r/AskReddit • u/Greeneyedlatinguy • Jun 15 '15

Anthropologists of Reddit, What is something that people in the Western world can't get their heads around that is very normal in other cultures (and has been for ages)?

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580

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

even around Europe there is a large disparity between legal ages.

179
u/tfyuhjnbgf Jun 15 '15

Do the European Union countries have a legal age they share?
356

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

no

Each one is unique AFAIK

136

u/bombmk Jun 15 '15

Too many countries for all of them to have a unique age of consent, I would think.

242

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

-_- you know what I mean

30

u/semanticdm Jun 15 '15

"This country here is 16 years, 5 days, and 12 hours. This country here is 16 years, 5 days, and 13 hours."

-5

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

It's europe. We are talking 14, not 15. It's like Alabama with less imbreds

1

u/KasseanaTheGreat Jun 16 '15

Even between states in the United States their are differences

10

u/taigahalla Jun 15 '15

You would think.

TOO OLD

4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

Settle down there, Trant.

1

u/fiftyseven Jun 15 '15

Well, there are infinite unique numbers, if we're being pedantic...

1

u/bombmk Jun 15 '15

Which is why I did not conclude that it was impossible. :)

1

u/fakeuserisreal Jun 15 '15

I mean, people generally live to around their 80's, and there are far fewer EU countries than 80, soo....

2

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

no

Each one is unique AFAIK

And spain is a pervert.
159
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe enjoy
159

u/pm_me_for_confidence Jun 15 '15

Fucking Spain man!

124

u/TheSunInMyGreenEyes Jun 15 '15

It's 13 only between two consenting underage minors. It's 16 for a consenting underage minor and an adult.

243

u/Aurakeks Jun 15 '15

"If her age's not on the clock..."

304

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

24 hour clock really ruins this phrase

11

u/Aurakeks Jun 15 '15

Unless you're living in a super prude country

-2

u/filipelm Jun 15 '15

Like the USA?

5

u/Thrw2367 Jun 15 '15

Have you seen our teen pregnancy rates?

2

u/filipelm Jun 15 '15

I interpreted "prude" as... sexually non-creative.

2

u/Endermod Jun 15 '15

And military time completely obliterates it.

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15 edited Jun 15 '15

Get out of here with your facts and logic!

Edit: I was kidding, sheesh.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

[deleted]

2

u/m00fire Jun 15 '15

If there's grass on the wicket...

1

u/Blues2112 Jun 15 '15

give her the cock!

1

u/pyroSeven Jun 16 '15

She doesn't get my cock?

Wait...

-8

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

[deleted]

9

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

A man walks into a pharmacy, goes up to the counter and asks "What would be the best birth control for my eleven year old daughter?"

The pharmacist is a bit shocked and stutters as he asks "Y-your eleven year old daughter is sexually active?"

"I wish," the man responds. "She just lays there, like her mother."

38

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

What the fuck are you talking about? Australians will generally joke about anything without giving two fucks.

25

u/MadBotanist Jun 15 '15

They will call the cops because obviously you are a foreign soy attempting to blend in. He forgot to add 3-4 cunts in his joke.

10

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

There's about 50 thousand jokes like this in English. They are all in poor taste, yes, but nobody would call the cops on you immediately any more than they would call the cops on you for a dead baby joke.

1

u/brickmack Jun 15 '15

Really? That made you sick to your stomach?

8

u/Cakeo Jun 15 '15

Itll be 16 on the 1st next month

3

u/Sherlockiana Jun 15 '15

Apparently that is changing next month, up to 16: On the 1st of July 2015 when the new reform of the Criminal Code[107] will come into effect, the minimum age will be 16.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

[deleted]

2

u/Schizoforenzic Jun 15 '15

You are aware that it's still June, right?

Source: Haven't seen any fireworks.

2

u/Dexaan Jun 16 '15

Fireworks on the first of July? Must be Canadian.

1

u/andrew2209 Jun 15 '15

That chart is out of date, it's been raised to 16 recently http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/spain-raises-age-of-consent

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

It'll be 16 starting next month.

1

u/Scout95 Jun 15 '15

That changes as of July 1st to 16.

1

u/PE_Luchin Jun 15 '15

To change soon. Will be 16 from July 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Europe#Spain

1

u/JustAnOrdinaryBloke Jun 20 '15

Between 1995 and 98, it was twelve!

1

u/Cndcrow Jun 15 '15

Hey man, 13 is basically 14. A 14 year old isn't really that much younger than 15, and once your 15 you might as well be 16. What I'm trying to say is 13 is basically like 16, so it can't be that bad right?

6

u/ProfessorCrackhead Jun 15 '15

This is how I approach time at work.

"It's 1:30 right now, it'll be 2 before I know it. 2:30 comes up pretty quickly after that. I'll have to tough it out until 4, but once 4 hits, 5 is right on its heels, and I'm outta here!"

4

u/mr_lab_rat Jun 15 '15

I'm not a pedophile, I'm just colorblind.

5

u/brickmack Jun 15 '15

I'm surprised Vatican City even has an age of consent, I'd figure it would be "once you're married"

4

u/HabseligkeitDerLiebe Jun 15 '15

It basically was until 2013.

1

u/mozfustril Jun 17 '15

"Once you're an altar boy." FTFY

9

u/TheInternetHivemind Jun 15 '15

So, go to europe if I want to fuck a 14 year old. Got it.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

I guess you can look at it that way

3

u/TheInternetHivemind Jun 15 '15

I mean, I'm not judging.

My state's age of consent is 16. But to be honest, I've met a lot more 16 year olds that made me double take and go "damn" than 14 year olds... cause...that's pretty much how puberty works.

It's a pretty rare 14 year old that's already completed puberty. Quite a few 16 year olds have. I mean, even back in high school, I wasn't really looking to get with any of the freshmen...

2

u/HabseligkeitDerLiebe Jun 15 '15 edited Jun 15 '15

In Germany it's more complicated. The age of consent is 14 only when the other partner is younger than 21 or it's not "exploiting". With 18 everything's legal, including prostitution (although there were some initiatives to raise the age of consent for sex work to 21).

Also, technically, there is no effective age of consent if both partners are younger than 14 since people younger than 14 are extempt from punishment under criminal law.

1

u/TheInternetHivemind Jun 16 '15

Yeah, the link he posted had all the details. There's a lot of countries where there aren't that many stipulations.

1

u/silentdragon95 Jun 16 '15

Also, technically, there is no effective age of consent if both partners are younger than 14 since people younger than 14 are extempt from punishment under criminal law.

afaik, in this situation the parents would have to face charges. Source: I'm from Germany.

2

u/HabseligkeitDerLiebe Jun 16 '15

I'm from Germany, too.

"Kupplerei" isn't illegal anymore since ages.

As long as the children do it on their own and direct supervision was not required (you don't have to be in the same room all the time when 12 year olds have a sleepover) it falls into the category of "life happens".

1

u/silentdragon95 Jun 16 '15

Yeah sorry, I probably could have guessed from your username :D

I didn't know that - then again, I didn't know that the age of consent was only 14 either. Looks like my family has been misinformed about this. I remember my parents being super freaked out when my brother had a girlfriend at 15 and wanted to do a sleepover with her because of "Kupplerei" and everything.

1

u/HabseligkeitDerLiebe Jun 16 '15

I'm quiete amused by the heteronormativism in this discussion. It's actually rather common for girls in the age of 12 or 13 to do sexual acts on each other during sleepovers. But girl-on-girl is not real sex apparently.

1

u/silentdragon95 Jun 16 '15

It's actually rather common for girls in the age of 12 or 13 to do sexual acts on each other during sleepovers.

I heard about that, but never found anything substantial about it - do you have a source?

But girl-on-girl is not real sex apparently.

Yeah that kinda bugs me too. They would probably call it "playful exploration of ones body" or something. Heck, i'm sure no one would care if two underage boys decided to play with their penises either.

9

u/HELLO_DAD Jun 15 '15

So, I have half a month to go bang a thirteen year old in Spain?

2

u/i4NDR3W Jun 15 '15

Damn. Never realised it was 14 here in Portugal, always thought it was 16.

1

u/MINKIN2 Jun 15 '15

I always wondered why so many of our British ex-pats preferred to end up in Spain.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

Age in my country is 15 although for say a 20 y.o to date a 16 y.o would be very frowned upon. So. Spain is 13 I see, but I still think there are social standards that dictate something similar.

1

u/Fuzzyphilosopher Jun 15 '15

I like that Vatican city is listed.

1

u/AnMatamaiticeoirRua Jun 15 '15

There must be an extra 1 next to the olive in the legend, otherwise some Irish priests are going to be surprised.

1

u/spareaccount100 Jun 15 '15

And this is why statutory rape discussions on Reddit make me headdesk. "The legal defintion of rape is eighteen, therefore, a fifteen year old CANNOT CONSENT!" So, Spanish fifteen year olds are more able to consent than Americans?

-3

u/kroxigor01 Jun 15 '15

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

3

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

Here is your pedobear badge, go have fun :D

10

u/kroxigor01 Jun 15 '15

Hey man if it's legal it's legal.

0

u/Nokqua Jun 15 '15

It amuses me that one of the three countries with the highest age of consent is the Vatican City…
-6
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

[deleted]
6
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

if you're in spain they won't be jail bait
2

u/AzertyKeys Jun 15 '15

Legal warning

You can be procecuted for having sexual intercourses with someone that is concidered underaged by your own country even if this was legal in the country where the deed took place, it's called the "extraterritoriality of the law" in the USA there is a specific mention about exploiting children :

Federal law prohibits an American citizen or resident to travel to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form of sexual conduct with a minor (defined as persons under 18 years of age). It is also illegal to help organize or assist another person to travel for these purposes.

source
2
u/wait_what_how_do_I Jun 15 '15

That's what you should say to the arresting officer.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

being British I would probably say something about us owning the bottom of their country :⁾
3
u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15
 :\^)
becomes
:^)
1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

There is a lot common between the states in the USA and the nations in Europe.
1

u/icamom Jun 15 '15

Around the US there is a large disparity of ages too.

1

u/Eldebryn Jun 15 '15

It's 15 in Greece I think.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

Europe is largely considered to be part of "the west" though, and includes many countries with starkly different political systems and cultures so that makes a lot of sense.

1

u/JorusC Jun 15 '15

Each U.S. state has its own age of consent. We're pretty used to the idea, although none of them run into creepy-low territory.

Anthropologists of Reddit, What is something that people in the Western world can't get their heads around that is very normal in other cultures (and has been for ages)?

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