Re: amazing that we choose the wire monkey ...

Funny, Ethan already defined them as indistinguishable when he talked about concealed asymmetrical benefits as "ulterior motive" and said that he needed to know states of mind through a psychic machine before allowing touch for children.

Totally wrong. I do not need a machine for *that* purpose. All I need is an adult woman recollecting what happened and realizing based on adult knowledge of the world that it was a sexual touch.

I have nothing against cuddling with children, hugging them and giving them back rubs. Unfortunately, in today's society some such touch would be considered alarming. I would like to change society so that it is not, just as you would. But touch that an adult will realize was sexual is different.

An interesting parallel might be intercourse with a grown woman who is so drunk she is out of touch with reality. She says the words of consent but makes it clear she thinks you are someone else -- wrong. A somewhat similar case would be getting a young child to shout ethnic slurs whose meaning she doesn't understand at those to whom they apply. She didn't mind at the time what she shouted, but she will realize later what those words meant and will know it was wrong. You may argue that this is an act with evil intent, which is true enough -- but the evil intent is not towards the child.