For those of you unfamiliar with the reference, Lolita is a main character in Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov's controversial novel, Lolita. Similar to our protagonist (Michael Berg) in The Reader, Lolita is sexually involved with a middle-aged man at the tender age of 12.
While your disgust at the situation sinks in, try to recall whether or not Michael's relationship with Hanna produced the same reaction. Given, the age difference is probably more shocking with Lolita, but it is still common for people to feel more anger and repulsion when the victim of such a situation is a female. This is probably due to society's idea of masculinity - boys of Michael's age are expected to be tougher, to be controlled by raging hormones, to want sex. Meanwhile, a girl of the same age is seen as someone to protect, because she is delicate, naive, and pure.
What of the adults in the relationship? Is Lolita's lover more immoral because he is a man, while Hanna is a lonely woman?
Whatever your opinion, go ahead and see what the rest of the world thinks of age and sex with regards to sexual consent. Are there any specific countries that stand out to you? What do you think of their reasons for their laws in the "Notes" section?
Interestingly, I was about to write a post very similar to this. This article,(http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-21-abusegender_N.htm)
ReplyDeletedescribes the differences between public reactions to male and female victims of sexual abuse. Like you said, female victims are often met with compassion while male victims are congratulated and pressured to celebrate their victimization.
Also, compare the line about Pickthorn's relationships("It left him "with no boundaries," he says now at 54, his life marred by affairs, gambling, and ruined marriages.")to Michael's willingness to take advantage of Sophie. Did their relationships with older women, so early in their lives, make each man numb to the feelings of any future partners?
What I find most interesting about the chart you linked to is the fact that several countries, such as Algeria, Belize, and Brunei, have laws that say female-female sex is legal, but male-male sex is illegal. It makes me wonder if those countries/societies also tend to fetishsize lesbian behavior while condemning gay actions...
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I find fascinating about the chart is the differences between the age of consent for boys and for girls. Pretty much across the board, boys are able to consent to sex a few years earlier than girls are. I think this has a lot to do with the old-fashioned idea that girls need to protect their purity via protecting their virginity, but I think it also has to do with attitudes towards women in general. Men are free to decide what they want to do with their body, but women don't have that right. That's to say, women can't be /trusted/ to make their own decisions; a man is free to decide when he wants to have sex, but a woman is not. For a boy to date an older woman is almost expected... our natural reaction is "oh, he's a boy, he wants sex." But for a girl to date an older man is utterly shocking; our reaction to that is "that man is using her! That poor girl!" But are girls not capable of deciding for themselves when they are ready to have sex?