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Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 5, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Instead of bringing up Taylor Swift you should have brought up R. Kelly he demonstrates your point better.

The great part about realizing that your position is obscenely over-inclusive is that I can pick an example which falls within your over-inclusive claims but is optimally contrary to your intuitions. Therefore, let's go with Taylor Swift. Unless you'd like to introduce some form of distinction that you didn't have before which would be a good theoretical reason why Taylor Swift doesn't count.

I don't see how the 'quality' of person involved is a rebuttal to my argument. I said it was based on age. The difference in age for any adult and a fourteen year-old nullifies any idea of consent on the side of the child. Children who don't have jobs, can't drive and are subject to curfew are open to sexual coercion from any adult.

You said

the difference in age and social stature [emphasis added]

That said, Taylor Swift is also older than a fourteen year-old. I guess we have to ban them from going to her concerts.

I do not see the correlation between attending concerts and sexual activity with the performer. While underage fans might desire such a sexual relationship, for the reasons I spelled out before if the adult allows or facilitates such activity it's sexual coercion and manipulation by the mere fact that one party is an adult and the other is a fourteen year old.

You said:

Children cannot give consent.

and

the difference in age and social stature on the part of the child renders any of their agreement to be coerced and manipulated.

I said:

We basically never say that age/social stature differences inherently make agreements coerced/manipulated, invalidating consent. We don't even have to go to hypotheticals about Taylor Swift wanting to have sex with someone... though we could; how could a "normal" person possibly consent to having sex with Taylor Swift, given her immense social stature advantage? This sort of reasoning kills a normal person's ability to consent to the transaction of buying a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert! How could they possibly consent, given the massive different in social stature?!

The invalidating feature to me is her age. The status of being adult is what is causing these relationships to be coercive and manipulative. Taylor Swift with other adults (regardless of status of either adult) is not considered since age difference is not a factor.

So, you'd like to withdraw your "and social stature"?

Its meaning is 'both' not 'or' social stature here is conferred by adultstatus.

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