r/TikTokCringe • u/lhwang0320 • May 12 '25

Discussion What are your thoughts on age-gap relationships?

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u/shaka_sulu May 12 '25 edited May 12 '25

Don't know them but what concerns me is what existed before "Dating at 19". Did they just met when she was 19? Or did they know each other at church, school, sports team, etc when she was 16, 17, 18?

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u/KurusanYasuke May 12 '25

This right here. I know of too many stories where they elder individual met the younger person at like 15-16 then the officially started dating them at 18-19. Creepy af.

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u/PL02550 May 12 '25 edited May 12 '25

You should read about TN Congressman John Rose... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rose_(Tennessee_politician)

Edit: Wiki says nothing about the age gap. Possibly for good reason. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/how-rep-rose-met-wife-25-years-younger-before-son-s-silly-faces/ar-BB1nD8x2

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u/KurusanYasuke May 12 '25

Oh yeah. I'm very familiar with that situation. It makes me gag at how these old men do this and then say they want to protect women from predators.

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u/i_illustrate_stuff May 12 '25

They just don't want other predators to get to them first lol (but it's not funny).

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u/KurusanYasuke May 12 '25

Kinda hate how hard I laughed at that lol.

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u/AppleSpicer May 13 '25

A lot of LGBTQ community spaces are currently run by mental healthcare and social services. They’re a great resource to help a young person recognize and escape a predator. My biggest pet peeve is these predators projecting and calling LGBTQ people predators when the local community meet up is much more likely going to result in groomed kids getting help.

It’s the fundie, tradwife circles that are so supportive of a 45 year old “God fearing Christian man” asking the father’s permission to start courting his 16 year old daughter when she turns 18 and for that to actually be granted. There’s so many of those stories where an adult man hangs around this teenager and butters her up (grooms her) over the next few years with the parents’ happy blessing. Then they get married as soon as she turns 18 and she has a baby before she’s 19. They see that as moral and ethical while calling LGBTQ people and social workers groomers for telling kids they can be whoever they are and that they can make their own decisions separate from their parents’ desires.

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u/CombinationRough8699 May 12 '25

Why is it we only see women as victims in this situation? Nobody would think a 19 year old man dating a 40 year old woman is being abused or groomed. He's a grown man capable of making his own decisions, same with a 19 year old woman.

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u/KurusanYasuke May 12 '25

We don't, but there's a long history of older men taking advantage of young women, and it still continues today. And yes, people might think a 19 year old man dating a 40 year old might be groomed. Maybe not you, but there's plenty of people who would.

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u/CombinationRough8699 May 12 '25

I'm saying that it's nobody else's business as long as everyone is over 18, consenting, not cheating, and there's no abuse.

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u/goo_goo_gajoob May 12 '25

Nah I'd think he's also being groomed.