• Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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    6 hours ago

    My partner’s sister is 19, I’m in my early 30s now. But I met my partner when she was 19, I often ask myself did she come across as this annoying to people in their 30s back then?

    • AppleTea@lemmy.zip
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      16 hours ago

      Love that we’re making imaginary [gen-z/gen alpha/gen whatever the hell arbitrary title] the same way our parents and grandparents made imaginary millennials to get mad at.

      The Silent Generation called their kids “Generation Me”

  • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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    14 hours ago

    As an adult for most dating your peers is preferable to dating younger adults. I don’t want to hear “So what was the gas crisis like?” on a date ever again (IDK what it was like I was 3).

  • neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
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    11 hours ago

    And now you understand why older men dating young girls is creepy, even if legal.

    They have nothing in common. There’s no way. It’s pure physical attraction above all else.

    Edit: Seemingly a lot of older people down voting this are in denial about how much they have in common with some 18 year old girl/guy as a romantic partner. You understand you’re not fooling anyone, right? Not even other people like you. Underneath, you all know what you’re about.

    • FridaySteve@lemmy.world
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      1 minute ago

      A lot of people are downvoting this because a 19 year old is an adult who can make their own choices and you are insinuating that there’s something so objectively wrong with dating an older person that it should be illegal.

    • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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      18 hours ago

      Or both sides like to learn from each other and grow towards each other over time?

      There are worse reasons why an extreme age gap is seen as creepy, “not knowing each others interests” is not one of them.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      I’m 54 and most of the people I know are in their early 20s. We get along great and have plenty to talk about.

      • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        18 hours ago

        Yeah, I’m in my mid 30’s and my best friend is nearing 50. His oldest child is the same age as my younger brother. Believe it or not, people can have common interests that aren’t entirely reliant on their age.

        Though I will say that age becomes less relevant as you get older… A 29 year old dating a 19 year old is pretty universally creepy, but few people would say the same about a 49 year old dating a 39 year old. Same age gap, but it’s assumed that the 39 year old has enough life experience to actually make their own decisions. Even in my mid-20’s, I was looking at 19 year olds as if they were literal children. There’s a lot of maturing that happens in the late teens and early 20’s.

        • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip
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          15 hours ago

          You mean in the late 20’s and early 30’s. Not a lot of maturing until 25.

          Edit: this assumes middle-european living and cultural conditions.

            • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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              12 hours ago

              The age it lands on is always the grey area age. If youre 19 dating someone 16.5 thats weird but 17.5 most wouldn’t bat an eye at.

              • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
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                8 hours ago

                I mean, maybe 17.5 and 18+, idk about 19. What’s the brain difference between some six months of people? You could have been in a perfectly fine relationship before also.

      • neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
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        16 hours ago

        Sure, but there’s a difference between hanging out with some 20 year olds, and being romantically involved with them.

        The latter requires a hell of a lot of maturity and being in a similar place in life to deal with things life throws at you. The former just requires laughing at some meme together you both find funny.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          Agreed! But we had solid conversations, deep and involved. I was astonished at how mature and educated they were, forgot what I was like at that age.

          I’ve found papers I wrote for school in my teens, thought, “Oh boy, this is gonna be some bullshit.” Read them and was surprised at my understanding of the world!

          Guess my point is, I will never undersell the youth, not ever again. Dating someone half my age, meh, can’t really see it, but I do see it as possible for some.

          • neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
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            11 hours ago

            That’s fair, and I would never say that youth are idiots or shouldn’t be listened to. That’s not true at all, I think they can have many valuable things to contribute to society, the conversation, the world, etc.

            I’m strictly speaking about them as a romantic partner with such an age gap, especially one that starts when they’re 17/18 and the person they’re dating is in their 30’s or more. Nobody can convince me that that would be an equal relationship for both parties. I’ve attempted it in my late 20’s dating a few 18/19 year olds, and then again attempted it in my mid 30’s and it was a significantly worse experience.

            They weren’t bad people in any way, or stupid, or immature in the pop-culture sense of the word. But the relationship was never going to work out, and it was because no matter which way you slice it, a mid 30’s man and a 19 or 20 year old girl are not at the same place in life. If they are, then it’s the older person who never grew up and is still behaving like a teenager.

            • shalafi@lemmy.world
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              10 hours ago

              All agreed! At 52 I considered a relationship with a 26-yo friend. If she didn’t have 3 tiny children, maybe? But no, just couldn’t see it working. I’d be 80 and her at 54? I’d be robbing her of her youth when she could have had a younger man to share that life with.

              Funny enough, my Filipino wife is 6-months older than I, and she was fucking horrified to learn that. Her friends are all married to white dudes 20+ years older. Cultural thing. :)

              • neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
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                13 minutes ago

                Sometimes trading partnership for security is the way people go. I’m not saying it can’t work, but it’s rare that those partnerships are equal. The power imbalance is on display.

      • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
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        14 hours ago

        You don’t date though. A lot of people I know are young. Who else tf you going to meet nowadays.

        Though I’d date 25+, screw 22+, not younger.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          Meh, I won’t put strict age limits on sex. Relationships? I can guess what would and wouldn’t work for me, but the world is a big place and people are wildly variable.

          • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today
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            8 hours ago

            Idk man. Isn’t screwing someone fresh out of high school a bit creepy? I mean come on, they were considered a kid maybe months ago. It’s suspicious if you do that.

            • Holytimes@sh.itjust.works
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              6 hours ago

              One night stands are just animals fucking basically.

              It only gets weird one there’s an actual relationship and unbalanced power dynamic going on.

              But part of being young is being stupid and fucking something you shouldn’t have is basically stupid 101

  • kadaverin0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    19 hours ago

    I dated a 19 year old at 22 and even in that relatively minor gap there was palpable divide in mindset and priorities. I was looking to start a career and get my life established. She graduated high school a few month prior to turning 19 and just wanted to get high and watch musicals.

    • vane@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      Maybe she was rich and could stay high and watch musicals for the rest of her life. What a lucky girl she was.

    • Hadriscus@jlai.lu
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      18 hours ago

      That’s the mindset of plenty of people at 25 or 30 even. I think personal development/priorities are to blame more so than the age gap

    • DeadMartyr@lemmy.zip
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      18 hours ago

      I was barely 23 and am currently dating the same girl I met who was 19. (Its about to be 2 years woo!)

      I had just gotten out of military so most girls in my classes were 3-4 years younger and I wasn’t interested in dating (I like women a bit older than me) but she wreckingballed into my life because she saw something she wanted and actively attempted to get it.

      This is the best relationship I’ve ever had but I won’t deny that sometimes the response I get to something serious and wanting to plan ahead is met by my partner suggesting I move into the city (alone) to be closer just so she knows what it’s like to have a boyfriend in the city.

      Her focuses right now are being young and getting her excitement now before she has to square away. She used to think everyone has a stoner era and that was just what people did, so she was surprised how anti-drug/vice I was. The mental divide is definitely something I would warn people about when dating with age differences.

      I dont understand the guys that date fresh 18 year olds in their near 30’s, I know its legal but I genuinely dont understand what a 30 year old would find so interesting about an 18 year old other than just trying to bang/control them.

      • ThunderQueen@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        In our modern world, i often forget that some guys like to date older too. I have a crush on a guy a couple years younger than me and have just kind of not done anything because we are coworkers and I fear he’ll reject me for who i am, but thanks for the reminder

  • Grass@sh.itjust.works
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    20 hours ago

    people both younger and older than me talk like this and I just want to go anywhere else every time I hear it

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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    19 hours ago

    The brainrot is real, even with “old hags”. My ex was 3 years younger than me, but she was an avid tiktok scroller. I was often being shown and taught about new “memes” that everyone promptly forgot about by the next week.

  • Tracaine@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    40 year old here, dating a 19 year old, consensual D/s relationship: she is not for talking. You place a collar on her and then tell her what you want to hear. They need training before they’re good at anything.

  • HalfSalesman@lemmy.world
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    17 hours ago

    I date/have sex with who I’m physically attracted to. Otherwise I’m OK if we just stay (non-sexual) friends. Us having stuff in common doesn’t make me horny for them or want to romance them.

    If we have nothing in common because of an age gap, then the sexual relationship becomes a reason to learn about them. As long as we agree with each other on politics.

    That said I have no expectations, admittedly atm all I’ve been getting is one night stands every once in a while and I’d like deeper relationships (I’m poly). But fuck maybe I just wont get one. shrugs I’ll just keep trying until I get one.

  • P1k1e@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    I once made the mistake of dating someone 12 years younger than me (she was 25). Man, what a mistake, nevermind the cultural differences, her emotional maturity was…intolerable, and this from a person I’d considered a friend for a year already. It was the first and last time iv ever done that.

  • sleen@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    OP doesn’t understand what cultural progression is. Of course different people gonna do stuff differently as time progresses, the class she was when you where in high school is just irrelevant.

    This is the case where op just has skill issue, and is stuck in the past like a boomer he is.

    • Lucky_777@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      When you call someone born in the late 1990s a boomer though. It might be “hip” or “trendy” to do. But Boomers were born in the 50s man. Young kids calling adults from different generations “Boomers” just makes you sound like you didn’t pay attention in history class.

      • Darkenfolk@sh.itjust.works
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        17 hours ago

        Language transforms. Where before boomer would be a word for the generation born during the babyboom, nowadays it’s used for old people who are unable to keep up with the times.

        • Lucky_777@lemmy.world
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          16 hours ago

          I mean I guess, but we have generations named for a reason. Calling everyone that’s old a boomer just makes you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about IMO. To each their own I suppose.

    • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      When we decided to mind our own business and stop moralizing other people’s relationships based on our personal feelings.

      • sleen@lemmy.zip
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        20 hours ago

        Exactly, this “rule” is really just equivalent to other forms of snake oil there is. It is baseless and completely made up.

        • GhostedIC@sh.itjust.works
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          18 hours ago

          Found Leo’s account.

          Seriously though why so hostile about this? Of course it’s made up, it’s a general rule of thumb, and it describes whether people are likely to look at a couple and say, “ew”.

          • yogsototh@programming.dev
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            7 hours ago

            One day I mentionned this rule while having a dinner with friends. One of them was a woman I met fir the first time.

            It turned out his husband was way older than this rule allowed when they met. And now that the rule is fine, she didn’t felt bad about her husband.

            Seriously, I felt so shitty. Let people loves who they love without discrimination as long as this is consensual between adults.

          • sleen@lemmy.zip
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            16 hours ago

            That’s because it’s all based on assumptions and projected morals. Commonly treated as a ultimate truth not as a “rule of thumb” as it is destined to be - hostility is built in this “rule”.

            In general, this rule essentially dictates the ethics of independent people. Because of this there is no description, it’s a requirement to say “ew”.

          • sleen@lemmy.zip
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            14 hours ago

            I don’t quite agree with the replies. The statement “it matches experiences” is baseless as stated in my other reply.

            In general, experience ≠ age. This is because experience is influenced by various physical factors such as opportunities, learning environments, etc. Not exactly by age.

        • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          Ah, so “half your age plus seven” wasn’t the low end, it was the target.

          That certainly re-frames things.

    • chunes@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      Probably about the time that we decided that a certain age means you’re an adult and can, in fact, make decisions for yourself

        • ma1w4re@lemmy.zip
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          1 day ago

          This reminder me for some reason of how my grandfather cheated on his wife a few years ago and had a heart attack during sex. He’s like 80 or so.

          • Sc00ter@lemmy.zip
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            20 hours ago

            When you have heart procedures/ surgery, they tell you, “no sex for 6 weeks with your spouse, 8 weeks with anyone else.” Theres science backing up the extra strain/excitement of having sex with someone else

            • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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              19 hours ago

              But honey, the doctor said I could have sex with other women if I waited 8 weeks after the surgery, so it’s not cheating!

      • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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        10 hours ago

        Nah I think it holds up. Bill Belichick, 73, was in the news for dating a 24 year old and it’s not only creepy and gross, but also like she’s taking advantage of him by inserting herself into his interviews.

        If he were dating a 43 year old, I don’t think anyone would be nearly as concerned.

    • Nikls94@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Wow that actually makes sense.

      But then again, I’m born 1994, there’s not so many I can actually date. I have like 1990 - 1998 available, and they must be an only child or have siblings within that age as well, otherwise the interests are not overlapping enough to spend time together: those younger are TikTok addicted, those older are Facebook-relicts. I’m in limbo where I know all of that but don’t like anything.

      Edit: to those who downvoted, why?

      • ɯᴉuoʇuɐ@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        to those who downvoted, why?

        Because of this part:

        they must be an only child or have siblings within that age as well, otherwise the interests are not overlapping enough to spend time together

      • abysmalpoptart@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        Just for a little context, the minimum age being ((your age / 2)+7) is meant to be “this is the minimum age of someone you can date without it being creepy” (i believe it originated from the TV show how i met your mother)

        If you were born in 1994 you are either 30 or 31. Let’s call it 30 for easy math.

        30/2 = 15 15+7=22

        So anyone who is 22 or older fits the minimum age concept, which is anyone born in approx 2002/2003 or earlier. If you decided to include that, the extra 4-5 years does increase the dating pool quite a bit.

        I’m not telling you who to date, just giving a little context to the math since that’s what was brought up in the original comment.

        Edit: Lots of folks chiming in with some really good insight about the history of the math. Thank you all for that!

        Although the historical accounts seem to be math for the “ideal age” in a (probably female) partner and not “minimum age before it’s creepy” as it was presented in HIMYM, it’s really interesting to see how that equation has been used for over 100 years!

        • ikt@aussie.zone
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          1 day ago

          (i believe it originated from the TV show how i met your mother)

          Although the provenance of the rule is unclear, it is sometimes said to have originated in France.[81] The rule appears in John Fox Jr.'s 1903 novel The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come,[84] in American newspapers in 1931 attributed to Maurice Chevalier,[85] and in The Autobiography of Malcolm X, attributed to Elijah Muhammad.[86]

          In many early sources, the rule was primarily presented as a formula to calculate the ideal age of a female partner at the beginning of a heterosexual relationship. Frederick Locker-Lampson’s Patchwork from 1879 states the opinion “A wife should be half the age of her husband with seven years added.”[87] Max O’Rell’s Her Royal Highness Woman from 1901 gives the rule in the format “A man should marry a woman half his age, plus seven.”[88]

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_disparity_in_sexual_relationships

        • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          24 hours ago

          It had to be a thing before how I met your mother, I remember it being a thing during school in the 80-90’s

          • abysmalpoptart@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            Totally fair, lots of folks have chimed in about it. Really interesting to see it’s over 100 years old (although more focused on ideal partner, not avoiding being creepy)

        • AlolanYoda@mander.xyz
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          1 day ago

          Invert this rule to get the maximum age you can date (defined as the person whose minimum age is your current age):

          min age = (your age / 2) + 7 max age = (your age * 2) - 14

          If you’re 30, then you can reasonably date people between 22 and 46. So the other guy can add even more years before 1990.

        • zout@fedia.io
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          1 day ago

          Also, for the maximum age they are the younger one. So assuming age is 30, substract 7 and multiply the outcome by 2, maximum date age is 46…

      • AtariDump@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        …those younger are TikTok addicted, those older are Facebook-relicts.

        You’re being very assuming with people and that’s why the downvotes.

        Not every person will be “TikTok addicted” or “Facebook-relicts”, you’re just assuming they are which is only affecting your own chances finding someone.

        Try just getting to know someone first before you start assuming about their interests or what they do.

        … and they must be an only child or have siblings within that age as well, otherwise the interests are not overlapping enough to spend time together…

        Who says you have to spend time with your SO’s siblings for any great length of time? Parties and holidays you can get through, but it’s not like you’re going to go live with the family.

        You and your SO should both have your own friends and hobbies (in addition to joint friends/hobbies). I’m not trying to crap on having a relationship with your SO’s family, just that it’s not mandatory.

        I feel like removing these two arbitrary requirements would vastly increase your dating pool. I get that people are looking for traits in a potential partner (doesn’t smoke / drinks / poly / not-poly / uses Arch) but the ones you’ve picked are just self limiting

      • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        23 hours ago

        The clumsy portmanteau of facebook and derelicts if I had to guess. That one is just dreadful. Go with Facebougoise or something, The Faceborg maybe (I actually like that one), something like that.