dvdjunkie wrote:It may be a two-way street, but when the girl is under the age of 18 it is still rape and the guy needs to pay the price. I don't care if Mom and Dad were in the same room with them telling them how to do it, the fact is that in many states in the US, sex with a child under the age of 18, whether consentual or not, is still rape.
Jamie is not a child. She's a young woman, but that doesn't make her a child.
And yes, I know you're not looking for any kind of redefinition or education on this subject. But, I just want you to know how many people will disagree with you. And to show you just how fast that will happen, I'll volunteer to be the first.
And yeah, no one wants this topic to get out of hand. Talking about rape is a bit different than Celebrity Teen Girl Gets Pregnant. But my God, rape is a damn serious thing. And
if nothing more than out of respect for people who have been violently violated, what he did is not actually rape. Not that way most people consider it.
He was stupid, but no more stupid than she was. We need equal treatment on this subject. Treat both parties the same way. Unless you're saying you support this law. And that's a bunch of b.s. Sorry, but I'm going there : "age ain't nothing but a number." Hell, my mother was maybe Jamie's age when she started dating my father, and he's at least 6 years older than she is. They may not have had sex (not something I think about, fyi), but they surely went out on unsupervised dates. Two people connect on a friendship level usually. At her age, I had both friends in their 20's and friends 3 years younger than me. I'm just saying people don't just see their lovers as objects. And objectification is one of the things that goes into pedophilia, I think.
What you're talking about is really serious. And I think just maybe you're thinking it would be okay to jail him because she got pregnant and that's the real mistake she made. But that's after the fact. And if we're going to hold people accountable for their actions no matter what, than we have to say she's more responsible for the baby than he is. He's party responsible. But... she should have known.
dvdjunkie wrote:I still stand by what I say. Jaime needs to lose her job, and the boy needs to go to jail, and have to register as a sexual predator for the rest of his life.
There is absolutely no easy way to say this, so try and remember that before you respond:
What he did does not make him a sexual predator. We have to be very clear on issues like this- we need to know when it's really a crime and not just something that shocks us. It's a crime when it violates a person physically. And it's been something of a fact for decades that the majority of girls lose their virginity, at the oldest- at age 16.
You're probably thinking, if what they did isn't criminal, where do we draw the line? Is there a line anymore? It's case by case. And it'll stay that way because we all want to be treated fairly in the eyes of the law. No one wants the lawmakers and enforcers telling us when we're ready to do something. And fairness is what we fight for when we so much as choose to support a law, or cry out against it.
It's not having sex at this age that is responsible for her getting pregnant. It's not being protected and being ignorant regarding her reproductive functions. It's having a lack of common sense in her life. The crime is that she got pregnant, not that she chose to have sex. And she did choose. We have no right to decide that she was coerced. In fact, again- when I was in high school, girls were pretty damn mature and forward at her age. And again, equal treatment and recognition is essential here. Teenagers are not as innocent as you think they are. And there is no standard of maturity for all girls or boys. Some people are more mature than others, some aren't. It sucks that there's no one magic rule that works for all people. But I also think most age-related rules are bullshit anyway. Drinking at this age, driving at that age. Think about those for a second. It's about personal ability and maturity.
Times have changed. But there are still some responsible people out there. I think this is more of an example of Hollywood child stars being neglected. That makes a lot more sense than to say sex, or her boyfriend, corrupted her. You're not qualified to judge them and decide what's right for them. Even though we know no one will handle them the right way, anyway, I agree we should have some way to set an example for others. But not by sending him to jail.
In fact, I believe most people don't learn anything from being sent to jail. Either they made a simple mistake and don't belong there, then go in and end up being traumatized and turned into hardcore criminals. Or, they are screwed up in the head before they go, and they'll end up enjoying it there. They'll "get out" with a vengeance (yes, I'm still talking psychologically). At least, if precident is any indication (I can't tell you how many crime stories I've heard about rapists and attackers getting out of jail, then deciding they want to kill someone, or do something even worse).