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Babble Ethics: Defining Incest
We’re pretty big Big Love fans as you may be able to tell, but this week’s episode definitely presented an eww moment toward the end — unless, I suppose, you’re Woody Allen and then it was a big shrug. It’s been a few days now and if you’re watching the show, you probably already know what happened.
If you aren’t a fan, here’s the ultra-quick synopsis (Defamer has a longer, better one): The family practices polygamy. There are three wives, one husband and something on the order of 9,000 kids, which makes them a lot like the Duggers in a way I suppose …
Anyway, one of the kids, Ben, who had a thing last season for his step mom, Margene, goes to his stepmom’s big event and … wait for it … receives a kiss that seems not exactly innocent but not exactly sultry. Confused is probably a better word for it. But still, this is a mother-son relationship we’re talking about, while at the same time … they aren’t biologically related. Confused indeed.
So here’s the question: Does this relationship qualify as incest? Ben is an adult now, or very nearly. This isn’t some creepy stepmom feeling up a child. They are both old enough to make their own choices and are tied together by bonds of familial love not, again, DNA. What do you think?
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2 Comments
PlumbLucky commented on Jan 27 10 at 12:37 pmIt might not meet the legal definition, but how about “squicky icky!”?
e commented on Jan 27 10 at 1:09 pmI don’t know… it’s definitely on the weird side. But, as I understand it, Margie’s only been around for a few years. So it’s not like she raised him, she’s only been around during his teenager-hood. When I watched it reminded me of stories I’ve heard about teenage step-siblings who end up together. If they don’t meet until they’re teenagers is it really wrong? I don’t know, though… it definitely has the “squicky icky” factor.
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