Age of consent, the taboo of changing it

^ Yeah, Victoria is generally pretty good with this stuff. We even have a Bill of Rights, even though the country doesn't have one.

One concern I still have is the "sexting" issue. I don't like the idea of a 15 year old being put on the sex offenders list and having their whole life be screwed up as a result.

I agree, even though I'm against sexting. I'm just against it on personal level though

"Take your (...) hippy dream world, I'll take reality and earning my happiness with my own efforts" - Barkey

Funny how something as simple as sex can be made so much more complicated when the law comes in...

Okay, I see where they're coming from with the first bit with the sexual activity. But the bolded part is kinda troubling...

So it's child pornography even if it just looks like they're posing suggestively?

Like this?

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

^^ I think sexting is stupid and I'm against it as well, but kids are allowed to be stupid - that's why we have these age of consent laws in the first place. Punishing them will teach them a lesson, branding them as a sex offender for a long time will not.

^ That is troubling, I agree, because of the subjectivity of what constitutes a "suggestive pose."

edited 27th May '11 3:08:28 AM by Talby

CP laws are much different than consent laws. Australia's CP laws prohibit posting naked pics of small-breasted women because they arouse pedophiles. In many other countries CP laws are better though, prohibitting only actual hardcore stuff (you know, the depiction of actual abuse and not 'kids without clothes' or 'people that look childlike')

edited 27th May '11 3:09:11 AM by nzm1536

"Take your (...) hippy dream world, I'll take reality and earning my happiness with my own efforts" - Barkey

I can't help but think, there might be an ulterior motive in that law...

In concluuusion...

• pictures of yourself should never ever ever be considered CP and have you be charged for them, even if they're sexual and underaged. Because, they're pictures of YOURSELF

• parents should be immune to the laws if it's their own kids...I know theres the risk that some parents might abuse their own kids, but it's too small a risk.

• Walmart should stay out of other people's business even if they think it's something illegal

edited 27th May '11 3:17:21 AM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

Don't you just love the long-arm of the law? The more it tights its grip, the more people want to break its fingers.

Yeah, we all hate abuse, and think it is wrong, but all this theater is doing is convincing people that they want nothing to do with law enforcement.

On a more Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming note regarding this topic*

...porn star saves a fan of hers from child porn charges.

So yeah...law enforcers are stupid*

. The law needs serious re-works. And just because a girl looks young, doesn't mean she's illegal.

Any other stories similar to this?

edited 27th May '11 3:20:40 AM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

I'm pretty sure you're more likely to molested by your parents or other family members than a stranger.

I generally think that 'naked children' are not the same as child porn, just like 'naked people' are not the same as porn. Nudity is not always sexual in nature

"Take your (...) hippy dream world, I'll take reality and earning my happiness with my own efforts" - Barkey

Ironically, the more prudish rural states are the ones with the younger age for consent laws. The only reason everyone thinks of it as eighteen is, as already noted, the Hollywood thing. All our media is based in the state with the highest age of consent. So yeah, can't blame the Bible thumpers for this one.... ;) In fact, whenever I hear it brought up, it's used as a condescending indicator of how backwards and hickish the Bible Belt is.

We've definitely gone overboard on the pedohunt; there's far too many clearcut cases of innocent people being jailed for pedophilia and having that ruin their lives. But it's a hot button topic that people turn off their brains when they hear about, and not one that personally inconveniences most people, so it's probably not going to change for the foreseeable future. Can you imagine what Fox News would make of any attempt to change the status quo? It would be the media pedohunt to end all media pedohunts. The politicians involved might as well kill themselves, because their lives would be over.

Furthermore, I think Guantanamo must be destroyed.

Because largely, anything that's remotely resembling of pedophilia, is treated as pedophilia. And you've got to admit, challenging Age of Consent norms is very suspicious.

I can't count how many times I've heard people actually claim that liking flat chests is a sure sign of pedophilia, and appear to mean is very seriously. Serious case of Poe's Law right here.

Genkidama for Japan, even if you don't have money, you can help![1]

I'm glad my country is at least sane about this. Even if we have pedo's trying to start a political party, no draconian and unclear sex offender laws have been put into place.

I know what you said, sugar, but 'platonic' still entails a world of ideas.

"Because largely, anything that's remotely resembling of pedophilia, is treated as pedophilia. And you've got to admit, challenging Age of Consent norms is very suspicious."

That's only because the definition of 'paedophilia' dishonestly encompasses teenagers along with actual kids.

There must be space, and revenue, to fill in them-there jails.

Enjoy the Inferno...

I don't think it's entirely dishonest. Teenagers are, obviously, more mature than prepubescent children, but they are nonetheless (generally speaking) more puerile, naive, inexperienced, and exploitable than adults are, making them easy prey.

Quite honestly, the reason I'm so adamantly in favor of the age of consent laws is that I know far too many guys my age who can't get a proper girlfriend or even laid for that matter, and consequently hit on as young and gullible girls as possible knowing that their chances are higher.

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

"But why voting? "

Politicans. The young are stupid and easily swayed to their cause.

I blame the draft. If they hadn't done that, we wouldn't have had a "no age restrictions beyond >=18" amendment.

"You'd think anyone would risk their job to fix it?"

How is this relevant to the Supreme Court?

And better than thy stroke; why swellest thou then?

"Quite honestly, the reason I'm so adamantly in favor of the age of consent laws is that I know far too many guys my age who can't get a proper girlfriend or even laid for that matter, and consequently hit on as young and gullible girls as possible knowing that their chances are higher."

Meh. I don't really see that as much different from a bloke closer to their own age "taking advantage", TBH.

Enjoy the Inferno...

At the end of the day, when there's no coercion involved, people choose who they sleep with.

Assuming nobody is coerced, how is people's choice of sexual partners anybody else's business?

You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it.

Pretty much.

Enjoy the Inferno...

I think Canada has 14-18 then 18 and up, would have to double check to be 100% certain.

The law was set-up so that older people cannot take advantage of younger people. Should probably be reworked and dropped down to 16 IMO but eh, It's not a huge concern of mine.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?

Because Sex has consequences.

Some of which are passed off on other people, besides those immediately involved.

Every action has consequence: what's your point?

Enjoy the Inferno...

Having spent time with both young and old alike, I can confidently say...the older citizens aren't much better. Just look at any election.

In fact, nowadays, while theres still the occasional idiot jock and Dumb Blonde floating around, most teenagers I've seen are much more mature about sex than many adults I've seen.

For one thing, many of the younger generations actually understand the concept of safe-sex*

. And while theres still a good deal of homophobia in both young and old, the idea is much better accepted among the younger generations than the older generation...

This...is one problem the Supreme Court and any occupation that protects it's employee's occupation this long has. It's filled with nothing but old geezers living in their own time. But that's a topic for another thread.

edited 27th May '11 4:12:02 PM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

Why do you think we have laws covering many of those other actions?

edited 27th May '11 4:13:54 PM by blueharp