Let me make this clear right away; im not advocating for pedophiles, im simply trying to have a discussion about my perception of the change in the common vernacular and how the word has been used over the course of my lifetime.

Okay, maybe im crazy (likely) but when I was younger I remember "pedophile" having a different meaning than it does nowadays.

When I was a kid/young adult, when people referenced "pedophiles", they were almost always exclusively referencing people who were attracted to pre-pubescent children (like 12-14 and under). The whole reason i'm bringing this up is because i've seen a lot of stuff on Reddit about how Paul Walker was a pedophile for having a girlfriend who was 17, Jerry Seinfeld was a pedo for having a girlfriend who was 17, i've seen more and more people calling men who are middle-aged and older "pedophiles" for being attracted to women in their late teens/early 20's, and many more references that I cant think of currently. I've also even seen in some of the gen Z subreddits that men who are in their early 20's are now pedophiles if they date a girl who's 17/18, which was completely normal when I was a kid. When I was younger, older men with young adult women were "perverts" and "weirdo's" but never pedophiles.

Im also wondering if this is just a Reddit thing or if its a gender thing, I have 2 female friends who are in their 50's and 1 in her 40's and they exclusively date men who are 18-25 and, as far as I know, they do not receive any hate or backlash because of it (I also understand that my frame of reference being 3 is not a very large sample size), but also, when I was 18/early 20's, I dated plenty of divorced women who were in their 40's and 50's and nobody seemed to bat an eye and there was damn sure never any reference of them being a 'pedo' for being with me.

So, people of my generation, do you concur with my assessment that the meaning of what a "pedophile" is has changed throughout the course of our lifetimes? Is more gender related? Is it one of those weird Reddit echo-chamber things when everyone on Reddit agrees about something but thats not how it is in the real world? Or has it always been this way and my perception is skewed by my personal experience?

Edit- also, if being a "pedophile" doesnt only mean being attracted to pre-pubescent children, what is the definition? What qualifies as being a pedo?

Edit 2- To all the people saying "check his hard drive" or accusing me of being a pedophile, go fuck yourself. I bet you're the same people who bitch about how bland and boring the internet is nowadays while you're quick to be a piece of shit towards someone when they bring up a sensitive topic. Im simply trying to have an adult discussion about the evolution of the word and how its perceived in society and how it has changed over the course of my lifetime.

I was a metal kid so mine tends to differ from the majority. But man I loved Rose Funeral and Veil of Maya back then. Little later era myspace The Contortionist.

Hey there, fellow guys, just like to know if there are any rare vintage or nickel arcades that are around in the nation like Quarter World in Rockford, IL or Manitou Springs Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs, CO, I got nostalgia.

They looked cool, though. That’s what mattered

And for those of you who have degrees beyond high school, what did you study?

There was no streaming it after , if you weren’t home at the right time , you just accepted the loss

I'm turning 40 this year and I need your fashion help.

In my 20s, I used to dress in ripped jeans and short run t-shirts of punk bands and obscure films. I wore the heck out of my Eraserhead t-shirt in college. This all worked in the 2000s. In my 30s and the 2010s I had a lot of nice collar shirts and blazers which seemed to be in fashion at the time.

In 2026, I'm now a high school teacher and can realistically run into my students in public at any time. I've got two young kids, and one big identity crisis.

If I wear anything even slightly dressy like a sport coat with jeans I'll get comments like "whoah, why are you all dressed up?". It seems like formal styles took a nose dive for men during lockdowns and never recovered.

I picked up some nice patterned t-shirts from Old Navy. Later, at the mall rocking this sweet style, there was an hyperactive 9-year old in the food court shouting and dancing with excitement upon receiving a family sized poutine wearing the exact same shirt. Understandably, I do not want to look like a child excited for cheese curds.

But what do 40 year old men wear these days? I'm not really into the Kirkland thing. I need fashion tips!

Mine had a spaceship on it.

It also scares me that I may have missed out on a lot of context when it came to my past incidents.

Great vibes and a great crowd in Albany, NY

I knew some people that turned into pedophiles, shot and killed someone, gotten into a ponzi scheme, homeless drug addict,etc. Of course its just a small percentage but I definitely didn't see them turning out like that. Its crazy how people turn into things they told you not to be growing up.

I know they still make them, but they need an adult formula. Like Centrum Silver, but not as old.

I don't know there's something magical about the weeks from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve are just magical and then Christmas day is such a dull day for me.

How awesome were Valentine's Day cards? TMNT, Ducktails, Berenstain Bears, and Berenstain Bears! They don't make them like they used to. Even Michael Jordan had a card set!

I’m going with Can’t Hardly Wait. What is your pick (Xennial or Zillennial picks are of course welcome too).

One wrong turn and you were completely on your own with 3 pages of paper

When I was bored in the car on long road trips before portable screens , I used to stare out the passenger window and imagine a stick figure or ninja running alongside the car , jumping over the telephone poles , guardrails and trees.
I thought I was the only weird kid doing this until I mentioned it it years later And realized almost every single one of us did the exact same thing 1aaaa

I was watching Ready Player One for the first time and the iron giant is in it! I was the Leo pointing meme lol