To think Brigitte Macron is a pedophile

[INFP]

Apologies if this subject has been done before. But I came across an article where Brigitte Macron describes her love affair with her then 15 year old pupil where she goes on to say "when we became lovers is our secret".

AIBU to think this woman is a pedophile?

She actively groomed her FIFTEEN year old pupil. How is she different to Jeremy Forrest who was jailed for having a relationship with his pupil?

It is beyond disgusting.

1)In France the age of consent is 15.
2)Paedophilia refers to sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children.

Therefore you have libelled Brigitte Macron.

The age of consent in Japan is 12. Does that mean it's ok for a 49 year old teacher in Japan to have sex with their 12 year old pupil?

Japan age of consent is 13, and a bit more complicated than you are making out. It depends on the age of the person having sex.

See

www.quora.com/Why-is-the-age-of-consent-so-low-in-Japan

I hadn't seen the story but whilst the age of consent in the UK is 16 it is most certainly not legal for a teacher in the UK to have a sexual relationship with a pupil aged over 16 but under 18. The teacher is in a position of trust. I don't know if there is a similar law in France.

Do you think it's OK then for a 40 year old teacher to have an intimate relationship with her 15 year old pupil?

Because I look at my 15 year old nephew and see a child. I would be absolutely horrified to discover he was in a relationship with his 40 year old teacher.

*IloveBanff Sat 26-Aug-17 02:17:47
1)In France the age of consent is 15.
2)Paedophilia refers to sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children.

Therefore you have libelled Brigitte Macron*

Erm...no she hasn't. You can't win damages based on someones thoughts.

INFP has written it, which is kinda what libel is, isn't it?

It's gross, but I don't think she's a pedophile.

Pedophile is defined by being sexually attracted to someone who is prepubescent.

But I definitely think peoples' attitudes would be different if we were discussing a man who was sleeping with his teenage student who was less than half their age.

It would have been gross when they met but it isn't gross now. He is an adult who has decided to be in this relationship. They actually seem very close.

You're being ridiculous. You clearly don't understand what "pedophile" means.

Erm...User....it stopped just being a thought when she wrote it down. FFS.

Paedophilia is sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Was he a prebubescent child?

No. Then she's not.

What a stupid thought process you're indulging in, OP. If we don't use the term paedophile about someone who is not, in fact a paedophile, we're therefore fine with 40 year old teachers shagging their 15 year old pupils?

For what it's worth, that teacher who ran off to France with his pupil was not a paedophile either.

Not a pedophile - see previous posters' concise explanation. However, whatever the age of consent, it was an abuse of position to sleep with one of her pupils. In this case, it seems to have worked out, which only really means she probably wasn't doing it as some kind of notch on her bedpost. All situations are unique and we can't see into what actually happened between them or into her mind, but it certainly doesn't make me admire her any.

Well apart from the pedantic back and forth over the correct definition of the term pedophile, I think it was clearly morally and ethically "off" behaviour on her part. I also feel some disgust, especially in light of recent reports on how the Catholic church has used the argument that victims of sex abuse consented to it and therefore should not receive compensation (in the article I have linked to, one victim was 15 years old - same age as Macron...) No French laws were broken of course but honestly, who of us would really be nonchalant about our 15 year old son or daughter starting a seual relationship with their 40 year old teacher?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/24/catholic-church-victim-blaming-children-consent-sex-abuse

As far as I know the age of consent in Spain is 13 years

For what it's worth, that teacher who ran off to France with his pupil was not a paedophile either

Just about every newspaper from The Sun to The Independent to Huffington Post described him as a paedophile.

You are correct that the strict definition in the psychiatric sense means an attraction to pre-pubescent children but Collins, Oxford and Chambers dictionaries just refer to attraction to children. A person aged 15 is a child.

I have no idea what the truth is about Macron but I wonder if we were talking about a man you and others would be so ready to take up this point?

Well apart from the pedantic back and forth over the correct definition of the term pedophile

It is not pedantic. It is a precise description which helps frame the conversation. That the Catholic Church has used the legal of consent to aid their disreputable cause is not the point here.

Well apart from the pedantic back and forth over the correct definition of the term pedophile

I am assuming the posters who raised this point must be qualified psychiatrists who distinguish between paedophile , hebophile and ephebophile.

Don't be silly, Lass. The OP was incorrect and pulled up on it. Posters don't have to have qualifications to express a point of view, but some basic facts need to be straight in order to have a discussion.

Oh come off it.

The word paedophile is routinely used to describe adults participating in sexual relationships with children. We all have seen that. Do you complain to media outlets about it?

Your point isn't even supported by dictionary definitions.

You said yourself that psychiatrist definitions say that paedophilia is attraction to prepubescent children, so that's good enough for me.

Not sure why my complaining or not to media outlets is the point here.
We're on MN.

The OP's OP was expressing the opinion that a specific person was a paedophile, when by the laws of that land, they were not.

You said yourself that psychiatrist definitions say that paedophilia is attraction to prepubescent children, so that's good enough for me

Oh dear , pity there isn't an emoji for sarcasm as it obviously went over your head.

What "law of the land" are you referring to? UK law does not have a legal definition of "paedophile' - does France?

What the UK has is laws about the age of consent , which of course are extended to 18, where the adult is in a position of trust.

If France does not have a similar "abuse of trust law" then no crime would have been committed in France, although clearly there would have been in the UK.

The 3 terms have specific meanings in psychiatry. Are you a psychiatrist?

The Oxford, Cambridge, Collins and Merriam Webster dictionaries' definition of paeophile simply refer to sexual attraction to a child. Are you saying a 15 year old is not a child?

So far as complaining to the press given you appear to be such a stickler for the use of the term "paedophile" in the correct psychiatric sense surely you would complain if people like Jerermy Foster are being incorrectly described?