Originally posted by cupidvalentino
Because when I was 18, i actually was dating a 15 year old, however I was only 18 for 5 months until she turned 16. Because we had been legally (i think - rape laws are so confusing) fucking when i was 17 and she was 15, but then i turned 18 what was i supposed to do, just dump her?
Because she was an old 15 year old, and i was a young 18 year old, see what i'm saying ? 2 1/2 years apart. It was still illegal, and damn glad I never got 10 years for it.
Good point. It's not like I'm going to view you as some sicko just because you turned 18 before she turned 16. To some point, it's an arbitrary standard set by lawmakers in an attempt to keep men from targeting females that are too young to really make an intelligent decision regarding sexual activity. It's impossible to apply such things to every individual with such a law, but there needs to be some standard.
Age of consent is kind of a funny concept. For one thing, it has become much more of a cultural thing. At one time, here in the US, it was not uncommon for a girl of 14-16 to marry a man well beyond her in years. In fact, there are places in the world today where it would not be frowned upon for a 16 year old to marry a 30 year old man. These are societies that are different from the US, but I'm not talking tribal Africa either. The greatest difference is that women there often have an almost universal desire for child bearing and a career is very much second on the priority list. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a woman to be in a relationship with a much older man, with the blessing of everyone. Such women are also raised very different in terms of social maturity. You would likely find them at home preparing meals for the family and managing the household, while her parents work. I can guarantee you that you'll not find them meandering through the local mall, dressed like Britney Spears on her slutiest day, uttering "Whatever!" through the cell phone that seems permanently attached to her ear.
The thing about American society that has changed in the last 100-150 years that has not changed around the rest of the world is the idea of adolescence. At one time, the time between childhood and preparing to take on real adult responsibilities was a fine line. Today, our culture glorifies what truly amounts to celebrating a period in life that is often reckless immaturity. I'm not necessarily condemning it, nor advocating it, but it is accepting as a part of our culture that is here to stay.
Anyhow, from a purely biological standpoint, I can't say it's sickening for a 30 year old to be having sex with a 16 year old. That has happened, and still happens, for thousands of years. I could be wrong about this, but from what I've read, I believe that old-fashioned religious sects such as the Amish frequently marry individuals within these age ranges. I'm pretty sure that if I were to convert to the Amish faith, where they arrange marriages, they might find a 16 year-old for my old ass. Given that my days of logging onto the [words=http://www.mattersofsize.com/join-now.html]MOS[/words] forum and listening to Metallica would be replaced by milking cows and logging wood, it's not even an option. rofl
That all being said, under any remotely normal circumstances, any man in our society that seeks girls of that age group has problems and needs help. They are obviously not of the mindset to make rational judgments about any kind of significant relationship. Interestingly, I predict that the age of consent might actually lower in the coming years, through our court system. With the amount of sex education in our school system, someone accused of statutory rape or a similar charge will argue that one should actually be able to make an intelligent decision at a younger age, that the current standards are archaic. I think that would be a bad thing.