Originally Posted by
Munsu
Well, he didn't dismiss your point and didn't called you that either from what I saw. You presented an hypothetical, and he gave you a simple real world application of it. I mean, quoting your full post again which was huge, served little purpose. I mean, save it for your book? LOL, it honestly a was a huge ramble... not a reason enough to rage quit in my view. /shrugs
I'm of mind of being in both camps, to a point. I don't believe "children" (and here I mean mostly late teens) are always entirely blameless or that they're automatically a victim of something... but law-wise, yeah they're victims. As for the adults, regardless of intentions or the whatever made the "relationship" unique, they're ALWAYS in the wrong. And yes, "grooming" (as in the act of molding to be prepared to pounce once they hit legal age) is very wrong. It's very gray area admittedly, on how it forms about, but since not always that's the intention, but the existence of the possibility just makes it wrong from the get go. And yes, selected ages are mostly arbitrary/partly science/partly social contract acceptances; deal with it.
"Children" need to be protected, regardless of how special or supposedly unique the circumstance is.
Now, as it regards to Rudy. I'm not sure what the correct answer is. Some of his actions/thoughts make me (and should for all) make us uncomfortable. We can sympathize to a point, even accept it and understand it because these were the cards that he was dealt, but I don't think it's right to think what he's doing is proper or correct in any way. It's his new life, he's a kid now, let him live... but that doesn't go without judgment. It'll always be a stain he can't wash off.
As for Paul, I'm in the camp that the translation is doing a disservice and confirming with the wikia, without access to the source, is also a mistake. Shouldn't be confirming with the wikia as it is, but since it was brought up, the wikia is misleading. And I'm not saying that Paul didn't do wrong in the past, but it's not as it is painted.