Kids, Sex and those guys
April 03, 2002

Kids, Sex and those guys in the long black cassocks? III

So by now you are saying ?Jody, interesting story but what the heck does it have to do with this sex ?scandal? in the Catholic church??

Well, it goes without saying that Priests molesting children is wrong. (The rolling, thunderous ?Duh? can be heard echoing across the plain?) What drives me nuts ? well, one of the many things? in so many of the editorials I?ve read is constantly referring to the teens involved as ?victimized children? is just exceedingly ridiculous.

Part of this scandal really stems from the fact that we tend to regard anyone under the age of 18 as being a kid, dumb and in need of care. I call them ?kids,? but truthfully, somewhere between 15 and 17 they are, biologically, adults. All the major physical developments have been achieved, most of all of the brain changes have occurred and the flush of new hormones are in decline. Morally, by 16, these ?kids? have reached the same level of moral development as 80% of the adult population. (Check out Kohlberg and his stages of moral development.) Mostly, what you have on your hands are inexperienced adults, flush with new thoughts and feelings, ready and raring to go.

Thinking for a moment that a 15 or 16 year old can?t figure out if they want to jump in the hey with someone just doesn?t mesh with reality.

?You are just being a dumb liberal.?

I?m the first to admit I?m dumb on many things, and also liberal in quite a few areas. But if you were reading about Chuck and said to yourself something like ?It?s good that Chuck is sitting in jail. He needed to be held accountable for what he did,? then as far as I?m concerned you already agree with me, even if you don?t want to admit it.

We are all willing and ready to try younger and younger ?kids? as ?adults,? feeling that they knew what they were doing when they robbed/murdered/raped or what not. A good many pundits are ready to send 12 year olds to jail for life. The voters in California even granted State?s Attorneys the ability to bring adult level charges against teens. Yet when the topic of sex comes up, everyone seems to line up under the assumption that these easily-to-be-regarded-as-criminals just can?t possibly comprehend what?s involved in getting and giving pleasure.

-cont-

Posted by Jody at April 3, 2002 11:12 AM

Comments

Posted by: terll at August 7, 2003 08:35 PM