Archive Home Page >>Projecting one's paternalistic pychosocial constructions on him and thereby discrediting his own development as perverted or whatever is ridiculous.<<
If you will kindly reread everything that I and others have said on this board you will find not one single instance where someone has implied that there is anything preverted about the boys.
You have however brought up the blackmail argument which is I believe a standard NAMBLA argument that the boys really do have power in the relationship and that the adults are the victims (and in a sense they are as well but not for this reason).
Once again the issue is consent consent consent consent conscent... and there is a big difference between teenagers and pre-pubescent children in their ability to consent. I've seen young teenagers in every Bible-belt bar I've ever been in and from what I can see many are well adjusted and happy, however I've also met many young people who are have quite frankly told me they feel exploited. I've gotten an earful from some of the gay teenagers here online. Many are looking for love and acceptance and a safe place to explore their sexuality and find that their cherished youth has made them just another tidbit on the rotisserie. Many then in resignation use it to survive.
Yes you'll find them in Des Moines "In every city and every nation, from Lave Geneva to Finland Station" - Eastern Boys and West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys.
The problem however is that neither of us has full access to just what another person is feeling and just as I speak from the standpoint of one who believes he was exploited, you speak from the standpoint of one who believes he was not. We may both be right and neither of us can speak for other people.
Direct compassion is a curious ommission from the human repitoire and I suspect that if we had a way of knowing exactly what our actions are doing to another person this debate would not be necessary. If only someone who was exploiting another had to feel what the the other person was feeling then I suspect there would be an immediate sessation of abuse. There would be no more rhetorical debate about this man-boy love question. The boys could be boys and eventually the men could be boys again as well.