# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1930
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/1930 "2024-06-28T05:13:01Z")
Yeah, it’s a bit hard not trying to fight the hypothetical of that particular poll. What may be worse in some ways is that if I take it as a given (mutual love, consensual, the whole thing) and I dropped the age difference (to say 24 and 17) I bet it would be considered more of the “fun but forbidden romance” that I see people reading (both genders, although often different formats). Although some/most of such fiction that isn’t trying to be transgressive works under the spoken (or un) that the adult member of the couple promises to wait until graduation. I do wonder also about the emotional impact if we were talking about nearly the same example - a 40 year old University Professor and a 17 or 18 year old University student. As a university student (even if underage) the power dynamic is somewhat different when it’s not mandatory schooling, and of course, at 18 a US Citizen is considered ‘adult’ - so generally no ‘legal’ issues, even if the age difference is nearly identical. Feelings-wise, there’s some conflict still for me (in the modified circumstances I just mentioned), just because even if completely consensual, I can’t honestly imagine that the relationship would be healthy long-term, if for no other reason that the vast gulfs of life experience mandated by such a gap. It could work, and there have been happy, healthy marriages in the past and present with such gaps, but I’d tend to expect them to be the exception, not the rule or even the average. Still, we’ve had at least one charged (and eventually closed due to excessive personal attacks IMHO) thread with many commonalities where I expressed my opinions on even consensual underaged sex: > [@Underage sex, is it rape?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underage-sex-is-it-rape/957944/31): > > I do agree that there is probably no perfect answer, and that we haven’t even touched on the issues with the perception of appropriate age outside the US (predominantly) and a word to the UK. If I was the one making the decisions, I would probably set the age of informed choice at 18. It is an age where just about everyone agrees you’re old enough for the majority of important decisions in your life. Not perfect, but just said nothing is going to be. Having said that, I would probably put th… Which doesn’t (again) have any direct result on the poll in question directly, but does somewhat inform it for me at least. I also idly wonder if the results would be similar if there had been a second, or paired poll where the relationship was same-sex. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636)._