Its not really a culture issue though. In the US we decided on 18 because that’s the age it is believed that people can make decisions for themselves. Personally I think it should probably be higher. In other countries that have a lower age of consent don’t do it because they think the kids are mature enough to make that decision. They do it because they view the kids as similar to slaves who have to do what they are told. If it is a culture thing, then should culture be enforced through threat of death i.e. honor killings? They just use culture as an excuse to be shitty.
So I am. In my opinion people should wait even longer than that. I remember when I was 18. I was an idiot just starting to learn about how to live in the world, and I’d say a significant percentage of the people my age were more reckless than even me. Any big decision one has to make at that age is at best uninformed.
I was a moron as well! Still am! OTOH, I’ve read things I wrote back in high school thinking these views would be childishly naive. Nope! I was more mature than I gave myself credit for.
Made friends with the neighborhood kids, pretty much on accident. When they were 17-21 they’d hang on a Saturday night and talk and debate and argue and have a blast. I was stunned at how smart and experienced they were! I’ll never misjudge young people again. Who was the fool to underestimate them? Me.
FFS, at 17 we were fucking like rabid hamsters, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Not like we were clueless. Sex was a life and death affair, but we managed to be safe, navigate that danger along with all the other crazy shit tied to human sexuality. LOL, the stories I could tell. One of the nerdiest girls in school, “Have you tried tying your gf up?! My bf fucked my brains out strapped to his bed last night!” Kids? Hardly.
We all have to grow up, make those painful mistakes, learn. I’m certain you agree. But dialing that age out older and older and older is a mistake. What chaps my ass are those who make young people out to be idiots, idiots incapable of agency. I will not take that from them. I will not disrespect them so.
Everything you just said describes the behavior of irresponsible kids. I not arguing that we should stop kids from doing all that. I agree that it is a part of growing up. I’m arguing that they should not be able to sign legal contracts, such as marriage, that will have a major impact on their lives without truly understanding it. That’s the best case scenario. There are much worse people who take advantage of such lax laws.
Its not really a culture issue though. In the US we decided on 18 because that’s the age it is believed that people can make decisions for themselves. Personally I think it should probably be higher. In other countries that have a lower age of consent don’t do it because they think the kids are mature enough to make that decision. They do it because they view the kids as similar to slaves who have to do what they are told. If it is a culture thing, then should culture be enforced through threat of death i.e. honor killings? They just use culture as an excuse to be shitty.
You just slammed everyone in Europe, excepting, ironically enough, Turkey.
https://old.lemmy.world/comment/18675775
Sure. I slammed anyone who thinks kids are mature enough to marry. There’s plenty of states here in the US that fit the bill too.
If you’re pegging “kid” at under 18, you’re against almost every law on the planet.
So I am. In my opinion people should wait even longer than that. I remember when I was 18. I was an idiot just starting to learn about how to live in the world, and I’d say a significant percentage of the people my age were more reckless than even me. Any big decision one has to make at that age is at best uninformed.
I was a moron as well! Still am! OTOH, I’ve read things I wrote back in high school thinking these views would be childishly naive. Nope! I was more mature than I gave myself credit for.
Made friends with the neighborhood kids, pretty much on accident. When they were 17-21 they’d hang on a Saturday night and talk and debate and argue and have a blast. I was stunned at how smart and experienced they were! I’ll never misjudge young people again. Who was the fool to underestimate them? Me.
FFS, at 17 we were fucking like rabid hamsters, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Not like we were clueless. Sex was a life and death affair, but we managed to be safe, navigate that danger along with all the other crazy shit tied to human sexuality. LOL, the stories I could tell. One of the nerdiest girls in school, “Have you tried tying your gf up?! My bf fucked my brains out strapped to his bed last night!” Kids? Hardly.
We all have to grow up, make those painful mistakes, learn. I’m certain you agree. But dialing that age out older and older and older is a mistake. What chaps my ass are those who make young people out to be idiots, idiots incapable of agency. I will not take that from them. I will not disrespect them so.
Everything you just said describes the behavior of irresponsible kids. I not arguing that we should stop kids from doing all that. I agree that it is a part of growing up. I’m arguing that they should not be able to sign legal contracts, such as marriage, that will have a major impact on their lives without truly understanding it. That’s the best case scenario. There are much worse people who take advantage of such lax laws.