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Incest in anime.

I think its intuitively even instinctualy taboo in not only our society but in all recorded human society because of the genetic problems it causes but it has grown from a genetic imperative to mate outside your family tree to being a taboo because genetic imperatives play very little role in modern society.

Given how many cultures historically promoted incest, I think it's fairly obvious that is it completely NOT instinctive in the slightest.

poilk92 wrote:

I think its intuitively even instinctualy taboo in not only our society but in all recorded human society because of the genetic problems it causes but it has grown from a genetic imperative to mate outside your family tree to being a taboo because genetic imperatives play very little role in modern society.

Given how many cultures historically promoted incest, I think it's fairly obvious that is it completely NOT instinctive in the slightest. Maybe you should actually read some history books before you claim to know what's in "all recorded human society." In particular, check out Egyptian royalty. And also read this thread since, as people have pointed out over and over again, the risks of inbreeding are really overplayed in popular consciousness.

As for having victims, well, it really depends on the situation. You'll find the theme of incest running rampant in a lot of popular culture beyond anime these days but in a non-fictional reality it's hard to really make a call because of all the other issues involved (mainly surrounding the issue of consent, especially as the relationship continues since it's difficult to do something like break up with your brother).

@Dorcas_Aurelia

I think its intuitively even instinctualy taboo in not only our society but in all recorded human society because of the genetic problems it causes but it has grown from a genetic imperative to mate outside your family tree to being a taboo because genetic imperatives play very little role in modern society.

poilk92 wrote:

@Dorcas_Aurelia I think its intuitively even instinctualy taboo in not only our society but in all recorded human society because of the genetic problems it causes but it has grown from a genetic imperative to mate outside your family tree to being a taboo because genetic imperatives play very little role in modern society.

I spent too much time rewriting what I meant to say, that I ended up leaving out the part where I meant to ask what logical reasons there are that incest is bad. Saying something is bad because that's the way we've always treated it isn't sound. People think it's taboo because society tells them it's taboo. Society tells people it's taboo because someone thinks it is taboo. Rather a circular argument. I'm just trying to get to the point where we look at something deeper than a gut reaction.

only societies to ever promote it were sub cultures and landed elite even still that would be a cousin at the closest.

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only societies to ever promote it were sub cultures and landed elite even still that would be a cousin at the closest.

Sorry but that is grossly misinformed. The ancient egyptions believed that inbreeding genetically strengthened their lines (Probably their biggest f*ck up tbh) It was not uncommon for parents to marry their children or siblings to marry. It was pretty much the reason that tutenkhamun died at such a young age. It was pretty much the reason the egyptian emprire fell into decay is that it's royalty inbred themselves into extinction.

I remember reading that the chinese creator gods Nu Wa and Fu Xi where also married siblings. There was also quite a bit of incest in the japanese pantheon and I think Izanagi and Izanami may have been brother and sister. Not sure on that one.

Incest shows up in almost any decadent culture's aristocracy. We have come to realise that it is a dilaterious process in recent years but the statement that it has always been abhorred is not correct .. at all.

So the deities an entire culture worships count as "landed elite" to you? True I did not mention that Osiris and Isis where brother and sister but I thaught that to be fairly common knowledge. Not only that but there is quite alot of genetic evidence that incest has gone on in rural communities more or less steadily for the entirety of human history. There is no real evidence of incest being abhorred until after it was figured out that it caused genetic damadge. It wasn't often lauded or anything. But it wasn't considered sickening. Hell even in the bible who do you think Adam & Eve's children married? I seriosly doubt that incest would have played such a large part in so many creation myths had it been instinctively reviled.

incest was outlawed in many western cultures before they even knew what DNA was

oh yeah what gods do in a culture totally reflects day to day life just like how the greeks threw lightning bolts at each-other!

....

then there is the psychological school of thought popularized by Freud. He claims that the desire to commit sexual acts with family members is so common but so repressed that the mere thought of incest is repugnant to us.

the third and probably most likely explanation is that back in the good old days marrying off daughters was a key part of society having a brother and sister marry would net the family no increase of influence or wealth. This practice led to the nuclear family which modern society feels is completely necessary for our civilized way of life to continue and incest is a perceived threat to that life style

But almost all cases of incest are cases of sexual abuse so many people equate incest to sexual abuse which may not be so far from the truth

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incest was outlawed in many western cultures before they even knew what DNA was

Dude you don't have to know why something is bad to know it is bad. The date they discovered DNA is totally irrelevant. Also "many western cultures" is about 30 - 40% of the planets population at best guess.

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oh yeah what gods do in a culture totally reflects day to day life just like how the greeks threw lightning bolts at each-other!

I never made that claim. I made the claim that it reflects their Ideals.

And you have totally ignored my point that it happens in isolated ill eductated areas even to this day. Almost proving that the revulsion associated with incest is something educated by parents and society and not something instinctual.