I’m going to dip my toes into the waters of politics for a moment, but only tangentially, to discuss something that’s been bothering me about Mark Foley’s Instant Messages to his congressional page.
Mark Foley has been referred to as a pedophile and a predator because he was engaging in sexually explicit conversation with a male 16 year old, however, it seems like every other year we hear a story about a 15 year old student who is engaged in some type of relationship with his older, female teacher and all of a sudden he becomes the luckiest boy in the world for being about to have “had sex” with a woman.
What the motherfucking hell is that all about?
If we make these distinctions based on the ages and genders of the victim and the predator we are living in a pretty fucked-up society. Apparently the system works like this:
young woman + boy = lucky kid
young woman + girl = kill the pervert
old woman + boy = kill the pervert
old woman + girl = kill the pervert
young man + boy = kill the pervert
young man + girl = kill the pervert
old man + boy = kill the pervert
old man + girl = kill the pervert
Why is it permissible for a younger woman to sexually molest and or assault a pre-teen? Is it because people remember what it’s like to be 13 and horny for anything? Maybe, but it certainly doesn’t make it right. A 13 year old cannot consent in a relationship like that. There are too many issues of authority, power, and control for a 13 year old to make that type of decision. And if it’s fine for a young woman to “seduce” a boy of 13, or 15, or 16, why is it not okay for a young man to “seduce” a boy of 13, or 15, or 16?
Would this be okay in your mind if Mark Foley was a 52 year old female? What if Mark Foley was a 25 year old female? What if the page was a 16 year old girl, would it be okay then?
I hate this double-standard. People who prey on kids should be treated the same way regardless of age, or gender, so either stop demonizing Mark Foley, or step the fuck up the next time somebody defends sexual predation by excusing it as some sort of “lucky” sexual dalliance.
