Voice

[foolishjustice]

I have...something of a strange dilemma. I came here six months after my birthday, and arrived six months ago...but my birthday is in June. Based on actual length of time I've been alive, I just turned nineteen...but my birthday isn't officially for another half a year.

Do you think I should just go ahead and start listing my age as 19, or would it be to confusing for the people who know what time of year I was born? I know I've already told a few people I'm a Gemini, so waiting would be simpler...but it feels a little weird, going an extra half a year between birthdays.

Comments

[foolishjustice]

There are a lot of people around from Japan, so it might matter to them. I'm not worried about legalities, but...um. Well, I'm not exactly in any exclusive relationships, and 'adult or minor' might make a difference to some people when it comes to dating.

[Or...other things that he's still nervous about admitting he might be considering outside of a romantic context.]

[despairing_hope]

Isn't it more important to know how much older you are than someone?

[Since he never thought about those issues before they just felt unimportant.]

If we're talking age of concent, isn't that also varied? And really, you can always tell the people who care about when your birthday is chronologically.

No matter what you're old enough to get married so that should be fine, right?

[foolishjustice]

Some people...see a very large power divide between minor and adult. Even if the difference is only one year, a nineteen year old might feel more social pressure to do whatever an adult wants than a twenty year old would.

[despairing_hope]

I can't say I really understand. A year is sort of meaningless. You could easily have nineteen and twenty year olds in the same college year and classes. I was almost a year older than several of my classmates. Because my birthday is in late April.

[foolishjustice]

It's...a matter of cognition. Those who think of themselves as 'minors' will feel they have less social footing than adults, and thus that they're obligated to defer to their elders. When you consider yourself a 'young adult', there's less of that feeling of powerlessness.

[despairing_hope]

Everyone has less social standing than their elders though. I will always be below those who came before, and above those after. People still date their senpai and kouhai.

But then, I barely feel like an adult and have been completely independent since I was in grade school.

[foolishjustice]

Not necessarily. I'm a detective and a celebrity, so I had older teenagers and even some younger adults looking up to me. But, at the same time...I still had a lot of coworkers dismissive or resentful of me, because they saw me as a child regardless of the fact that I've been independent since I was fifteen.

Some people put a lot of stock in the idea of minors being inferior to adults.

[despairing_hope]

I'm pretty sure those sorts of people will be like that even if you were 22 and entering the workforce from college.

But, I've never had a job and never had to deal with peers outside of my classmates. So, my experiences don't mean anything. All I can say on the matter is i dont really care about age, as long as the person isn't a huge difference from me and an idiot.

[foolishjustice]

I personally don't either, and actually was trying to get the attention of a coworker in her mid-20s back home. But there are people who think it makes a difference in power dynamics.

[despairing_hope]

Maybe for some. I guess in the end it's a case by case situation.

[foolishjustice]

The number does feel pretty arbitrary, though, I agree. Really, individual maturity after a certain point depends a lot more on how someone's lived than how long.

[despairing_hope]

Exactly. If someone is sheltered their entire life they will be different from someone who hasn't regardless of age.

[foolishjustice]

And some people have had to carry a lot of responsibility much earlier than most would expect.

[despairing_hope]

That's just the sad fact of life. It's not at all like in stories and tv shows.

[foolishjustice]

Though, sometimes in the opposite direction...if kids' shows are to be believed, ten year olds are more capable and responsible than anyone over the age of thirteen.

[despairing_hope]

It might be true on a certain level, at least, considering stupid things people do during puberty.

[foolishjustice]

In some ways, yes, but that's not quite the sort of irresponsibility you see teenagers and adults being hampered by on shows aimed at kids.

[despairing_hope]

I've never really watched a lot of children's shows... I'm embarrassed to say. Most of the ones I can think of, didn't really have children as main characters.

[foolishjustice]

I...didn't really have much in the way of friends as a kid, so I didn't really have much else to entertain myself with.

[despairing_hope]

I didn't have any, but I spent most my time at the library. It was more fun to read than try and be around other people anyway.