• StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    How is “sex with children” sugarcoating it? That seems to be a literal interpretation of what’s going on?

    The other two I can understand as reductive language but this is just calling a spade a spade no? Is “sex with a child” not just as bad as “child abuse” or are there people who see that as a better way of phrasing it?

    • Reyali@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      The nuance is that “sex” requires consent, because sex without consent is rape. So sex with a non-consenting person (including all children) can’t exist, because it’s actually raping children.

      It’s more of a nitpicky difference than the others because I’d bet your average adult doesn’t bother thinking about that nuance, but it does carry a different subconscious weight. One is considered fun, happy, and almost everyone does it; the other is a monstrous act that has no justification.