About two years ago now, I was sitting on a bench in Central Park writing my initial thoughts on what I didn’t know then but would come to know as Youth Rights.

I don’t think I’ll ever remember why she did, but about halfway through the day Greta Thunberg came to mind, and I looked up the voting age in Sweden. And my blood boiled in a way I’ve never experienced in my entire life.

16 years old and one of the most famous and recognizable political activists in the world. 16 years old giving a confident, impassioned, admonishing speech to the fucking UN. 16 years old with no legal right to a voice in her country. No voice to vote for the policies she believed in or the people who might enact them.

My writing, already vitriolic to a fault, managed to become even moreso but with the topic abruptly switched to voting. For the first time in my life, I considered where I’d place the voting age if I could do so unilaterally. Not long into considering it I had a thought that I wrote down immediately, a question I’ve asked well over 100 times at this point with no substantial answer:

When is it reasonable to say to a person, ‘If you’re not at least this old, then I don’t give a fuck what you think’?

And from the moment I had that thought, I have been unable to place the voting age.

  • EABOD25@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    1 month ago

    or e.g. potentially harmful products, such as power tools without certain currently legally mandated safety features if the buyer is an adult? Are you allowed to sign away certain rights that you are currently not allowed to sign away, e.g. should an adult be allowed to sign themselves over to slavery without the possibility to undo it?

    I have no clue what you were getting at with the drugs, but depending on the circumstance, teenagers that are of the age to enlist can do certainly do these things. I went through two furloughs where I didn’t get paid on deployment and didn’t get compensation. In fact, at one point my checks were garnished because my admin screwed up on per diem when I initially had them check everyday before my transfer to make sure the money was right. They got so pissed at me that their chief told me to not approach their office again with this issue, and they fucked me anyway. I owed around $5000 to the Department of The Treasury because they told me the leftover monet wasn’t an error and that I could go on with my life. That was wrong. And what was I supposed to do? Not do my job? If I would have done that, I would have got an NJP which would have costed me 50% of the 25% that was already garnished. So how is that not slavery or at the very least indentured servitude?

    And let me make it clear, I signed the contract that said, “You’re officially government property.” we pay you as long as you do what you’re supposed to do. I did what I was supposed to do and got fucked anyway. I couldn’t pay my rent or bills, so the utilities reached out to my command and I got fucked even more. I had to go to financial management training and was barred from living out in town. You telling me that’s justified?

      • EABOD25@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        1 month ago

        Before I answer that. I’d respectfully ask you clarify what you meant by your comment then. I might have misunderstood

        • sweng@programming.dev
          1·
          1 month ago

          Another poster said that adults shold be allowed to do “whatever”.

          I asked if this “whatever” includes many things that are currently illegal, even if everyone involved consent to it.

          You then told me to ask that question again after serving in the military, and i then told you that I already have served. Then you wrote a long anecdote that I honestly missed the point of.

          • EABOD25@lemm.eeEnglish
            2·
            1 month ago

            What the hell were you doing bringing up illegal things then? That’s not what the topic was about and it seems like a deflection. Illicit substances are ILLICIT for any age, so I don’t see what your argument is now. Just seems sarcastic and opposing

            • sweng@programming.dev
              1·
              1 month ago

              I honestly was wondering if the person also meant things thst are currently illegal when they said adults should be allowed to do “whatever”.

              Saying “adults should be able to do whatever is legal” is a truism: you are by definition allowed to do anything that is currently legal, so it’s pretty pointless to write a message supporting that. Thus, me asking for clarification.

              You are the one who stepped into the conversation, told me to join the military, and acted strangly aggressive.

              • Zier@fedia.io
                1·
                1 month ago

                “…and whatever else.” Means, all the things adults are allowed to do. AKA if it’s legal to drink, you can, if it’s legal to vote, you can, if it’s illegal to rob a bank, you can go to jail and be charged as an adult. An adult is an adult and is responsible for their choices.