Most Americans grow up in a society that infantilizes them. They are taught that they are irresponsible, stupid idiots until sometime in their mid-20s. This is cultural. It is not based on any facts. Societies that don't do that get much better results.

This sounds so friendly and nice and supportive but the underlying message is:

"You're helpless because you're under 18. Only older people have power. Don't believe in yourself or your power to defend yourself. Look for an older person to defend you."

It's disempowering AF.

Half the world screams "Young women wearing mini-skirts to school are *sexualizing* themselves!!!"

The other half shouts "Anyone telling young women to cover their thighs in public is *sexualizing* them!!!"

So nobody knows what sexualize means but everybody feels pretty damn sure it's a terrible thing that needs to be stopped immediately.

One of them is 4 years older than the other. One is a minor. One is not.

Of course you can tell which is which, right?

My friend Zoe and I are watching TV, and this Momoa guy comes on screen, and Zoe says "I'd love to fuck his brains out" Is Zoe sexualizing him? Is that bad? Should I tell Zoe to never do that again?

=> All relationships have power imbalances.

=> The existence of power does not equal abuse.

Some people abuse their power. Harvey Weinstein for example.

But that doesn't mean that a high-powered executive who has a homemaker wife is committing rape every time they make love.

Ask yourself, hypothetically, what if Epstein's victims were older?

What if he did all of the exact same things but the women were all around 30 years old?

Would it be ok? Would you think "Oh, he raped 30 year olds? No problem." ??

So why is everyone focused exclusively on age?

Many countries have good ages of consent and got good results from them. German and Portuguese teens get pregnant and catch diseases at about half the rate of American teens, for example.

If you fight against a problem that doesn't exist hard enough, you end up creating the very problem you were afraid of and several other related ones at the same time.

Nature makes animals, and most plants, sexual. People cannot "sexualize" other people. The whole idea is absurd.

If power imbalances cause rape, then one of those two was raping the other, right?

They can't consent because of the power dynamics.

One of them must be abusing their power.

but WHO HAS MORE POWER?

Is that very rich old man exploiting that dumb blonde for his own sexual pleasure?

or is that devious vixen taking advantage of that feeble old guy to get ahold of his money?

Germany has about half the teen pregnancy rate the USA does. They also have dramatically lower rates of STDs. They are doing this very well. We are doing this very badly. Let's learn from them.

How is "sexualization" (if it even exists) measured?

What's the scale?

What objective criteria are used to determine how much or how little "sexualization" has taken place?

People used to argue that gay sex must be illegal because it is disgusting and unnatural. Of course the hetero majority felt that way. But feelings make very bad guides for lawmaking. Gay sex is not inherently harmful. When asked to prove it was, the bigots had to give in.

A: *starts honest discussion of normal young adult sexual activity*

B: You just wanna fuck kids!!!

C: It's illegal!!!

D: Just because it's legal doesn't make it right!!!

E: Defending pedos, you sicko!!!

[realistic assessments drown in a sea of overblown emotional reaction]

You cannot protect children by abusing teenagers, infantilizing them, and taking away all their rights.

WTF? Seriously, besides Taliban-controlled Afghanistan where on earth would any of this even remotely be a crime?

American parents think "I don't want MY DAUGHTER having SEX!!!" "I'll go on Twitter and call lots of people pedophiles. That will totally solve the problem!!!"