When do children become adults?

[Hollybaby]

Somebody emailed me this cute story:

http://discordia.loveshade.org/ek-sen-trik-kuh/adultfairy.html


It's silly, but I think it raises some good points.

Any thoughts?

 

[luv-em-n-lv-em]

The only good thing about "adult" is when you add "ery".

 

[john23]

Adulthood probably occurred when I stopped caring if I was an "adult" or not. Or maybe it didn't?

 

[chilli]

"And that is why societies that think that adulthood should
be defined by an arbitrary age are the same ones that believe in fairy tales."

This is the kind of crap perpectuated by child molesters.

I could go into a whole page of reasons why we have a certain age to determine adulthood, but basically it's to protect teens from adults.

But to the OP, Do you live on another planet? Why would you and your friend think this "story" raises some good points?

I have to assume you haven't thought this thru.

 

[john23]

I would agree with some of what Chili is saying as children definitely don't have the same view of their bodies as adults do when it comes to sexuality. Also the power relationships between children and adults - even late teenage to early adult and older adults - is very different from age-peer relationships. But that's in general. Individuals may be quite different.

As for myself I was a very late bloomer. Eg I was 5'6" at age 17 and 6'4" at age 18. I did skip ahead in school but I was very behind socially compared to many my age. It took a really long time to catch up. Some may argue whether I have caught up.

Nevertheless I was very suspicious about the idea of being "adult" as a child and am still a bit suspicious about it now. I mean, you can be an honorable person without being an "adult." You can be a good person. You probably will have to give up on being a creative person if you want to be an "adult."

The idea that has a much better fit for me is the old Lakota ideal of the ikche wichasha or "wild natural human being." (See Lame Deer Seeker of Visions, John Fire Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes for a more complete explanation.) This ideal is almost a letting go of any concept of what you must be. Instead you be what you really are.

 

[BigBlue]

Whoa dude, that's deep....

...pass the peyote (jk)

 

[Hollybaby]

Very aggressive. Why?

But to the OP, Do you live on another planet? Why would you and your friend think this "story" raises some good points?

I have to assume you haven't thought this thru.

Well, I don't know what my friend thinks, since it was simply a forwarded email.

I can speak for myself however.

I thought the story was interesting because it brings up how different societies around the world think of their young (by using examples of animals). In some societies, you're an adult when you can do the work that the family needs you to do, like taking care of young children, farming, etc.

In some, you're an adult when you can reproduce. In others, like ours, you're an adult when you reach a certain age.

What struck was how different societies can be, and how interesting that was. It makes me wonder how societies develop in different ways. (This is why I love taking sociology courses).

These are the "good points" I was referring to. I don't know what you mean by not having "thought this through". You're right in that I didn't sit down and have a deep philosophical mind quest over the story. But I did think about the points that the story made and decided it was interesting enough to share with others.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

It takes all kinds I guess.

Not another fuckin' kiddy thread. Didn't you have enough with the previous go-round? (which it appears has now disappeared). WTF is your preoccupation with pre-pubescence? A quick perusal thru your posts in other threads sheds a disturbing light on your fixation. Anyone with the internet and Google can do a quick search on Discordian Works, which this "cute" link you posted is taken from directly, and see how fucked up it is. Discordianism is a cult which was investigated by several LE agencies, including the FBI, for child abuse / pornography, among other things.
If nothing else, get it thru your demented skull that an escort review board is not the place to discuss children. Or is this all an intentional ploy to create highly controversial threads and keep your name up on the first page? Surely at 4 beans an hour, you can afford to advertise on this board by now.

There, I just bumped it for ya. Ya owe me one.

 

[shapeshifter]

Not another fuckin' kiddy thread. Didn't you have enough with the previous go-round? (which it appears has now disappeared). WTF is your preoccupation with pre-pubescence? A quick perusal thru your posts in other threads sheds a disturbing light on your fixation. Anyone with the internet and Google can do a quick search on Discordian Works, which this "cute" link you posted is taken from directly, and see how fucked up it is. Discordianism is a cult which was investigated by several LE agencies, including the FBI, for child abuse / pornography, among other things.
If nothing else, get it thru your demented skull that an escort review board is not the place to discuss children. Or is this all an intentional ploy to create highly controversial threads and keep your name up on the first page? Surely at 4 beans an hour, you can afford to advertise on this board by now.

I couldnt have said it better, I did some checking and it is disturbing the fixation she has with promoting children and sex

 

[LeBeau]

Some serious charge have been leveled against Holly. I would like to hear what Holly has to say.

 

[Hollybaby]

Also Very Agressive. Why?

Not another fuckin' kiddy thread. Didn't you have enough with the previous go-round? (which it appears has now disappeared). WTF is your preoccupation with pre-pubescence? A quick perusal thru your posts in other threads sheds a disturbing light on your fixation. Anyone with the internet and Google can do a quick search on Discordian Works, which this "cute" link you posted is taken from directly, and see how fucked up it is. Discordianism is a cult which was investigated by several LE agencies, including the FBI, for child abuse / pornography, among other things.
If nothing else, get it thru your demented skull that an escort review board is not the place to discuss children. Or is this all an intentional ploy to create highly controversial threads and keep your name up on the first page? Surely at 4 beans an hour, you can afford to advertise on this board by now

1) I don't have a preoccupation with pre-pubescence. If you actually read my previous posts, you will see that I'm interested in how society relates to people under the age of consent, which includes teenagers who are pubescent.

You should also note that I reached the age of majority less than 2 years ago and so the matter is close to home. I've taken ethics courses that focus on youth and the law and it's simply something I've taken an interest in. If you'd like to know my other academic interests, just ask

2) I have never heard of Discordian Works, and by posting a link, I am not in any way endorsing who they are or what they do. I don't even know what their organization is for. The link was only posted to a story, which didn't say anything about the organization.

3) People discuss all sorts of non-escort related topics in the Lounge section. They discuss cars, sports, beauty products, interesting news items, ethical issues, controversial issues, etc. Other posters choose to post about what they're interested in, and I choose to post about what I'm interested in.

4) I think it's good to post about topics that people don't generally talk about in polite society. That way, people can ask themselves why they believe what they believe and if it makes sense.

I believe that questioning assumptions leads to greater self-awareness and an improvement in critical thinking skills.

 

[donovan12345]

Holly...I asked you

a question a while ago about how you felt about being with a man much older and you were very positive.. as was another young lady that I plan to visit with soon.. age is a state of mind, and most of us are kids at heart, even if our bodies tell us differently. Don't know if that is at all relative to the discussion, but it's all I got!!!!!

 

[pickupjoe]

. Or is this all an intentional ploy to create highly controversial threads and keep your name up on the first page? Surely at 4 beans an hour, you can afford to advertise on this board by now.

There, I just bumped it for ya. Ya owe me one.

and they say I'm bitter?????

4) I think it's good to post about topics that people don't generally talk about in polite society. That way, people can ask themselves why they believe what they believe and if it makes sense.

I believe that questioning assumptions leads to greater self-awareness and an improvement in critical thinking skills.

Yup for sure Hb, da lounge is a smorg for diff topics.

 

[dittman]

when do they become adults? not soon enough.

yep fuzzy is nothing but a disturb bitter man.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

when do they become adults? not soon enough...

Thanks. ya proved my point.

They got ya entered in the database yet?

 

[shapeshifter]

IMO she has only raised the point that in diff cultures there are diff standards for adulthood. Good point. .

Fuzzy wasnt referring to just this post but rather a pattern of posts on this subject, some are available through the "search" function

The most blatant post has dissapeared but when I asked around I was supplied a copy of it that a member had archived

After reading through her previous posts I couldnt help but agree with Fuzzys viewpoint

 

[Horn_dawg]

First of all, I want to say that having a defined age where one becomes an adult (and thus all the things legally an adult can do) is a good thing, even though it is an arbitrary and artificial definition. I will get back to this point shortly.

All the posters that are attacking Holly and her post, you would make yourself look a lot less like fools and zealots if you can put forth your points logically and keep this as an intellectual debate. This is clearly the intention of the original post. Chilli, I think you are the one that hasn't thought through Holly's post before you attacked her. She said there are some interesting points in the article (which she has subsequently explained), she did not say she agreed with everything that was discussed in that story. You picked out the obvious flaw in that story and then attacked Holly based on that, even though Holly did not say she is in agreement with that point, a obvious straw man attack.

Definition of adulthood is a tricky thing, not only due to difference between society, but of time (people used to have a lot shorter life span, and thus have to "grow up" a lot quicker), and of course individual differences. The societal differences are what led to difference in definition of adulthood around the world, and difference between individuals is precisely why an arbitrary (but consistent within a given society) definition of adulthood is necessary. It is a comprimise, but a necessary one to protect the young.

Personally, I am one of those people that feel they are born old. I felt mature beyond my years when I was young, and if anything, getting younger as I grow older. I can definitely say though, I didn't not feel any different a month before my 18th birthday, and a month after. The only difference is by law I have become an adult.

Even in the area of law, the definition of adulthood is not cast in stone. Often we hear some teenager get tried as an adult because their crime is serious. Just go to show, nothing is in black and white. Having a consistent definition based on age is a good thing, and the ability to have exceptions based on exceptional circumstances is also a good thing (such as serious crime committed by a 17 year old that has repeatedly commit serious crimes).

 

[shapeshifter]

All the posters that are attacking Holly and her post, you would make yourself look a lot less like fools and zealots if you can put forth your points logically and keep this as an intellectual debate..

I am not attacking anyone, I merely stated that I checked out her other posts on this subject (including the one that has dissapeared) and after reading them all I understood where Fuzzy was coming from and agreed with his opinion.

Maybe you should quit ATTACKING, and calling people fools and zealots before you check out the posts that Fuzzy is referring to .... do you consider calling people names intellectual?!?

Ever wonder why her other thread on this subject dissapeared? I am guessing that the Moderator deleted it because of inappropriate content??
Saying that some kids are ready to have sex with adults and should be allowed to decide that for themselves is a shocking statement to most people.

 

[Horn_dawg]

I am not attacking anyone, I merely stated that I checked out her other posts on this subject (including the one that has dissapeared) and after reading them all I understood where Fuzzy was coming from and agreed with his opinion.

Obviously, I wasn't referring to you, if you weren't attacking her. If you feel that I was referring to you, then clearly you must feel you were attacking her. Funny how this works.

Maybe you should quit ATTACKING, and calling people fools and zealots...

I said the attackers will appear less like fools and zealots. Sorry for the fine distinction, but I did not call them fools and zealots (since I don't even know them). But their statements in this thread, can lead one to that conclusion, since the fools and zealots that I do know, would argue in the same manner. I may well be wrong, and I appologize if I appear to have called them fools and zealots.

...before you check out the posts that Fuzzy is referring to .... do you consider calling people names intellectual?!?

Ever wonder why her other thread on this subject dissapeared? I am guessing that the Moderator deleted it because of inappropriate content??
Saying that some kids are ready to have sex with adults and should be allowed to decide that for themselves is a shocking statement to most people.

Are you telling me to find the posts that have dissappeared? Might as well tell me to go find a live specimen of the Dodo bird.

 

[lenharper]

I always find it funny that people get bent out of shape about this and then get really excited when someone posts that an escort who "just turned 19" is available.