To think there's a weird attitude towards age on MN and in general

[Curiositykilledthecat113]

For example it appears on MN a 17 year old is a small, innocent child while an 18 year old is a fully mature adult and able to take on the world.

I have seen that if a 17 year old was to date a 40 year old people would say pedophilia and wrong but if a 21 year old was to do the same it's okay? And there's only really a few years of difference between these two ages.

Another example of this is that user NoLove's opinions on threads seem to be quickly ignored and she has been mocked because she is 17 (I think) however if she was 18 mnetters would say "she's an adult" and respect all of her opinions.

There just seems to be a strange attitude to age, that a couple of years make a massive difference in how situations are handled.

Our whole culture does the same thing.

A 19 year old victim is a "teen" or a "boy" or a "girl", a 19 year old murderer is a "woman" or "man".

Top tip on the internet. Never reveal your age. It will always be the wrong answer.

I don't like referencing individual posters in a thread but I will because I think it's important. The reason people dismiss NoLove so readily is because she is a feminist and makes that very clear in her posts. It's really easy for the proud anti-feminsts on here to dismiss the rest of us as old dried up manhaters. NoLove is young, clearly intelligent and can tell us very clearly what it's like for teenage girls and women right now. The antifems don't like it because they really want to believe it when they say, nah women have it easy now, we're totally equal.

So I'm that case, age has nothing to do with it IMO.

I think you're talking mostly nonsense. There is a world of difference between 17 and 21, for one thing. And 17 and 18, well they'll still be taking shit after their birthday but the difference is that they are legally an adult and can do as they please. Doesn't change their opinions at all though.

Absolutely agree OP.

I don't know the poster you refer to so I can't comment on that.

But I do think there is a massive difference between 17 and 21 - or at least there was for me and my friends. At 17 I was living at home, at 21 I'd been away for 3 years at uni, was used to managing my own life etc.

I completely agree with you, OP - I think the way 16/17 year olds tend to be infantilised on MN is very weird (and I say that as someone much older!). Ditto with the idea that as soon as they turn 18 they should be completely independent and never again want/need parental support or advice.

I used to post on online forums a lot as a teenager and very quickly learned not to reveal my age in debate threads, because my opinions were immediately dismissed because of it. It was frustrating. When people didn't know how old I was, their counter-arguments had actual reasoning behind them rather than just comments about my age.

BTW, you're also doing that really stupid thing that people do on MN: assuming that the people saying that 16 year olds are children are also the people saying that 18 year olds are adults.
You're starting from a very flimsy premise.

Na op I have 5 kids from 17 to 28 and can tell you there's a massive massive difference between 17 and 21. Huge.

Never heard of noLove but she really can't tell us all what it's like for teenage girls just like I can't tell you all what it's like to be a 50 year old woman

No one can speak for a generation they just know their own experiences.

curiosity

Where is the comment about someone having sex with a 17 year makes them a pedophile?

Ive obviously missed that one

My 18 year old is probably less mature than most so i dont agree that they turn 18 and are now fully functioning adults. But legally they are

I also agree with grand

MNers just like to be contrary.

that a couple of years make a massive difference in how situations are handled.

I suppose it does - has to - under the terms of the law. There's a cut off - at 17 years and 364 days you are legally a child, at 18 years you are an adult. At 15 and 11 months you are underage, at 16 you are at the age of consent. There has to be a cut off and that's where it is. I think this therefore affects people's own views of specific situations as well.

Ageism is rife on MN and in real life. Posters are getting better at pulling people up on comments relating to older adults, and I hope it changes for younger adults too.

There are always a lot of posters who will instantly dismiss your problem/dilemma/worry if you reveal you are young. And lots of 'you sound very young' comments.

I agree with the PP who said it's easier not to disclose your age.