Hacker News Reader

Comment by stringyham | Hacker News Reader

Has the creepiness formula been somewhat accepted officially? I often see people using it to define the creepiness of a relationship, something I find very weird.

View on HN

I can't answer your question, but if consenting adults are dating, how about we stay out of their business? How is it different to say "oh my God he's 40 and she's 22" than to say "oh my God, they're the same sex"?

If they can consent and did, it's nobody else's business.

Some people (not me) argue that it's not consent if the 40 year old is rich and the 22 year old isn't. The 22 year old has her free will impaired by her need to survive and if their financial situations were equal she wouldn't consent.

Where did the assumption that the 22 year old is poor and the 40 year old is rich come from?

Same place as the assumption that you shouldn't bother interviewing older developers because they're going to demand too much money.

There are millions and millions of 22 year olds out there surviving just fine without dating a 40 year old. If that is literally the only option for literal survival then that's probably rape. Needing to get a job does not mean your free will is impaired.

The argument is that power dynamics (in their many forms) impair free will and therefore your ability to consent.

I understand the argument. I'm saying it is incorrect.

So the 22 year old is fine with dating the guy, and even needs him to survive..and we should not allow that to happen? Interesting sense of morality.

And I agree with you.

Officially? How could such a thing be accepted officially? What kind of question is that? There is no Ministry of Relationship Creepiness Estimation.

I intended for that question to be rhetorical. What I don't understand is why that formula is seriously used in arguments.

I'm not sure what "officially" would mean in this context, but it's a pretty good rule of thumb which derives from what people already seem to generally think.

It has issues in the teen years, but from about age 22 onward, it seems to match well with [US] societal mores.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com