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"Innocence" Does Not Exist, People.

Is the concept of "innocence" something you cling to, folks? You, and yes you too I can see you in the back... you can change your woeful ways.

Innocence is exactly one thing-- innocence of a crime. As in, the opposite of "guilty." You were acquitted of stealing that car... you're innocent. The colloquial term we all know and some use as innocence is... what? A lack of experience, no? It's worthless. I feel that there are many terms people use in this life that don't actually make any sort of sense when given even the barest amount of logical scrutiny. Case in point: Innocence.

People often speak of the concept of innocence in a sexual fashion; if you haven't had sex, you're innocent...

...or something. If you're not a drinker or drug user, you're innocent. Or something. What exactly are you innocent OF, though? ...of being a guilty party for violating some absurd distillation of an ancient Puritanical stringent way of living? That's ridiculous. The problem with the idea of innocence, and labeling yourself or others as such, is that it implies that to NOT be or act the way you are and do is somehow inherently screwy or amoral, and that your lack of experience is somehow something to be lauded. But... what exactly is amoral about having sex? What's amoral about having a drink? About smoking weed (I don't do weed, but I don't care if others do)? About getting a tattoo? You want to have sex, don't you? Most people do. And if you don't, that's cool, but not doing so doesn't make you innocent-- it makes you inexperienced. A lack of tattoos and a lot of piercings doesn't make you innocent... it means you don't have tattoos or a lot of piercings. You're merely inexperienced in those things.

Don't cling to the concept of "innocence" as something that's actually quantifiable/measurable... because it isn't.

And if something is not measurable, how do you know it even exists? What, is there some kind of checklist for this crap? And who gets to make the checklist? So... if you've masturbated but not had sex, are you innocent? What about if you have sexual thoughts? Are you innocent then? Are you a bad, bad boy for those three beers you had at a party last week, since you're not twenty-one yet (in America)? Still innocent? What if you go to church regularly? Does that give you a few innocent points? Well gal, what if you go to church regularly but you got fucked last night? Are you still innocent? When someone says that innocence was "lost".... how? Is there some magical barrier or pixie dust that was sprinkled on you to make you somehow 180 degrees different from how you were just like an hour before? Simple answer: No.

How is this stuff tallied? Who wins the "most innocent" prize? Or even better... are you only innocent if you're physically attractive? Seems to me that no one actually cares about the innocence prize if the person who wins it is homely or unattractive-- then it's something that makes you a square.

So, basically, we aren't doing ourselves any favors by using a term that makes no sense. Language matters, folks; words matter. It's not just semantics.

Thanks for reading.

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Most Helpful Girl

  • Innocence is really not the word you're talking about, but purity. Not to confuse with virginity. Purity is a state of mind. It is not the absence of experience or the abstinence of certain behaviors, although it can be. Getting at tattoo or drinking alcohol make you more experienced, but they don't necessarily make you a better person. It's really all about a certain integrity towards one's self. If you don't practice what you preach, you're a hypocrite and possibly even a liar. You could phrase this in the context of being guilty of those behaviors. Notice how it's no the specific activities you listed that make your behavior problematic, but the contradictory-ness of saying one thing and doing another. Most behaviors boil down to that single sense of honesty toward the self, and when people say they are somehow better because they do or don't do xyz, it lacks accuracy, and I think that's what you should be criticizing.

    • I'm... not entirely sure I'm following you in terms of how that's related to what I wrote. But, I think I mostly agree with it.

    • What I'm saying is that I agree with you about the definition of the word innocence as a determination of guilt in terms of a crime, but that when it comes to stuff like drinking and sex, it's more of a moral compass thing which is better described as purity.

    • Whether they're synonymous or not, my point is they don't exist.

    • Show All

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What Girls & Guys Said

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  • Innocence is just another word girl's use to act and feel pure and superior to the rest. Some men are into the concept of "Innocence" As I've seen, but I personally felt like an idiot when trying to pleasure myself for the first time hurt and I got bruised all up in there I didn't feel "Pure" Or "Innocent" Lmao. But I do believe that a child can be what I would say, Pure, Innocent etc since they haven't yet done anything wrong, they're new life and haven't been given the time yet to think about in pure thing's. But I don't really care about the word innocent, we all know the girl's who use it most likely have dirty thoughts anyway.

    • Kids are assholes. They do bad stuff all the time.

    • Yes, but not newborns

    • Uh, so?

  • There is something called metaphor, expressiveness and abstract language. We are not machines, and we broaden our language to describe how we feel and perceive something/somebody, and these are not technical by nature. Just like Soul and many other words.
    Innocence is when somebody isn't affected yet by the negativities of the world and humans especially. Children are innocent and they lose it as they grow. Animals are innocent as they act purely by instinct.

    • So... sexual activity is negative?

    • Certainly not, but you know it's a way to joke saying a person is innocent "You're not innocent after all, are you? ;)" nothing wrong with using the word other than its legal meaning, makes us human.

    • I... don't think anyone is joking when they talk about it. Not in any substantive numbers.

  • Yes, yes it does. A child is innocent, meaning they are pure and haven't been corrupted by the ways of the world cause they don't know what evil is.

    • ... No.

    • ... yes

    • ... Nope.

    • Show All

  • Oof love me some Obama

  • Thank you for writing.

  • Umm. if you don't know. When courts declare someone Not Guilty, it's not because they believe the person is innocent. It's that they cannot prove his guilt.

    • Yes. ... And?

  • The sweet innocence of youth, its an expression to describe how we envy childhood, and regret the poor decisions made into adulthood, this inturn is a loss of innocence. We place emphasis on the vulnerability of youthfulness, and the need to shelter young people from harm.

    • Kids are assholes.

    • Yeah give yourself another 5 years. I would say that too until me and my girl meet a 4 year old boy, and you can see the love her eyes.

    • Huh?

  • So, you actually DO believe that two-year-olds are total horndogs, just "asking for it"?

    • ... What the hell are you talking about.

    • You made a big deal out of how NOBODY is "innocent". Logical extension.

    • ... No, it's not logical in the slightest. You're equating being ready physically for sex with a lack of innocence, and not being ready for it with innocence. Except that's a standard that can't actually be measured or quantified, and even if it could, as I said in the post, why is sex somehow something dirty that is used as a yard stick for the concept in the first place?

  • You can be innocent but not all the times. That's a common phase only in our childhood when we are doing things unaware of the consequences. But now when we are getting mature, being innocent most of the times is like faking yourself in front of others.

    • But that's my point-- when is the magical, measurable barrier where someone is somehow just "mature" now?

  • Interesting myTake

  • I'm innocent

    • You? Definitely not.

    • Thank you

  • Innocence exists

    • Yeah... if you're accused of theft and you didn't do it, you're innocent of the theft. That's it.

    • If you haven't done anything bad then you're innocent

  • Sometimes.

    • Succinctly put.

    • Thanks

  • All humans are impure from conception

  • of course it doesn't look at little kids they do bad things

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