THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

AGE, SEX, KINGS, AND BOB TRYING TO BE WISE | 2006-02-11

Theya re still discussing age and sex over in the Pic Thread, so I thrrew in the following comment:

By the way, in the olden days, a child who inherited the throne had a regent until he was fourteen years of age. At fourteen he was considered adult enough to rule.

Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister of Great Britain and Her Empire when he was 24. In the American Constitution you have to be 25 to be a congressman, 30 for the Senate and 35, an age most people did not live to at the time, to be president.

In early America, where land was plentiful and children were an economic asset, marriage at 14 was fairly common. At the same time, in Scandinavia, many men simply did not marry.

I know I'm boring you, but I could give lots of other factual information that would send you to sleep, the way my lectures as a professor of economics did.

Oh. I got my driver's license at age 14, like almost every other South Carolinian did in the 1950s.

Going to pieces over youth is a waste of time.

For those who believe I am a moral paragon, let me disabuse you.

I don't go after young women because for me to chase them is exactly like a dog chasing a truck.

A dog loves to show off chasing cars and trucks, but what in the HELL would he do if he CAUGHT one?

By the way, before I was a professor I worked in a prison and noted how many men were inmates because of statutory rape.

I got into college when I was sixteen, so the students I was teaching were my age or older. So I decided to show my Wisdom by telling them to be careful about the age of the girl they were with.

Their reaction was, "What in the hell are we supposed to do, ask for a picture ID in the heat of passion?"

After that I kept my Brilliant Advice to myself.

COMMENTS (3)

#1 Shari | 2006-02-11 12:54

Those "students" sure do sound like grownups. Don't think they knew anything about the heat of passion either. In Montana, in the 60's you could get a drivers license at 15 and there was no drivers ed. Lots of kids were driving trucks, tractors, and combines since they were big enough to handle it.

#2 Derek | 2006-02-12 13:17

Have you heard the latest expression "fourty is the new thirty"?

People are living longer so it seems that we are extending youth and immaturity into the later stages of our lives. I am 27 now and I always thought that I would be married with kids and a house.

I am none of those things. I haven't even finished college yet.

I date women younger than me. Granted 22-24 isn't that much of a difference in terms of numbers, but there is a world of difference in life experience. Occasionally I date 20 year olds. Now there is a whole new set of rules since the state says she can't drink. 21 is supposed to be the new benchmark of maturity.

In europe children drink at an early age. Before the state was so prevalent it seemed that kids in America drank at a younger age too. It also seems to me, and you can correct me on this since you were around at the time, that we got a lot more done because we learned to stand on our own.

Maybe the state setting age limits isn't a good idea and we should get over youth.

#3 Mark | 2006-02-12 21:15

"By the way, before I was a professor I worked in a prison and noted how many men were inmates because of statutory rape.

I got into college when I was sixteen, so the students I was teaching were my age or older. So I decided to show my Wisdom by telling them to be careful about the age of the girl they were with."

Bob, if this were true you would have been under age 14 while working in a prison and I have a hard time believing -- even during your prime when you rubbed shoulders with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock -- they did not allow 14 year olds to stand guard in a prison. I mean, puh-lease!!!