In This Is England, what do you guys feel about the relationship of an older woman dating a younger boy. I feel that it’s just totally wrong to take advantage of an innocent boy. Maybe it’s a different mind set, but a 19 year old going for a 12 year old is just wrong. Maybe if it’s a 50 year old going for a 43 year is better. It bothers me why people would go and become pedophiles.
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There is definitely a HUGE issue with the fact that he is 12 years old and she is 19. Although this would be accepted if the age gap between him and her happened when he was in his early 20’s and she is in her late 20’s for them to date, this is very socially unaccepted. Although Shaun is very young, he does seem to have to mature very fast considering he has an unfit mother and an absent father, giving him little to no room to grow and mature as a young boy first. Smell definitely offers this type of mother figure role to him even though she is psychologically not all there herself either, but the fact that she is older and tends to him gives him a feeling of security he feels he lacks.
The age differences definitely make a difference. Relationships between those who are older (such as 50 and 43 or 27 and 20) are more acceptable because the people have both had more time to live and experience things. But minors are on an uneven playing field because they are too young to have had any type of experience. The lack of that experience and knowledge in general contributes to a possibility that they are not making rational judgements or are be taken advantage of.
I feel like if Shaun were older but he and Smell still had the same age difference, the relationship would be not as shocking and would also be somehow more acceptable.
The characters are seven years apart. I feel that because of the specific ages used in the film it is disturbing. Especially in the scene were they kiss and she tells him (correct me if I’m wrong), “want to lick my tits.” It does make her seems like a pedophile because he still is a child and she is an adult. A pedophile is a person who is sexually attracted to children. However it makes me wonder if our views would change if they were older and the film had used different ages. For example; ages 20 and 27. Would she still be considered a pedophile?