Poll: I know I'm probably going to hell for this, but...

[deathandtaxes]

Not going to lie, the surprisingly high number of people who want to get it on with their sister/mum (or dad) on this site is pretty disturbing.

Also why incest is such a touchy subject is most people are attracted to their family members on a basic level as these are the people we often are very comfortable with. While you might instantly think eww that's wrong this is a conditioned response which you have been taught to have, however most people at some point have thought about their siblings or parents in this manner.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

This taboo is based largely in religious notions which were constructed in backwards societies where there was no feasible way of separating sex from pregnancy, marriage was the only accepted form of having sex anyway, and personal liberty didn't really count for anything.

All those societal factors have certainly changed; why shouldn't the norms change with them?

There's no reason it can't change. I just said genetics is a craps shoot, and shouldn't factor into whether or not incest is allowed.

But it shouldn't be an all-or-nothing decision. It should be handled on a case-by-case basis, and attitudes towards incest should change naturally like they did with homosexuality and the like.

In reality, morals and taboos are inherently relative. Name anything Western culture currently finds abhorrent (rape, incest, pedophilia, mass murder, public torture, bloodsport, animal abuse, slavery, etc.) and I could name several points in history when it was the norm (i.e. not considered immoral). Conversely, there are tons of stuff we consider perfectly fine (premarital sex, eating sacred animals, ignoring beggars, burying the dead, sitting for long periods of time, drinking cold water, being around menstruating women, etc.) which would be considered absolutely despicable at other times and places.

The point is, we're no more enlightened than any other culture. There is no rational way to prove whether incest (or anything at all) should, or should not, be morally reprehensible.

 

[MrStab]

If they are consenting and of age and agree not to breed then yes.

 

[NicoDK]

As long as both parts have agreed to it and doesn't get kids, go nuts.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I suppose as long as they aren't making babies, it's fine... I wouldn't exactly go tell them to broadcast that they're having recreational sex with their own family, however.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

i don't know. i seems disgusting but that is because we were told its disgusting. so maybe but i don't think they should be allowed to have children.

 

[deathandtaxes]

Incest should only be legal WITH consent. In all other cases, it's rape.

A tad redundant don't you think?

On a more serious note inbreeding does not instantly cause birth defects and such, what it does do however is effectively double their chances of occurring with each generation of inbreeding.

This applies to any genetic disorder and some genetic predispositions.

 

[Angerwing]

I forget what it's called, but there's a psychological phenomenon where the male brain doesn't see females raised with him in a family unit in a sexual way. So basically, your family, mother, sisters, etc, aren't recognised by you as a means to propagate the species. There's more to anti-incest than social stigma; people also are naturally averse to the concept of two siblings boning. I can't be bothered to look up the biological reason behind this evolutionary trait, but these things are usually a good idea to follow.

Reverse imprinting?

I had thought it applied to both genders equally, however, I hadn't heard it only happened to the males.

It probably does apply to both. It's been a while since I read up on it, so I'm not 100%. O was just talking about males because it's relevant to me. But yeah, same ideas work in the reverse.

 

[John_Smith121]

Hey, created an account to post this cause I didn't wanna come clean on my other account (*sadface*) but I've partaken in "wincest" as some people call it. With a 1st cousin of mine back when I was 16. (not as long as it sounds really) And no kids were ever brought in, and we are still great friends. I can tell there's still a 'difference' in us since then, but we don't let that get in the way that we were just teenagers doin what we do. Just so people have to work some. She is (3(4-2)+(4*2))/7 years younger than me.

 

[Adzma]

We have enough problems in society at the moment, we don't need inbred mutant children roaming the streets either. Big yes from me.

 

[fgdfgdgd]

If everyone agrees, I don't see why not. Plus, you know, three-ways with twins.

Hey hey, you leave twincest out of this!

Also: not to defend it, but to all the people freaking out about the offspring part, it's been discovered that inbreeding only causes genetic abnormalities over a few generations or so of inbreeding, not a single case in one line.

 

[razer17]

If I sound like a bigot for saying this...so be it, but I seriously would be concerned if it was legalised. Not only is it unethical, but it's also highly detrimental to our race (Genetically)... Shit...this is all very Freudian.

Unethical? Nah, I don't reckon so. Detrimental to the gene pool? Yeah, that's true, although last time there was an incest topic I was surprised to find that the additional chance of having a genetic disease isn't actually that much higher, at least not in first generation. If their kids then had kids... Well that would be creepy, and highly detrimental.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

It should be illegal as it is a safety net to keep our gene pool diversified

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

No it should be illegal as there is always a chance of producing offspring(in certain cases). So as long as they are unrelated enough to allow for genetic diversity they can go at it like march hares for all I care.

 

[Ganthrinor]

Screw morals, look at it from a genetic standpoint. Incest is a minefield, nobody gets out safe. First-generation offspring have a higher chance of being mostly normal, but there's increased odds of genetic defects and recessive traits.

Spoiler: You wonder how people like this come in to existence?

Incest and inbreeding. Yeah. Genetic minefield. For the sake of the rest of the human race, please don't.

 

[EllEzDee]

I think the entire fucking family should have to decide on it. Would you honestly want your son and daughter who you had such great hopes for abandoning their lives to create a retarded offspring just because it's legal?

Grandparents, uncles/aunts, parents, everyone should decide. If every single family member doesn't agree, it shouldn't be allowed within the family, and the two who were planning on going at it should be given a summary execution for being so disgusting and potentially ruining the family's name.

 

[irani_che]

Whats wrong with you???
did you fool around with your cousin?

 

[pyramid head grape]

If they want to, fuck-em!

...

I just don't want to know about it!

XDXDXDXDXD

I feel sick ...

You avatar makes that statement hilarious. :/

HAHA see what I did there LOLz

I feel I should stay more on the topic so If people want to do it, do it I don't care...really.

 

[Melon Hunter]

Did you know that in most Muslim societies it's absolutely acceptable to marry a Cousin? (That's technically considered incest too, right?) Just throwing that out there.

OT: If it's consensual and they are both adults. However if they hook-up publicly they should expect quite a bit of Alienation and a LOT of dirty Looks. The morality of that is not up for debate. It will happen. No amount of crying foul will prevent that....

Interestingly, some Muslim families have intermarried cousins for so many generations that first cousins are almost indistinguishable genetically from brother and sister.

OT: I don't think it is inherently wrong to do so. The laws against incest are in place most likely because of the increased risk of genetic abnormalities, and also the fact that as it is a deviant sexual activity it has of course been labeled as wrong since time immemorial. The saddest part about it is when siblings that were separated at birth and later meet and fall in love, only to be told marriage is illegal. Sure, they're genetically siblings, but they've never met before, so surely the emotional attachment is entirely different to that of siblings who have grown up with each other? As another poster said, as long as they submitted to genetic screening, I don't see a problem with procreation. Perhaps the law should be adjusted to the judge's discretion as to whether siblings can marry; again, the example I gave above is far different to a brother and sister who decide to marry having known each other for a lifetime.

 

[Kortney]

Incest should be illegal all around. I'm not liberal on this at all.

Few reasons:

1.Abusive parents/older siblings could manipulate their family members into sex. If you raise your daughter up drumming the concept into her, by the time she turns 16(or whatever the age of consent is in your country) it wouldn't be too hard to forge an abusive relationship. It would technically be "consensual" and it would be hard to prove otherwise. I think it would lead to some pretty bad stuff. You could argue that it happens anyway, but at least with incest being illegal there is no place for them to hide and justify what they are doing. How would you prove it is consensual sex? Merely making some guy's 18 year old daughter say "yeah, it's consensual" isn't enough. I'd be wanting thorough psychological profiling on all of the family. Why? See point number 3. Having the power of familial influence in a sexual relationship is dangerous. Whether someone thinks it is consensual or not.

2.I personally think it is wrong to be sexually attracted to a close family member. Incredibly sick.

3.It isn't a healthy mindset. I'd encourage anyone to find someone who wants to fuck their sister or their mum that isn't a total crackpot. I think those that do seem to invariably suffer from a mental illness or a personality disorder to begin with.

4.The obvious health risks of reproduction. How would you police this? Make only same-sex incest legal? What about heterosexual couples who are infertile - are they allowed to have intercourse then? Whatever the decision it - it's going to be lots of fun trying to police it.

I have no problem with taking the conservative side here, even if it is technically the minority. I think many members of this forum are way too socially left-wing anyway - the forum is filled with idealists. I think we can all agree on that.

Feel free to go mental and passive aggressively try to imply I'm an idiot. I don't really care. I don't expect more than 50% agreement on anything, nor do I seek it.