I am against incest.

[Grey Fox]

That's fair.

[Eddie Teach]

I agree with the Polack, incest between adults should be simply taboo and not illegal. The government should not be in the habit of enforcing taboos.

[Viking]

Queen Victoria, when asked to sign legislation outlawing lesbianism as buggery previously been, refused to sign the legislation on the grounds that she could not conceive of the idea that such a practice might exist.

I don't know if we or anybody else really knows how much sibling or cousin incest there is. In addition to Oedipal lust for parents there should be similar lust for siblings or cousins. I don't really want to opine on laws against consensual sex between adult relatives until we have some sort of idea of how common it is.

[Caliga]

I just don't get what motivates politicians to put the effort into banning things like this (same goes for gay marriage).  When I see politicians obsessing over people's private lives and victimless "crimes", I worry that they are bored and need more to do.  Perhaps we should stage a fake attack from "over the Canadian border" on one of our radio stations.  That should keep them busy. 

[Eddie Teach]

I just don't get what motivates politicians to put the effort into banning things like this

The public either agrees or doesn't care and no politician wants to be known as "that guy who supports incest."

[Caliga]

no politician wants to be known as "that guy who supports incest."

Are people really that stupid?  Wait, don't answer that. 

[Valmy]

I just don't get what motivates politicians to put the effort into banning things like this (same goes for gay marriage).  When I see politicians obsessing over people's private lives and victimless "crimes", I worry that they are bored and need more to do.  Perhaps we should stage a fake attack from "over the Canadian border" on one of our radio stations.  That should keep them busy. 

Usually the motivation is in reaction to a specific scandal or incident they can play up for political points.  If a big incest or zoophilia scandal is in the news then some Pol will try to score points by getting a law passed.

[AnchorClanker]

I sense that we've danced around this without making it clear; the taboo is in place because of the chance of
birth defects resulting from a child from an incestuous relationship.  The taboo is not 'ooh, gross', although it
has that dimension NOW due to the taboo being in place for so long.

I also fail to see the comparison between incest and homosexuality, although I understand that both were
illegal... homosexual regulations was religion put into law, and the incest regulations were taboo made into law.

[Malthus]

I sense that we've danced around this without making it clear; the taboo is in place because of the chance of
birth defects resulting from a child from an incestuous relationship.  The taboo is not 'ooh, gross', although it
has that dimension NOW due to the taboo being in place for so long.

I also fail to see the comparison between incest and homosexuality, although I understand that both were
illegal... homosexual regulations was religion put into law, and the incest regulations were taboo made into law.

I dunno if this is the only origin of the taboo - after all, we generally frown on father/son incest as much as on father/daughter incest, though there is no possibility of birth defects in the former case.

I strongly suspect that the "ewww" reaction is a reaction against what is seen as a perversion of the loving bond between family members - an abuse of the responsibility that family members have towards each other not to exploit each other. The notion is that a *genuine* loving sexual relationship under such circumstances is very unlikely, and much, much more common is a relationship based on exploitation of love on the one side for base gratification of lust on the other side ("I'll do anything daddy wants, because he's my daddy").

[DisturbedPervert]

Even a lot of animals will avoid incest.  The aversion to it is built in.

[Neil]

I also fail to see the comparison between incest and homosexuality

Both are gross and wrong.

[Tamas]

Even a lot of animals will avoid incest.  The aversion to it is built in.

Yes. But that is also one more thing to make a banning law futile.

[Phillip V]

Even a lot of animals will avoid incest.  The aversion to it is built in.

And a lot of animals avoid fucking fat fucks, but people like you still get laid.

[Neil]

Even a lot of animals will avoid incest.  The aversion to it is built in.

And a lot of animals avoid fucking fat fucks, but people like you still get laid.

Is that true?  Generally large size is looked at as a positive.

[DisturbedPervert]

And a lot of animals avoid fucking fat fucks, but people like you still get laid.

And a lot of animals avoid fucking dwarves, but people like you still get laid.