What is it about incest?

That's why age of consent laws exist. Anything with a baby or young child will usually find the perp put away for a long time. I believe Louisiana is trying to execute a guy for sodomizing a 5ish year old.

The laws were not always as strong, even though there was a lot of vigilante justice for crimes against children, but I like to think they're getting better.

I saw the Millennium episode "The well worn lock", and that was as a kid, but so disturbing I still can't watch anything with the guy who played the dad.

i don't mean to be a willie-whiner but i have noticed some threads that take 'anything-goes' to a whole nother level. threads that involve fondling people in their sleep and children masturbating with uncles/fathers/etc... i too madame was abused by a relative and completely understand where you're coming from. although some would like to argue it was 'boys being boys' and acceptable because we were both minors, the truth is my cousin preyed on me before i was ready to engage in or understand this behavior. it skewed my sexuality for many ears and the worst part is having to see the person who abused you at every family picnic.

Anyone see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanimo Bay? Now that's a reason not to commit incest, haha. BUT, that's a joke, a satire... anyway just responding in kind to an anecdote, I'll respond to each of the posts that I think warrants interesting new questions or comments in a minute...

There are many family events i refuse to go to because i know "he" will be there. He should have his ass in prison right now, not for what he did to me but what he did to his own nephews and daughter. That son of a bitch has more comfort sitting at family reunions than the rest of us do.

That's purely subjective on your part, you said a lot, but it's all based on one single subjective premise, therefore it's just all your opinion, nothing objective can be based off of subjective opinions.

Your entire argument is based on the notion that incest is absolutely destructive and can have no other outcome. You overlook a number of possibilities, in both the possible circumstances around the incest as well as the possible outcomes.

First of all, what if there are only two family members left in the family unit? One parent and one offspring, or two siblings? If they have sex, how does that destroy their family relationships if they have none other than to each other?

Secondly, it's purely your opinion that incest is absolutely destructive to a family unit. I know it's a stretch to believe, and I know you're largely correct, but that's due more to the circumstances that lead to the incest than it is the incest itself. THe reason it is destructive is because the type of incest we're used to hearing about is usually coerced, or involuntary, and that naturally leads to the destruction of relationships, ANY relationships. If a man rapes a woman, it destroys their relationship with each other (if they ever had one) and usually will destroy the rapist's relationship with anyone else, regardless of their familial relationship, which often does not exist.

So, we can't proceed to build an argument on an unproven subjective premise: That incest is 100% destructive to the family unit. It is not, I know that for a fact as I know some people who have gone through short-term and some longer-term incestuous relationships and still led perfectly "normal" lives with the rest of the world, and did not destroy their familial bonds in the process. It's rare, but again, as I said, this is due to the cirumstances that surround most incestuous relationships, not the incest itself.

Best argument anyone has made so far. =]

Firstly, this is not a question about sex with or between minors, it is a question about incest, mainly consensual is what I am asking about. There IS such a thing, but I think most people refuse to acknowledge that, because it "grosses them out". There's nothing wrong with being grossed out with it, I'm grossed out by scat fetishes and pee fetishes, but I don't begrudge those that enjoy those fetishes. You can judge people for having incest/scat/pee fetishes or whatever, but just because you feel it's "gross" does not mean it is wrong.

I'm not sure who you're referring to with the comments about "you are in the minority because" and "your bizarre mindset", but if you're talking to me then you're completely unjustified in saying so. I am simply presenting a question and following up with arguments from an objective point of view. I am not advocating incest, or am I openly stating that I am against it, I'm only asking why people feel such strong reactions to it, because from a pragmatic standpoint, the medically known negative side-effects can easily be prevented through use of birth control.

I'm very sorry to hear that you experienced something terrible in your past. That said, you must necessarily hold a highly objective point of view, and justly so, I certainly wouldn't hold it against you for wanting to inflict justice on anyone commiting the crime of sexual abuse. But to be clear, the crime was sexual abuse, not incest, right? If someone who was unrelated to you did the exact same thing in the exact same circumstances, would it have been ok with you?

i dunno about you but i've always believed in karma. that comfort that he sits on will one day be pulled from underneath him and, in one way or another, he'll get exactly whats coming to him. i hope his children don't let this experience taint their view about something as wonderful as sex because for something so beautiful, a lot of people turn it into something vile and filthy. one thing that gives me hope is that recent studies suggest that suggest many victims of child abuse often overcome their struggles and grow up to be productive adults with families of their own. i wish the best for you (if your experience still effects you one way or another) and for this guy's kids. not to mention well wishes for his wife, i can't imagine being a woman and finding out that the man you love has been abusing your children.

if anything my experience taught me about the power of the human spirit to overcome adversities and still live a fruitful life.

This is off-topic, but I can tell you that karma is bs. Want proof? George Bush. Both of them. 'nuff said.

As for the human spirit overcoming adversity, that's a noble and valid sentiment. My favorite movies are The Truman Show and Shawshank Redemption... notice a common theme? =]

Back on-topic now...

I've been put in a situation where i had feared being raped by a male family member 6 years older than me while i was a teenager. We were raised in very close proximity. So had this situation occured from someone who was my peer, i would have felt more power and less fear. It wouldnt be surprising for a peer to approach a 16 year old girl they were attracted to. It wouldnt give me a funny feeling to have a close family member want to go off privately to talk, when we had done so so many times. I would have gotten the notion what a non-family member had in mind when wanting to isolate me and propose sexual things on me.

There is a safety one should feel with her family. Incest and molestation can be easily blurred into one another. Because of my past as a child and teenager with males who shouldn't have had feelings towards me as a minor, child and relative, I grew up paranoid of males and their intentions.

I'm very cautious, overly so i'll admit, with my own daughter for these reasons. She should never walk around the house in a robe and fear her father, uncle or brother is going to propose her for sexual acts. Our guard should be let down around family to not worry about physical sexual pressures on us. This should be the place we, as women, shouldn't be on the market for the men.

How could one go to sleep at night after her brother, uncle, father or grandfather approached her and he had no idea she didnt feel the same way so he went for it. How can one be protected from a person she is not sexually attracted to when you share a bathroom, washing machine and dinner table with? The home should be a haven for children, not a place where they have to worry about these sort of things.

You can say "consentual" and "adults" all you want. But lets be honest here, if a brother fucks his sister only after they became adults, chances are there were behaviors already existing between them. How often are you going to find 2 people in the same family willing to do this? This is why sexual abuse is so common, most often one of the two parties is not wanting to do this.

That's not proof that Karma doesn't exist.

Both of them are still here. They aren't dead yet. So there's PLENTY of time for their shit to catch up with them.

I don't think he's going to get any converts tonight.

Where is Pronatalist when you need him?

Valid points, but it's like we're talking about two different things here. I'm trying to seperate sexual abuse from incest, because they are NOT mutually inclusive, correct?

There's no question that most known cases of incest involve sexual abuse, but I speculate that that is because non-abusive sexual relationships are simply not made public.