Thread by @RhizomaticMemer

The minor/adult binary is flawed, justifies domination and lends itself to reactionary politics easily. It is no coincidence that you often see the idea of minors used as weapons against marginalized people. Let me explain things more [1/7]
#minor #adult #politics #reactionary

The terms themselves are deceptive. 9yos are very different from 17yos in many ways, yet by calling them both simply "minors" it appears as though they are the same thing. The same applies to calling both 18yos and 40yos simply "adults" despite their huge differences [2/7]

Just like any binary, it assumes that both parts are full opposites to each other in their characteristics. Minors are assumed to be helpless, irrational, innocent, weak and naive. Adults are assumed to be independent, rational, mature, strong and self-reliant [3/7]

It's not hard to see how there will be many people who don't fit this binary neatly because they are a combination of many traits, conditions and life situations. But even if we just look at age, the differences between 9yos vs 17yos and 18yos vs 40yos are just huge [4/7]

This binary view justifies systems of domination, ownership, hierarchy and authority. Minors are reduced to the passive, incapable and irrational role which legitimizes adults to fully control them as they see fit because "they are the wise and rational ones" [5/7]

That's also why minors are powerful rhetorical weapons for reactionaries against marginalized people. Their idea of the "innocent and uncorrupted" minor is basically that minors "naturally" align with culturally normative identities (cis, straight, neurotypical etc.) [6/7]

And now they as the "adults" have to protect the minors from the non-normative influences that they see as corruption of their "natural innocence" because minors are assumed to be helpless and have no agency.

Be critical of this binary, even if it may be uncomfortable [7/7]