Age of consent? Whoof you guys like to lay out the minefields don'tcha?
So as a number of folks are noting there seems to be some confusion as to why they hover at 16-18 when sexual agency seems to vary from person to person.
Welp, until the 1880s-1890s the norm of consent was actually between 10-13, with Delaware’s ago of conset being just 7 right up to the 1890s.
Now, the Victorian Era is the xenith of british power so of course it’s both Britain being the problem and solution to the situation. The age of consent in the UK had been at 12, as it had been for pretty much forever.
Much like today, London was a den of vice and iniquity, with Opium houses still riddling the city, and drugs freely available. There were also prostitutes. Lots of them,and not all of them were willing members of this trade, and trade was very good. To the point demand (largely blame on continental visitors and buyers) was outstripping supply.
Cue one William Thomas Stead, a journalist who highlighted the concern thanks to a publicity stunt. Rather than writing a single story in an issue of Pall Mall Magazine, he sensationalized the whole thing, most possibly drumming the issue up to a much vaster scale. He spoke of children as young as 12 being sold to madams before being drugged and coercively raped. Before being further coerced into remaining in the business due to the fact they were friendless and likely still befuddled by drugs.
The outrage caused by this scandal nearly lead to rioting in London, the Home Secretary had to intervene begging Stead to stop publishing lest he cause more upheaval.
Ultimately, the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 raised the age of consent right up to 16, and further tightening issues surrounding prostitution and reforming law regarding rape. This was followed fairly swiftly via copycat movements in the United States (Who were more prudish than the Victorian British) seeing ages of consent changed to 16 else 18 dependant on the state.
Nowadays we can see that slight change in attitude again, namely that we note that sexuality is a lot more complicated than the arbitrary numbers we ascribe via legislation. Exceptions have been made (such as the Romeo and Juliet clauses) and our understanding and education is a lot more comprehensive (albeit still very patchy).
For me, 16 with Romeo and Juliet Laws seem the most sensible balance, but we also have to note that this is a relatively recent concept in terms of human civilization and we do appear on the cusp of either another liberalization or some initially feeble attempts at trying to return these laws to their “historical norm”.
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We will have to at the very least, keep an eye on these groups that support this attempted position arguing on the side of history or oppression, the VPDF, the wider SJW network.
While we may laugh at them for now, we should note that people laughed at other groups that were initially seen as extreme, e.g those proposing prohibition etc. Until they were able to wield completely disproportionate influence within media outlets and elsewhere.
We can already see those sparks happening now, with some members of this weird clique of the dispossessed able to wield large power within the media sphere.
So, we should do what we do. Observe, collect, and archive what we need to, ensure that information is available for those who google such things and ensure we can keep such an important law safe.
