god damn, people love posting tepid "cringe" but this is real weapons-grade nuclear cringe, that loving icy shame that comes from realizing you didn't really question this stuff at a young age. In that way i try not to feel "guilty" about it because we had no agency here - if I at 14 reported Bisjac or Otis or JimmG for creeping on preteens I'd either get radio silence or probably get called a moralcigarette or something.
I think at 14 years of age it's rare to even recognize the issue with that. cus like at 14 ur moral framework is not really that evolved. and as a 14 year old you do feel attraction to adults, which just makes it harder to realize that it's not right for it to go in the other direction. you believe that you can consent to a relationship like that, so why wouldn't that belief extend to someone else your age? at least this was my experience at the time, and I am very fortunate that my not-so-responsible interactions with adults (or older teenagers) didn't end up with me getting hurt. I think the only way to address this is to teach kids about love and how to approach it safely earlier in life. my first love ed class was in the 10th grade, where they showed us shock images of STI symptoms and told us to practice abstinence. that's not useful loveual education, first of all,
and it was far too late. reactionaries start foaming at the mouth as soon as you suggest it, but the fact of the matter is, you can't keep people safe from dangers they don't understand
What I do know is that 2011 was my junior year of highschool, and I knew seniors 18 or 19 years of age that were dating freshman that were 2 or 3 years younger than them.
18-19 years olds should not be dating 13-14 year olds. just because it happens, it's legal, and it's sometimes even considered to be normal, doesn't mean that it is good or healthy
