NationStates Jolt Archive

What the hell is the difference between being 17 years and 364 days old and being 18 years old? In a mere day, you can go from being powerless chattel that cannot consent to anything (not even sex!) who can't vote to being a full citizen (except for drinking) who can vote and consent to anything they want. Something's wrong with this picture.

uh......you can consent to sex at 16 in most US states.

Way to pop his cherry...sorry, burst his bubble.

uh......you can consent to sex at 16 in most US states.

Society is a mess. You're point?

10 to 20 years in prison?

Gotta draw the line someplace.

And it's 16 for sex in Blighty, too. ;p
And 17 for driving (don't you get that at 16 in some places in the US? Nutters, who'd let a 16-year-old drive a car..?).

It's just abstraction; it'd be too unweildy, complicated and ambiguous to take each case on its own merits. They set a mildly-arbitrary limit just to make it simple.

So where can you draw a line that someone isn't one day short?

Actually, 18 was a terrible mistake. The line should still be at 21.

Its just lines, though really when you get near the age your allowed to do said thing you can usually do it or have done it anyways

Only if that other person is under 18.

That sounds unnecessarily complex. Here it's 16 -> fair game.

uh......you can consent to sex at 16 in most US states.

Only if that other person is under 18.

What the hell is the difference between being 17 years and 364 days old and being 18 years old? In a mere day, you can go from being powerless chattel that cannot consent to anything (not even sex!) who can't vote to being a full citizen (except for drinking) who can vote and consent to anything they want. Something's wrong with this picture.

Well, they have to pick some point to make the age of consent. Making it a whole number of years seems sensible to me.

Oh sure, leave the 17 years and 363 days olds out in the cold why don'tcha?

Actually, 18 was a terrible mistake. The line should still be at 21.

losing your virginity at 21 :eek:

Its just lines, though really when you get near the age your allowed to do said thing you can usually do it or have done it anyways

I'm pretty sure some guy assumed that until he met his girlfriend's angry parents...

well you've got to have the cut-off point somewhere, 18's as good as any. 17 might be better i dunno. i can tell you i'm quite glad i couldn't vote when i was 16 cuz i was a terrible authoritarian then, almost as bad as MTAE even. drinking laws mean nothing really, every kid can get hold of alcohol underage if they really want to, just as any kid can have underage sex if they find a willing partner. having said that the age of consent and the legal drinking age could probably do with being lower, criminalising kids having fun is just moronic really.

That sounds unnecessarily complex. Here it's 16 -> fair game.
Here 14 is fair game, but you can dip down to 12 if you can jump through the right hoops.

Here 14 is fair game, but you can dip down to 12 if you can jump through the right hoops.

Tell me more of this...Canada.

Here 14 is fair game, but you can dip down to 12 if you can jump through the right hoops.

That is disgusting.

Gotta draw the line someplace.

Yup. And it sucks when you're on the shitty side of the line.

That is disgusting.

very distugsting.

losing your virginity at 21 :eek:

Oh noes. :rolleyes:

Only if that other person is under 18.

With consent? Four year gap is allowed, here.

Starting at 16. *nod*

What the hell is the difference between being 17 years and 364 days old and being 18 years old?

24 hours, or 48 hours in some cases where a leap year is involved.

That is disgusting.Why?

What the hell is the difference between being 17 years and 364 days old and being 18 years old? In a mere day, you can go from being powerless chattel that cannot consent to anything (not even sex!) who can't vote to being a full citizen (except for drinking) who can vote and consent to anything they want. Something's wrong with this picture.check your laws. some states give a '24 hour Grace period". meaning if your birthday is in 24 hours or less, then you are considered one year older.

losing your virginity at 21 :eek: :(

Yup. And it sucks when you're on the shitty side of the line.
"grass is always greener." ;)

Yeah, there's no reason to think that being a day older really changes your life, or makes you more prepared to consent, drink, vote, drive, etc. However, we do need some sort of cut-off time, or we'll three-year-olds running around boozing it up and voting Republican. It's arbitrary, and I admit that I already drink underage and am trying to get a fake ID to allow me to vote (well, not actually, but if I thought it would actually work...), but it's better than nothing. The only think I'm really steaming mad about right now is needing both parent's permission to cross the border. I want to go to Europe with my friends this summer, and I've got enough money, and my dad is fine with it, but my mum thinks I'll get coked up and raped and cut up into three million pieces and thrown in the Rhine if I don't have adult supervision. F.ck that. I'm totally forging her signature and saying I'm at my dad's place.

With consent? Four year gap is allowed, here.

Starting at 16. *nod*

Four years? Jesus. I think 'round my parts it's 2 or 3. Basically, right now, I can't going any lower than 17(soon to be 18 in three months-21st birthday in 3 months!). Of course, I don't give a rat's ass. I keep the 18 rule. Simply due to the fact that if they aren't 18 yet, they are likely in High School, and quite frankly High Schoolers(Girls and Boys alike) are dumbasses. I need at least 1 year real world experience under the belt.

Here 14 is fair game, but you can dip down to 12 if you can jump through the right hoops.

Anybody 10? (http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Preteen_slut)

Yeah, there's no reason to think that being a day older really changes your life, or makes you more prepared to consent, drink, vote, drive, etc. However, we do need some sort of cut-off time, or we'll three-year-olds running around boozing it up and voting Republican. It's arbitrary, and I admit that I already drink underage and am trying to get a fake ID to allow me to vote (well, not actually, but if I thought it would actually work...), but it's better than nothing. The only think I'm really steaming mad about right now is needing both parent's permission to cross the border. I want to go to Europe with my friends this summer, and I've got enough money, and my dad is fine with it, but my mum thinks I'll get coked up and raped and cut up into three million pieces and thrown in the Rhine if I don't have adult supervision. F.ck that. I'm totally forging her signature and saying I'm at my dad's place.
Nah, you'll just end up being eaten by dragons or something.

Nah, you'll just end up being eaten by dragons or something.

You should ressurect your nation and get back into that commie region. *nods*

'tis most annoying when the difference between 17 and 18 is an extra $2 an hour pay.

what, exactly, was i doing yesterday that im not doing today??
and what are the 21 yr olds doing for an extra $5 an hour that i'm not doing?!

You should ressurect your nation and get back into that commie region. *nods*
The mods resurrected my nation, but I could never get into the forums. It's a good thing I made this account too, if I didn't, I'd have missed MTAE.

Yeah, there's no reason to think that being a day older really changes your life, or makes you more prepared to consent, drink, vote, drive, etc. However, we do need some sort of cut-off time, or we'll three-year-olds running around boozing it up and voting Republican.
Well, it would be possible to range the punishment between the "yellow" and the "green" line. From full to negligible.

One day is a long time for a hundred metre runner. *nods*

Unless you very much want to indulge in some adult activity now, while still 17, surely you can wait a day?

What the hell is the difference between being 17 years and 364 days old and being 18 years old? In a mere day, you can go from being powerless chattel that cannot consent to anything (not even sex!) who can't vote to being a full citizen (except for drinking) who can vote and consent to anything they want. Something's wrong with this picture.

Umm not quite thouhg, you can't drink, you can 't get into a 21's club, you can't be a politicion.

Why?

If you are saying it is ok for adults to have sex with 12 year olds than I think answering this question would be pointless.

And it's 16 for sex in Blighty, too. ;p
And 17 for driving (don't you get that at 16 in some places in the US? Nutters, who'd let a 16-year-old drive a car..?).

It's just abstraction; it'd be too unweildy, complicated and ambiguous to take each case on its own merits. They set a mildly-arbitrary limit just to make it simple.

That's pretty much it, although I'd argue that the drinking age in the US should be lowered to eighteen. But that's just me.

Well, they have to draw a line somewhere, and 18 is where they have chosen to draw it for a lot of things. Yes, wherever you draw the line, it will always be the case that some people are ready for the responsibility sooner, and some not until much later (if ever). But the law needs something definite and narrowly defined, so an arbitrary age is the best they can do.

Well, they have to draw a line somewhere, and 18 is where they have chosen to draw it for a lot of things. Yes, wherever you draw the line, it will always be the case that some people are ready for the responsibility sooner, and some not until much later (if ever). But the law needs something definite and narrowly defined, so an arbitrary age is the best they can do.

Universality of the law.

(don't you get that at 16 in some places in the US? Nutters, who'd let a 16-year-old drive a car..?).

My Iowan girlfriend tells me that in Iowa you can get it at 14 if you live on a farm. She got hers at 14 even though her house is on a 2 acre plot of land just outside of the city limits. In Michigan it's 16, but with a number of restrictions such as you can't be out between midnight and 6:00 (unless on your way to or from work) and you can't have more than one other minor in the car with you unless accompanied by an adult. Luckily, I got my license a year before all of those restrictions went into place, so I never had to deal with it.

Think about the people who were 20+364 days---the day they moved legal age from 21 to 18. There's a group that had a complaint.