Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Age of Consent

I guess the answer to this question depends on how you categorize children. I could respond to that question with a broad, general answer, but since I operate on the principal that everyone is an individual, and deserves to be treated as such, I will refrain from doing so. Some people obviously mature faster than others, and that maturity should grant them certain privileges. Although our society does not operate on an individual basis, I believe that for anyone under 18, consent to view certain types of media should be a decision regulated in the home, not by the government. If a parent and child can reach a consensus regarding what kind of media the child can watch, and that particular child is 12 years old and his parents let him watch Quentin Tarantino or what have you, then so be it. I am not a parent, and therefore do not possess the necessary perspective to comment on what others choose to allow their children to do or see. Obviously the internet presents a certain degree of anonymity, and allows underage individuals to be older in cyberspace in order to access certain content. I personally do not have the desire or time to dictate what people do with their lives, and if a 16 year old kid wants to watch porn on his laptop, then that is none of my business. I could get into the whole "media violence is ruining our society" debate, but I will stick to my general philosophy of letting people be as they are, unless they are directly endangering themselves or others.

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