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[Blackburn]

I was thinking of a rapid-fire crossbow that shoots hammers/hammerers.

Crossbow shooting hammers...

No, wait.

Crossbows shooting hammerers shooting crossbows shooting hammers.

[The Architect]

...as soon as she hits "adulthood", by which I of course mean "puberty", since you can start marrying and breeding at 12 years old in this game.  (Incidentally, doesn't this raise the question of Pedophilia for anyone else?)

No. I can't say that I am personally attracted to 12-year-olds, but they are in fact physically adults in some cases. Many of the models you see in magazines aren't any older than 13, and the majority are 15 or less. A few years ago when I was 16 I knew a girl who was 12 and was more of a woman than most of the girls my own age.

The laws that restrict sex in relation to age difference were originally to prevent adults from taking advantage of those who are usually too young to make mature decisions. The majority of people under 16 or even 18 are just not capable of making the right decisions in respect to sex and many other things. Don't get me wrong: I definitely do not approve of anyone preying on others, especially if they do it by taking advantage of a younger person's naivete, ignorance or immaturity.

However, age isn't a concrete measure of physical or sexual maturity, however clear-cut we may want it to be in modern society.

[Blargityblarg]

Furthermore, shit just got done earlier in the 1400's, which I believe is DF's timespan.

[Dorf3000]

A strange bear enters the map....

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

RAISE THE DRAWBRIDGE!

[assimilateur]

I'm more or less with The Architect here. All that pedo bullshit isn't exactly clear-cut enough to call everyone hitting on young people a pervert.

Not to mention that if we wanted to use technical terminology, pedophilia would be inappropriate in this context. It refers to an attraction towards prepubescent children, while 12-year-olds in this game are clearly capable of reproduction. This makes them pubescent, if not postpubescent.

[Hyndis]

However, age isn't a concrete measure of physical or sexual maturity, however clear-cut we may want it to be in modern society.

/agree

When the average lifespan was only 30, you did not wait until you were in your mid 20's to start popping out kids. You got things done early because you didn't have much time to get things done.

[kotekzot]

Keep in mind 12 in dwarf years is like 7 in human years.

[Blackburn]

Oh, joy. A discussion over pedophilia.

In the Dwarf Fortress forum.

How fun.

[Hyndis]

Not to mention that if we wanted to use technical terminology, pedophilia would be inappropriate in this context. It refers to an attraction towards prepubescent children, while 12-year-olds in this game are clearly capable of reproduction. This makes them pubescent, if not postpubescent.

Correct. In real life 12 year olds are also generally capable of reproducing.

Thats biology, which is entirely different from ethics. Ethics are relative to the time/culture as well. While 1000 years ago that was entirely normal and even expected, social norms have greatly changed since then.

/tangent

[assimilateur]

That's biology, which is entirely different from ethics.

Which is why I was talking about technical terminology here. You want to call an older partner of a pubescent kid cradle robber, that's fine. Call them a sick fuck if you will, but if a term like pedophilia correctly means "love of children", and what's meant by child is prepubescent child, then using it as was stipulated earlier would be watering it down.

[Hyndis]

That's biology, which is entirely different from ethics.

Which is why I was talking about technical terminology here. You want to call an older partner of a pubescent kid cradle robber, that's fine. Call them a sick fuck if you will, but if a term like pedophilia correctly means "love of children", and what's meant by child is prepubescent child, then using it as was stipulated earlier would be watering it down.

IIRC, the term of ebophilia, an attraction to teens. Pedophilia is for prepubescents.

Arguable teens, while very, very immature emotionally, are mature physically, and evidence shows that they are very capable of reproducing at a young age. Yay, teen pregnancy.   

[assimilateur]

ebophilia ephebophilia

[The Architect]

Anyway, the point being: no, the idea of 12-year-olds reproducing in a permanent monogamous sexual relationship within dwarf fortress doesn't raise difficult questions of pedophilia. At least, not for a normal person *rather than* someone consumed by the hypocritical and convoluted concepts of sexual maturity and appropriate sexual behavior currently enforced in, say, the United States (my home). The concept might certainly cause someone to spend 30 seconds thinking it through, but any serious thought will quickly dismiss the concern in DF.

*Edit

[silverskull39]

Yay progress!

[assimilateur]

not someone consumed by the hypocritical and convoluted concepts of sexual maturity and appropriate sexual behavior currently enforced in, say, the United States (my home).

I don't get what you're saying here. It's exactly by the logic of the modern concept of age of consent that one would arrive at the kneejerk conclusion that we were dealing with "pedophilia" here.