unpopularfanopinion:

sheith-is-dead:

unpopularfanopinion: And I think you are a liar when you claim you can tell on sight the difference between a 16 year old and a 20 year old(or even a 25 year old) Hell take a look at this post http://unpopularfanopinion.tumblr.com/post/149052314823/is-there-a-chance-you-could-explain-why-its-so and tell me which of the couples are college students and which ones are in highschool? As for doing more harm by mis-applying the term pedophilia, take a look at the link included from the Rape is not a Joke Foundation. The one that discusses how the media mis-applying the term pedophilia to what would be at most statutory rape results in LIGHTER sentences for child molesters, and harms efforts to keep would be child molesters away from at risk children.

So yes you are doing more harm by reducing the term pedophilia from “sexual attraction to prepubescent child under the age of 12″ to mean “fictional ship I don’t like.” By changing the image of pedophilia from that of a FULLY physically grown adult and a SMALL underage, physically immature child, to an image of two physically mature people. You are doing harm, and being disrespectful to victims of pedophilia(like myself who was sexually molested between the ages of 5 and 12) Implying that a child should have the same power and agency of a teenager/young adult. Or are you too wrapped up in yourself to realize there is a vast divide between the mental capabilities of a actual child and that of a late teen? There is no chance of a child being able to consent to any sort of relationship, while there is a chance of a teenager being able to consent. They do have the ability to drive, hold jobs, and ability to direct a large portion of their own medical care http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/516-adolescent-access-to-confidential-health-services http://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/AAP/ http://www.scarleteen.com/article/advice/does_being_attracted_to_teenagers_make_me_a_pedophile

If you want to call something abusive how about you do a teeny tiny bit of research of what actually constitutes an abusive relationship http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/domestic-violence-and-abuse.htm http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/10/13/21-warning-signs-of-an-emotionally-abusive-relationship/ And show a tiny modicum of respect to childhood victims of pedophiles by acknowledging the difference between children and teens and stop referring to fictional ships involving teens as pedophilia.

I would try actually reading the sources you provide. The links on abuse contradict nothing in a whole fucking paragraph in the Scarleteen article that flies in the face of your point: “[…] it’s not sage to deny that a teen person does not have the same rights or agency as an adult person, which makes it mighty hard to have close personal relationships of real equity with teens: it’s tough enough to do that platonically or in guidance roles, let alone sexually. When it comes to sex and teens in western culture, sexually active teens often bear heavier burdens than any adult partners they might have will. Some pay a social price for being sexually active, access to sexual information, sexual healthcare, contraception and abortion is incredibly limited to many teens, and the lack of life experience between teens and adults makes it very easy for a teen to be in a more vulnerable position. As well, since puberty often doesn’t end until or into the 20’s, there are physical and emotional developmental differences between those who are not yet full-grown adults and those who are.” I understand there’s a debate for what constitutes paedophilia and if adults preying on teenagers can be considered so. I also understand its clearer to separate them into paedophilia and ephebophilia and then while relationships between pubescent teens with adults being called paedophilic is a misnomer, it is not ‘normalising’ or ‘trivialising’ paedophilia, simply because relationships between teens and adults are not ‘normal’ or ‘trivial’. They are manipulative and abusive, since teenagers, like children, are not as psychologically mature as adults, and they are can be taken advantage of because of the age gap. The word being used obviously doesnt mean we think teenagers and children have the same maturity as each other (because they don’t and we’ve never suggested so). Having a part time-job, learning to drive, does not put me on the same level of experience and responsibility as adults. Minors don’t have the same psychological capacity for a relationship with someone who is more experienced and that makes us vulnerable to being taken advantage of. The difference in physical appearance between a 16 y/o and 20 y/o is hardly pertinent or even a reasonable talking point when addressing power imbalances in age differences in a TV show or in reality. At face value that can occasionally be grey, but the difference in mental capabilities or emotional maturity is what actually matters, and is generally clear to tell. Especially since we’re an anti-sheith blog and Keith is not an adult and Shiro is 25 years old, which is very clear in their respective characterisations. Lastly, don’t fucking come on my post calling me a liar and indecent for never once excusing paedophilia but you consistently erased and pointed to ephebophillia as ‘normal’ and ‘trivial’. You couldn’t even acknowledge ephebophilic relationships as abuse. I don’t even know why you try with us at the “fiction doesn’t exist in a vacuum” talking point when you use the “fiction isn’t reality” line once it gets convenient for you. If that’s so, ask yourself if you’re fine with a character getting shipped with their rapist, since its “just fiction” to you. That is a broad stroke for your little ship and invalidates the need for spaces to speak about dangerous things (rape, incest, racism, homophobia, sexism etc.) that can and have been romanticised and promoted through fiction. tl;dr Minors do not have the same psychological capacity as adults, and being able to have a job or drive or even control parts of my medical care does not make me an adult. Looking like an adult does not make me an adult. Trying to write off ephebophilia as completely acceptable invalidates almost everything that’s also wrong with paedophilia since 16 and 17 year olds (like children) do not have the psychological capacity and emotional maturity for a relationship with people 5 years or a decade or 2 decades older than them, especially if it consists of sexual relations. - Mod Shiro

I see you ignored the paragraph immediately following the one you quoted in the Scarleteen article

“ This is not to say that relatively equitable relationships between teens and legal adults cannot exist, do not exist or have never happened. Sometimes, it is equitable, particularly when both partners are very aware of the inevitable power imbalances, acknowledge and discuss them openly rather than trying to pretend they don’t exist (often with the infamous adage “age doesn’t matter,” something adults know full well very much does), and make real efforts to assure that everything going on is age-appropriate for the younger partner. That would certainly include not sexually tokenizing them.



And yes the visual impact of a 16/20 year old or 17/25 year old is very important. We are a visual people. That is how we learn, and what guides our responses.



THIS

is what people think of when they think of pedophilia. or this

(and they never found out who impregnated her, because at 5 years old she was confused and could not give clear answers) It is visible, it is easily identifiable and it is repulsive. People have a visceral reaction to it.



What makes pedophilia pedophilia is the fact that prepubescent children do not have the mental capacity to think through consequences or to consent.

What you do when you insist on calling teen/adult pairings pedophilia, is ignore that teenagers do indeed have the ability to consent. That people can and do mature at different rates based on their experiences and how they are raised. You also change the image of pedophilia to something like this

Not so shocking or disgusting is it?



There is no debate about what is or isn’t pedophilia except from people like you who want to use the word as a sledgehammer to shame people over fictional ships. To declare something abusive even when there is no sign or depiction of actual abusive traits or behaviors

Oh and about your line about fiction impacting reality(even though I never mentioned that) funny thing about that. The latest research is finding that sex in media isn’t having that big of an impact on teen sexuality as people used to think http://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/sex-on-tv-less-impact-on-teens-than-you-might-think/ And if that’s the stuff that’s heavily promoted, and sold to teens as ideal. That stuff that have fandom created around. The stuff that reaches hundreds of thousands if not millions of teens. And yes somehow it’s not leading them into dangerous relationships or activities like the moral guardians thought it would. But some how the stories that teens make for themselves, that will reach maybe a few thousand people. The stuff that let’s them explore relationships in a safe place that actually prevent real world consequences.

Oh and I didn’t mention ebophilia or hebophilia because right now there is a lot of debate about how useful and valid those labels are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebephilia. Also once a person has reached the age of consent then what will make a relationship abusive is not some arbitrary elements like age, but the behavior and actions of the people involved. Show me one fic, or one scene where Shiro displayed abusive behaviors or traits with any of the other characters? Show me ONE fic where people depicted Shiro as abusive. Where he belittled, humiliated or made his partner feel worthless and unsure about themselves? Because THAT would be a depiction of an abusive relationship.

The characterizations you talk about are all a matter of interpretation. As is the power imbalance. You say Keith is clearly “not an adult” I would like to point out that he was shown to be living alone in a shack in the middle of no-where. If he was an orphan, under the age of majority and “not an adult” why wasn’t he placed back into some foster home or with another guardians after he was kicked out of the garrison? How was he earning money to pay for food, electricity, fuel for his vehicle? He was depicted with many of the hallmarks of an adult living on his own.

I could also mention out that we don’t know Allura’s age. I know that you and many people like to think of her as early/mid 20′s and therefore the only pure ship for Shiro but I would like the point she could just as easily be the Altean equivalent of 16. She was 16 in the original. She was the one who started the food fight in episode 2(with a very impressive and immature pout iirc) Plus there was how easily she was fooled/manipulated by her father’s AI in Crystal Venom. I have a hard time picturing her as mid-20′s



You are not protecting anyone with your statements or arguments. You will not prevent ONE abusive relationship or prevent one child from being raped by trying to shame and bully shippers(including teenagers) for what they enjoy. All you are doing is making them question and doubt their sexual interests and drives(as if they don’t get enough of that from regular society) All you are doing is trivializing the abuse I suffered, reducing it to nothing more than ammo for your self righteous ship war.

