How is it that in the age of 98%+ reliable contraception incest is more stigmatized than a relationship between an authority figure and their subordinate? sex=children hasn't been the case for decades now.

Because those who fail at contraception are those who are too dumb already without incest?

What are you doing onii san?!

Are we sure we are ready for this convo?

What has contraception got to do with incest and celebrity sex scandals?

Seems like you were caught OP :P

Because whether something attracts social stigma has very little to do with its consequences, despite what some would have you believe. Heck, being a gay man and sleeping around in the 80s was starting to become less stigmatized, but unless you reliably and constantly used protection that combination was basically a death sentence. Cross dressing is completely harmless, but that was *way* more stigmatised for much longer.

Quite simply, it's much more to do with "X famous person / politician" questioning the status quo, gaining a following, and then lobbying for change. It takes a long time to happen, and the fewer people there are in that group, the lower the chances of it happening. There's quite a lot of gay people, but comparatively few who really want to screw their sister, so that remains socially unacceptable while the former isn't. In the future, who knows...

@Floydimus The initial reason incest became a taboo is that it causes all sorts of birth defects. But @AlmondSauce has a point, whether something remains a taboo after it's become one for a good but probably temporary reason depends entirely on whether it's questioned in the media.

@Cyanide I'm not invested in the topic personally in any way so I have no problem discussing it.

@AlmondSauce @homo-lorens I read both of your comments slowly and nearly 10 times because I could fully understand the point.

No, you guys put it right. It's just me who lacks brain power today to grasp what's happening around.

I was asking myself as well. I guess it's just tradition nowadays.