Online storms over age gaps between partners have become depressingly common
In certain corners of the internet, few topics arouse as much rage as that of relationships between people of significantly different ages. It’s a cyclical controversy, which needs only the tiniest spark to reignite it.
If you’re unfamiliar with the debate, let me drag you down with me: over the past few years, a sizeable segment of the liberal-left has decided that age gaps within relationships (eg a 40-year-old going out with a 23-year-old) are inherently problematic. It’s an attitude which seems to be derived from a confluence of post-MeToo feminism and social justice politics, both of which rightly place an emphasis on caring for the vulnerable. The argument goes that age gaps reflect an imbalance of power and therefore leave young people open to coercion or abuse. The older partner is usually characterised as predatory; the younger partner as having been taken advantage of, even if they are well into their early twenties.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2YfsWcc
