It's the normalizing of adults dating teenagers as relationships that I found problematic, because that wasn't a joke, that was an expressed worldview.
I'm troubled by many sides of this. While some teens may not be in a position to make this judgement, I really don't
like the idea of making a blanket removal of their right to determine their own future. In general, I'm disturbed by
actions a society takes to inhibit the liberty of the individual.
I don't think the difference (for me) between say 15 and 20 (when I finally dipped my doinker) would make much
difference
internally. I'm not sure ANY age there would - I'd still be easily won over to love - only experience
that came directly from those engagements meant anything, and even that not too much. The small sampling of
females I've been close enough to really get a sense of this from seem to hold to the same stance.
If it's not the effect on the youth, then what do we base it on? Emotional age difference? I'm still a child there -
paralyzed by fears and weakness; that's never likely to change. Physical? Well, certainly by now I'm falling to
crap, but I was about as fit at 35 as at 18 - and better than at 15. Survivability? If so, why not frown just
as heavily on a ten year gap later in life?
The only difference that I see is actually the freedom that society allows at certain age barriers. Therein
may lie certain power differentials. So, if society wasn't fucking it all up for the young to begin with,
it shouldn't be an issue.