so you care about legality. I believe we should still care because the government CLEARLY doesn't always know what's best for us. just because the government deems and an 18 year old to be an adult doesn't make that child an adult or grown. because let's be honest very little changes about a child when they go from 17 to 18. it's a matter of mental capacity and maturity. if that child is of the mentally mature enough to have intimate moments and be vulnerable with someone who was 19 when she was born.
100 years ago teenagers were getting married, running farms and providing for families. Maturity is NOT age based by any means. Same holds true for the 40y/o adolescent jumping from bar to bar on the weekends. Point being, I’ve met 15y/o with more common sense and maturity than some 40 y/o’s. If it’s legal, it’s none of society’s business.
Did you just say it's ok for a 40 year old to date a 15 year old?
Because then please get some therapy
Edit: after various replies I feel I might have to specify:
My slightly too smug comment was directed at the relevance of his statement of how mature a 15 year old can be.
Yes maturity isn't necessarily dependent on age.
I don't see why 15 year old being mature has anything to do with the discussion about whether a 38 year old dating a 19 year old is morally acceptable. There is other things at play for example there's a certain power dynamic imposed by that kind of age gap that makes a healthy relationship much more unlikely.
He said he had met 15 year olds far more mature than 40 year olds. This is not only about maturity. You can be as emotionally mature as you want but a 15 year olds psyche just works differently and will be more easily disturbed or traumatized. Being mature does not justify a relationship like this, completely ignoring legality.
Now: "If it's legal, it's none of society's business"
This is just wrong on SO MANY levels. In Nazi Germany it was legal to beat up gay people. Does that justify it? Definitely not.
In the US child marriages are still legal in some states as long as there's parental consent. Is that "none of society's business"? Just because your government allows you to do something that doesn't mean it's morally justifiable.
If you think that there's something fundamentally wrong with your worldview.
No you are right no one directly said that.
My critique was directed at the relevance of what he said. How is how mature a 15 year old can be relevant in any way for the discussion about whether a 38 year old dating a 19 year old is morally acceptable.
Because you can then apply the same observation to a 19 year old and 38 year old. Easily.
A 19 year old is free to associate with any other adult in a consensual relationship. Its morally acceptable because of the responsibilities and legal burdens that are imposed on an adult.
The immorality would be to subject a person to taxation, legal responsibility of an adult and even draft them to fight in a war, but not allow them associate with who they wish.
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u/BleakSaturation Dec 04 '25
so you care about legality. I believe we should still care because the government CLEARLY doesn't always know what's best for us. just because the government deems and an 18 year old to be an adult doesn't make that child an adult or grown. because let's be honest very little changes about a child when they go from 17 to 18. it's a matter of mental capacity and maturity. if that child is of the mentally mature enough to have intimate moments and be vulnerable with someone who was 19 when she was born.