Dear Tumblr, you’ve got a problem. A problem with 12-year-olds.
The problem is not the amount of 12-year-olds on Tumblr, how mature or immature 12-year-olds on Tumblr act or what they generally do with their life. Your problem is that you act as if it is was any of your fucking business. Your problem is that you are using the comparison to 12-year-olds as an insult. The problem is that even the parts of you that engage in activism don’t recognize one of their privileges: adulthood.
The discrimination you are engaging in is called “adultism”. Wanna know some adult privileges? Here you go:
- You can sign contracts.
- You are allowed to chose where you live and with whom.
- People will not dismiss what you say based on your age.
- You are allowed to vote.
- You decide what happens to your body.
It’s only a short list. As always, several of these privileges can be withheld from you even if you are an adult, e.g. if you are a person with disabilities. But you probably know about the concept of intersectionality and will not try to tell me that this changes that adultism is a real thing.
And if you are adult and want to fight me on this, don’t. Just unfollow me. I’ve heard your arguments before, trust me, and they make me sick.
I basically agree.
It might be an issue what kind of content very young people are exposed to on Tumblr, but that’s true for the entire Internet – and more an issue for the children and their parents.
I also don’t personally follow anyone underage (with few exceptions) because I thinks it’s could be creepy for an almost 30-year old man to follow a teenager who posts selfies and whatnot. (Not that I lust after teenagers, but it might feel/be creepy for the underage user and odd-awkward for me.) But let the 12-year olds have their own corner for tumblr, you don’t necessarily have to engage with it.
Thoughts?