Manual Topics > T#36913561 > P#404265707

You know, this topic makes me think.

In our society, there's no question that pedophilia is disgusting and harmful to the child... but perhaps, in some way, that's because it's considered so.

Er, let me try and explain where I'm coming from.

There's a tribe in Africa whose name is eluding me at the moment but I'm pretty sure starts with "Ma." Their custom is such that in their culture, a boy cannot be considered a man until he recieves an offering of semen from an older male in the tribe. It's certainly what we Westerners would consider an act of sexual contact between a child and an adult man... but in the context of that culture, I don't know if you could call it harmful. It's something to take pride in there, not a source of shame, not a relationship between a victim and an opressor.

In much the same way, in ancient Greek culture, young men were encouraged to have sexual relationships with older men, as young women were encouraged to do with older women, as a sort of introduction to the world of adulthood. Those relationships weren't harmful because they weren't done in a context that would make them harmful.

This is, of course, just getting to the whole "objective morality" thing. You know, "Is Rape A Sin in Andromeda?" sort of thing.

It's also moot when related to the subject at hand, because in the modern Western world, a sexual relationship between child and adult isn't about coming of age, it isn't a thing of pride--it IS a relationship between victim and victimizer, it is harmful, and it's a horrible, disgusting thing.


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Jayne [Shadow Syndicate]: Level 60 Troll Mage, Mug'Thol
Level 3X Gnome Warrior, Skullcrusher