Recently I was watching Bones and hardly paying attention, as my interest in that show drops sharply whenever Tamara Taylor is not on screen. Anywhistle, for some reason the two main characters had gone on a double-date with the young psychologist and his girlfriend. The girlfriend later came to visit Brennan alone, and she commented that she (the girlfriend) was concerned about the age difference between her and the young psychologist: she was 26, and he was only 22.
This caused me to go “Wait…what?” Four years does not seem a remotely significant age difference to me so long as both parties are adults. I thought it might be grist for a good thread, though. How great an age difference between lovers (or even people just dating) strikes you as significant?
Do the sexes of the parties matter? (That is, do you have a different answer if both are male or both are female, or if the man is the younger party in a heterosexual relationship, or the reverse?) How comfortable are you with your position? (That is, do you instinctively respond in a negative manner to certain differences, even though rationally you believe that your visceral reaction is incorrect?)
And so forth.
No poll, so if you’re waiting around for one, you’re just being silly.