and normalizes and reinforces their subjugation and inherently inferior, 2nd class nature.
I struggle to comprehend the mental pretzels you must be brain bending in order to earnestly and genuinely believe all of the things you are saying, you are terrible at argumentative rhetoric and it is obvious you are being disingenuous.
You are so badly mischaracterizing what I said that I actually have to consider whether or not English is your first language, or perhaps your reading skills aren’t far beyond middle school.
Finally… yes, a larger age gap is generally much more acceptable… as the age of both partners increases.
You seem to not grasp the concept that a 25 yo and a 30 yo is pretty normal, a 40 yo and a 30 yo is… a bit weird but could work… a 35 yo and a 45 yo less weird, as they are both older…
…but a 17 yo and a 27 yo is not ok, a 20 yo and a 15 yo is not ok.
Yes, asterisk.
Asterisk:
Unless those laws specifically have something like… you as a 16 yo can consent to sex with someone 16, 17, 18, some cutoff age after which it goes back to not being ok, then yes.
(I’m fairly confident a good number of those state laws do include some kind of consideration of that)
The age differential matters.
Once it gets too much, its no longer two post-puberty kids exploring their sexuality, the difference in maturity and social status becomes manipulative and exploitative.
Yes.
I was interested in girls my age, +/- one year.
Lost my virginity to a 17 yo girl, one grade above me, not my teacher, 10 years older.
When I was 26? When I am now 36?
Uh yeah, still interested in women roughly my age, though the age range has widened a bit as I get older… doesn’t get anywhere near 16 though, more like +/- 5 at 36, +/- 3 at 26.
Assuming your sister, at age 16, married a 31 year old… uh yes absolutely that’s disgusting.
Pushing my norms, no.
I’m expressing my opinion and stances, not mandating everyone else follow them.
I find your sister and her husband’s relationship to have a disgusting origin, but I’m not going to advocate your brother in law be jailed.
That would be pushing my norms.
Judgemental? Oh sure, absolutely, guilty as charged.
Well now who’s judgemental?
Its the internet. People are allowed to have strong opinions.
I don’t agree with yours, you don’t agree with mine.
This is… arguably the entire point of an online discussion system?
Absolutely not, no, frankly I have no clue how you could even think that would be a reasonable other position to expect me to hold…
I am queer lol, I’ve dated a trans woman, I’ve dated an ambi-gender person, bi women… I’ve gotten handsy and made out with bi and gay guys a few times… I seem to mostly go for a feminine presenting person, or a person with feminine aspects… but I’m considerably more flexible with that than your stereotypical straight man.
LGBT relationships are an entirely different thing than massive age gap relationships, I again have no clue how that seems like a reasonable assumption to jump to.
It woukd be weird and creepy if a 26 yo woman had a romantic or sexual relationship with a 16 yo girl, if a 26 yo man had a relationship with a 16 yo boy.
OK that’s really enough said.
As are most at that age, except it would have to be +, because if you go minus 1 at 16, it’s illegal! But you do not present any real argument only your opinion.
But really that wasn’t what I meant at all, what I was referring to was the ability to decide for yourself at the age of 16. Which most countries find you can.
You just cherry picked what I said so that you could continue mischaracterize what I am saying, by continuing to say I am or support thing I am not and do not, characterize a personal anecdote and direct answer to a direct question as reasoning.
Like I explicitly gave you my reasoning and you just ignore it and say I have none.
Its especially insane that you say I was knee jerk reacting.
I took almost an hour to write that out, with intention.
It is also insane to say that my worldview is based on religious indoctrination.
To the contrary, it is largely based on a rejection of religious indoctrination.
Formalization of child marriage is one of the most horrible things that religions, or variants of them, of all kinds, all over the world, do.
But by the same logic, it can or could also be very exploitative of boys… its just that such societies that go for a child bride norm are almost always patriarchal, though i am sure many men also do not appreciate being forced into marriages.
It perpetuates a concept of women as property, not people, and normalizes and reinforces their subjugation and inherently inferior, 2nd class nature.
I struggle to comprehend the mental pretzels you must be brain bending in order to earnestly and genuinely believe all of the things you are saying, you are terrible at argumentative rhetoric and it is obvious you are being disingenuous.
You are so badly mischaracterizing what I said that I actually have to consider whether or not English is your first language, or perhaps your reading skills aren’t far beyond middle school.
Finally… yes, a larger age gap is generally much more acceptable… as the age of both partners increases.
You seem to not grasp the concept that a 25 yo and a 30 yo is pretty normal, a 40 yo and a 30 yo is… a bit weird but could work… a 35 yo and a 45 yo less weird, as they are both older…
…but a 17 yo and a 27 yo is not ok, a 20 yo and a 15 yo is not ok.