
The Case Against Adolescence - jseliger
http://jseliger.com/2011/04/11/the-case-against-adolescence-rediscovering-the-adult-in-every-teen-robert-epstein/
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krakensden
> There isn’t really such a thing as code that is “avant garde” or otherwise
> susceptible to influence and taste.

Oh... if only he knew.

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JonnieCache
I'm sure he does know. Going into a long parenthetical aside about the IOCCC
wouldn't really have improved the article would it?

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westicle
Interesting review.

I didn't find your "economic argument against child sexuality" convincing
however. (I understand you are positing claims about societal beliefs as
opposed to your own)

"... we’re unhappy when people reproduce and can’t afford their offspring. So
we call people who mostly aren’t economically viable children, even when
they’re physiologically and psychologically not..."

Being under 18 may be one indicator of financial viability - although many
children are born into privilege, are beneficiaries of trust funds, are
financially self-sufficient.

Living on welfare benefits (or perhaps even minimum wage?) is a much stronger
indicator of financial viability, and yet we don't see wholesale sterilisation
of the unemployed or even any organised public policy discouraging sex between
employees of the fast food industry.

I suspect that (as usual) there are more complex factors behind "age of
consent" legislation than rational economic principles.

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sliverstorm
_although many children are born into privilege, are beneficiaries of trust
funds_

Many? MANY!?!

I'd like to meet your friends. I'm guessing they are the ones who gave you
this impression. I, for one, would LOVE to finally get some kickbacks from the
'many' trust fund kids out there.

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sliverstorm
Did anyone else do a double-take at the domain name?

I guess I just find it funny that the seminal 'teenager' book was written by
J.D. Salinger, and this critical review was written by J. Seliger. Especially
when I couldn't remember at first exactly how Salinger's name was spelled.

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jseliger
Funny—when I was in high school, some guys in a youth group would call me
"Salinger" because they couldn't or didn't want to remember or pronounce my
last name ("Seli-ih-gurh"). And people chronically want to put an "n" in my
last name ("Selinger").

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ilkhd2
The problem is that american adults are really not.

