Emancipated Youth and Society

Okay, this might still be a short reply in length, but I hope to hit more of what I envision as the ramifications of a society in which young people can gain legal emancipation including legal right to consent.

One important thing to remember regarding the AoC laws worldwide is that in countries where the AoC is indeed lower, other factors weigh in heavily to influence who is having sex, when, and under what conditions. For example, Catholicism forbids premarital sex, so there is already a widely followed rule in Spain and Mexico (and other places) that means young girls aren't being chased after by all pedos despite their ability to legally consent. The family unit is also pretty strong in much of Latin America (compared to the US), and traditional customs regarding courtship and marriage seem to be followed more widely. However, as these countries become more modern, they are experiencing some of the changes (esp. with urban youth, etc.) that we see in the US...

In Japan the family unit is similarly far dominant to the laws in terms of its import to matters of youth freedom, consent, etc. The AoC is lower than the age of majority (which varies by prefecture), but if the parents take issue with the sex, it's still illegal.

Historically and around the world, there is a very strong correlation between the three factors: Independence-Marriage-Sex. One could write an essay or book on why this is alone. The funny bit is that modern industrialized societies are facing new conditions that start to grind against this previously established and effective cultural rule. Young people are getting a certain range of freedom and autonomy while not having others, and this seems to generate discordance. Young people ostensibly must learn more skills and knowledge to be successful citizens and workers, so the state has mandated longer mandatory schooling. This schooling carries with it the notion that young people are not "mature", while in fact, they are mature in some domains, and not in others... OK, I'm kind of paraphrasing Epstein here which I don't really need to do. Anyway, the general case I'm making is that it's very difficult to withhold any rights from young people on the basis that they are "not mature" enough to handle them, while simultaneously granting other rights and saying they "are mature enough". People like to oversimplify things. And to some extent, regarding the relationship between legal/financial independence and marriage and sex, they might have a point. Or maybe not. But I digress.

A society in which teens can be acknowledged as independent and competent to run many of their own affairs is fully envisionable. They could certainly continue to live with their parents. I know several folks between 18-22 that live with their parents, and even one that has a much older significant other. So that's easy to envision extending: now we imagine 12-18 year olds emancipated and living with their folks while they continue their education. What's different? In fact, many of those 14 year olds in Epstein's vision have already proven themselves quite smart and are going to college. They'll probably be much less harassed in that setting than they would be at a typical high school, which, if you noted kratt's link to a 13yo speaking out against "slut shaming", high school is a VERY high-harassment environment. I have looked at literature which examines the condition and social attitudes by listening to what teenage girls say on sex. It is largely influence from their immature male peers that makes for such an unhealthy understanding and attitude about sex.

And Epstein suggests a lot of the social problems of today's youth - not just sex, but delinquency, gang violence, and other things - are caused by sticking them in an artificial environment that strip them of the ability to take ownership in their own lives and do things that are meaningful and productive.

One of the stats mentioned was that once out of school and employed, partying and use of drugs drops off dramatically. I would imagine other undesirable behaviors, such as sexual harassment, drop off as well.

So I don't envision young (teen) girls being chased or harassed any more than they already are going through middle and high school, which can be rather rough. In fact, Epstein's ideas give them a chance to escape having to suffer that fate by leaving the artificial and problematic environment and going to do something meaningful - like a college or a tech school or an apprenticeship instead. In such environments, the likelihood to meet an immature, horny boy who just wants to bang her is much less, and the likelihood to meet a dude who cares about her and wants to have a meaningful relationship is greater.

Sure, the media would find it a sensation that there are 12 year olds in college, but they'd get over it soon enough. Young people with talent used to have an easier time distinguishing themselves before the state stepped in and took measures to quash individuality and personal achievement.

So far I am only addressing those young people who are about 12 or older, but specifically those who have hit puberty, because from a scientific point of view they are biologically adults, with the full capacity to learn adult skills, decision-making, behaviors, etc. (The problem with all those studies that say teen brains are "immature" is that these studies fail to take into account that the brain simply adapts to its environment, and when young people are trapped in the artificial environment of high school, their brains adapt for functionality in that situation and thus look different than the brains of adults who have learned to function in a completely different world). But what about younger children?

Quite frankly, if the test for legal emancipation is properly developed, they're not gonna pass. They may be fully mature or even above-average in many domains, but not all. And how many 10 year olds from good families want to leave their parents already? (If they have shitty abusive families, that's another issue entirely.) So basically, this is a non-issue.

In essence, there exists no convincing rationale to legally extend preteens complete sexual freedom. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to learn and experiment in that realm - but ultimately, that's a cultural change, not a legal one. The parents have to be cool with it. When I am a parent, my well-educated and responsible 12 year old can do as she pleases, and will have multiple people that she can go to for advice if she's unsure or uncomfortable about anything. But I will damn well better know what she's up to when she's 10 - she might be quite smart and mature, but until I know she has the full biological capacity to think and reason as an adult, it is my responsibility to guide her growth and learning. So if she has a "special friend" who is a decent, loving, respecting sort of fellow, and they want to do some touchy-feely stuff, I'd be comfortable okaying that. But I do think it is important that a parent is there to intervene if an adult is being too pushy and harassing a child who hasn't yet hit that stage of experience and biological maturity that would enable them to tell douchebags to fuck off. But I don't want the law telling me what my kid can or can't do either.

So on to your questions. If I met a cute 12yo going to an institution of higher education along with me, there is no doubt I would be in max flirting mode. But by the way, her parents would probably have advised her against going to certain schools (esp. large ones) unless she was a pro at, as above, telling douchebags to fuck off. But anyway, depending on her life plans, she might not be looking for a long-term relationship, and she would thusly be up front about this. One reason that the smarter, more reasonable antis are opposed to young people having freedom to date older people, btw, is that they fear biology will overwhelm their rational side, and they will get into a relationship that gets in the way of their long-term personal goals. So, our hypothetical Epstein-inspired test has to account for this, *somehow* (I don't know how off the top of my head). But maybe this cute 12yo doesn't mind dating someone while she's in school, in which case I (or whoever the lucky fellow is) might get to be her lover during that time.

My chances would be excellent :-p

If I met one of the younger ones, I would already be good friends with the family, and hopefully they are reasonable people that would let their kid and I cuddle up and watch movies together, cause that's all I'd need! And then hopefully we're still together when she passes the magic test, haha.

As for the "buying the girl's affections", that's also an unrelated topic to Epstein's competency tests. Prostitution is a complex issue. Even if 12 year olds could legally be hookers, I wouldn't want one anyway. Prostitution among poorer classes is fueled by poverty (a separate issue) and among richer classes, by materialism (a separate issue). I would love to solve both poverty and reduce the materialistic nature of society, but those are even harder battles.

I didn't proofread any of this and my thread of logic might be obscure in a spot or two, but I hope that's a reasonable answer :)