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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 25, 2026

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Talk about moving goalposts. We're not talking about causing discomfort by making unwanted advances, we're talking about sex, and some of us are still backward enough to think that's a big deal.

There is no way to consistently think sex is a big enough deal that are willing lock up single women for having sex with a 16 year old boy consensually, but you refuse to log up adulterers in general. Adultery actually has a victim, the Hanania meme does not.

An adult woman can't have consensual sex with an underage boy by definition. Adults cheating on one another don't need society to step in. Adults fucking kids do.

16 year olds aren't underage boys, if you define underage boys to be people who can't consent to sex with women. The cutoff here would be 12 or 13 on average. Really it depends on puberty timing and IQ but if you have to project that onto age it would be 12 or 13 I think.

Adults cheating on one another don't need society to step in.

Okay, then adults stealing from one another don't need society to step in. Legalize stealing? It's not like the one spouse consents when the other cheats. If they do, maybe that's another matter. It's polygamy more than it is adultery and it's a separate discussion as to whether to tolerate it. If they don't consent, they're being victimized and I think they need society to step in. What are they going to do in 2026, beat the cheating spouse? Kill them with stones? Then society steps in on the side of the cheater. Something has to give.

Okay, then adults stealing from one another don't need society to step in. Legalize stealing? It's not like the one spouse consents when the other cheats.

Adults cheating is at most a contract violation, which unlike stealing would be a civil offense rather than a criminal one. Your partner doesn't require your consent to have sex with someone other than you.

Adults cheating is at most a contract violation

No, it's historically a crime that could result in execution.

Your comment is just stating the normie/liberal position instead of an argument. Rhetorically, it's flawed.

I think your definition is wrong. Whatever age you decide on as the cutoff, it means that the society assumes consent when both partners are above this age, modulo literal mental disability.

Below this age? The lack of consent is not automatic (and if it is, it's the fault of a badly written law), the assumption of the lack of consent is. The couple has to prove their relationship is healthy when challenged, but they should be able to prove it.

I would be fine with two cutoff dates, with the lower one separating "definitely a crime" from "could be problematic".

I would be fine with two cutoff dates, with the lower one separating "definitely a crime" from "could be problematic".

They used to have this in Europe more often but radical feminists have insisted otherwise. Although Germany still has a law like this. They got rid of it in Belgium and France. It was 13 for the age of consent and 15 or 16 for the age of could be problematic.

No, children are unable to consent to sex with adults. There is often a lower cutoff for sex with peers, but not adults.

There is often a lower cutoff for sex with peers, but not adults.

Why? Teenagers are often attracted to adults, mostly in their 20s, and adults in their 20s are often attracted to teenagers. Is this just about romantic affirmative action for teenage boys?

Yes, but being a child is not a binary toggle.

The couple has to prove their relationship is healthy when challenged, but they should be able to prove it.

It has nothing to do with the outcome for the couple (insert "I consent/I consent/I don't" meme here).

Whatever age you decide on as the cutoff, it means that the society assumes consent when both partners are above this age

It doesn't even do this now. It's actually impossible to consent to sex; participants cannot bind themselves in this way (and may cry rape/coercion ex post facto at any time no matter how ridiculous it is).

But that was the problem with defining "consent" to stop needing to have the "sex isn't harmful to anyone, so that's why kids can have it" argument in the first place. Consent is simply waiving the veto power society entitles you to over sex, which is why doing so is not possible.