sickeninglyliberal:

huntsmonsters: tommy-conlon: saveatardis: wallacewellsbian: mcdevinpants: i feel like if the manliest man to ever man in America is okay with it…all the dudebros need to get on the train or get off his lawn.

Clint is all that is awesome in this world. From GQ. 

“The Parlour of Temptation” by Jack Verrtiano

Dear Prudence is an advice column that has existed on Slate for over a decade. It is written by the moderately prolific writer Emily Yoffe. I hate to admit that I read an advice column at all, but hell, Slate is on my RSS feed and the headline caught my eye and maybe, just maybe I’m a little bit in love with the idea of people taking advice on an absurd amount of issues from completely unqualified advice columnists.

Yoffe almost goes in the right direction with her response by stating that the woman is a predator, but then goes on to advise the worried girlfriend to simply greet that same predator with a friendly exchange. Reading the above question and Yoffe’s response, I could only wonder: what if the gender roles in this scenario were reversed and everything else from the Q&A were the same? Read it again, this way:

Q. Yikes, My Girlfriend and Her Lost Virginity: My girlfriend of two years recently told me that she lost her virginity at the age of 12 to a family friend that was 30 at the time. She swears that she is the one that seduced him and that it is a very happy memory for her; I have no reason to doubt her and she is “older” than her years and has always dated older men. But I’m very grossed out by the man in question. I’m picturing myself allowing a 12-year-old to seduce me (I’m 30) and the thought is disgusting to me. I really don’t think he is a predator and my girlfriend really does seem to have quite an effect on older men - they all just want to take their pants off for her. My question is mainly that I don’t know how I’m going to face this man - we see him about three times a year at family events and one is coming up next month. I am not great at keeping my facial features neutral so I’m worried he’s going to figure out that I know. I don’t want to “out” him. I’m definitely not going to touch a drop of booze that day because I don’t want to get tipsy and say something I’ll regret. I really just don’t know what to say to this man or how to act in front of him! Help.

A: I agree with your disgust, but I disagree that he’s not a predator. There are no circumstances under which a 30-year-old should be having sex with a 12-year-old, and I don’t care what the genders are of those involved. However, instead of seeing this as a violation, for your girlfriend it’s a lovely memory, so let it be. If you have trouble with your facial features, start practicing in the mirror. There surely are times at work when you’re saying, “That’s a great idea, boss, I’ll get right on it,” and you’re thinking, “Another idiotic request!” but you don’t want your face to give you away. You know how to be cordial to an old family friend, so make some brief polite conversation to Humbert Humbert, then walk away.

Would it seem more disturbing if these roles were reversed? Is it equally disturbing either way? Do the indifferent attitudes in this article reveal a commonly accepted portrayal of our society’s views on gender roles and rape? Can a 12 year old child ever even seduce a sane, normal 30 year old adult?

Chime in, folks. I certainly have my opinions, but I am curious to hear yours.

“A Very Married Woman” by Jack Vettriano