When do you see ability to consent as out of the question for a child.-- three? five? eight? Do you thing a two year old is able to consent?
If you want to discuss consent that's fine. Sooner or later I'd rather return the conversation to a more generic discussion of consent in terms of what consent itself is and not the various acts that seem to remain in the minds of the trolling jackals and prohibitionists etc.
The original diversion here, has been entertaining, but it's getting a little weather beaten. When the topic first came up a few months back when Uncle Buck and I were fucking with each other I had a point to make about consent in general, but again the topic ran a little off course. I am partially to blame for that.
To answer your question, I do not think a child possesses the wherewithal that they will likely develop later on in life. So in that regard, generally speaking the younger a person is, the more likely that individual is unable to fully understand the consequences or particulars of what they might be agreeing to or engaging in. I say agreeing, because if they are young enough that they are unable to understand the consequences, their "agreement" may not be actual consent.
If you were asking about when a person can consent to a sexual relation, I'd say the older a person is the more likely they can give real and bonafide consent. I do not think that age is universal for everyone as some people remain in a retarded or undeveloped physical and mental state longer than others, . My personal feelings are I am uncomfortable with a large age discrepancy among people in sexual relationships, but that may be due, at least in part, by cultural learned behavior.
What do you think? Does the ability to consent happen magically at the same time for every person or does it develop at different rates in individual people?
When do you think you acquired the wherewithal to consent to a sexual relationship, how old were you?