have their basis in deeply flawed moral panic which is meant to be polarising and divisive
Yeah :/
It's also just - the are predators who are young, there are predators who will only be predators while they're young (emotional abuse is very easy for a lot of people to engage in until they literally learn better behaviour), and of course there are older predators, but you're more likely to find more grounded advice from older people re: things like toxic relationships and friendships from people with lived experience. This whole 'the predators are in one camp and we're in the other' is terrifying, that will do direct damage.
Right! It even makes things easier for older predators, who can paint themselves as The Good Grownups, without any actual good grownups around as a counterexample.
And yes, community is so valuable, and there's so much to be gained from communities that cover a wide variety of ages. I actually didn't tend to get along well with older people, but it's a skill I learned in fandom, and one I'm glad of.
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Yeah :/
It's also just - the are predators who are young, there are predators who will only be predators while they're young (emotional abuse is very easy for a lot of people to engage in until they literally learn better behaviour), and of course there are older predators, but you're more likely to find more grounded advice from older people re: things like toxic relationships and friendships from people with lived experience. This whole 'the predators are in one camp and we're in the other' is terrifying, that will do direct damage.
Right! It even makes things easier for older predators, who can paint themselves as The Good Grownups, without any actual good grownups around as a counterexample.
And yes, community is so valuable, and there's so much to be gained from communities that cover a wide variety of ages. I actually didn't tend to get along well with older people, but it's a skill I learned in fandom, and one I'm glad of.