Hacker News Reader

Comment by viig99 | Hacker News Reader

Woah, those are some extreme views,

Chafing at the idea of a legal age of consent was a favorite theme of his, per his earlier blog posts. In 2003, he said, “I think that everyone age 14 or above ought to take part in sex, though not indiscriminately. (Some people are ready earlier.)”

In 2006, he said it wouldn’t so bad for an adult man who worked for the Department of Homeland Security to have sex with a 14-year-old, as one government employee had allegedly propositioned: “Supposing she had voluntarily had sex with him, presuming that they used a condom and suitable contraception, it would have done no harm to either of them.”

View on HN

The view is relatively extreme because of constructed social norms, but when I was 14, I had the same view, and it was shared among the peers that I associated with. It would be hypocritical for me to say the points you quoted are abnormal, because in my experience, that's what being 14 was like.

Consensual encounters between underage high school freshman and adult high school seniors are certainly different than a DHS employee, but which one is more "moral" depends on the framework you use to evaluate trust. For example, atleast DHS employees get background checks. And which of those two groups are better known for carrying out school shootings?

My points are: Stallman's relatively extreme views are not absolutely extreme views; and overall, the amount of gray area in the subject makes it complicated.

The point of the law is to protect vulnerable minors, not liberate precocious minors. For every 14 year old who thinks that they would consent to sex with an adult, how many would not? The best way to avoid damaging minors in "the gray area" is to eliminate the gray area.

when I was 14, I had the same view

Why would we trust a 14 year old's opinion about child sexual development and maturity? How would that be even remotely relevant?

Stallman's opinions on the subject aren't relevant either, since he's far from an expert on the subject.

Stallman's relatively extreme views are not absolutely extreme views;

Oh boy. Absolutely extreme? How can something be absolutely extreme?

I wouldn't know about your first two paragraphs, but I can agree about the third paragraph, that "the amount of gray area in the subject makes it complicated". Yes, a lot of stuff becomes complicated because there is a lot of parts, not all of which are being considered (and many that I have not thought of).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com