Romance and the Ultimate Taboo: Incest

My post about Melendy siblings reminded me of a possible fan-fiction male/male relationship between Rush and the adoptive brother, Mark. 

I immediately ran up against the sibling problem.  

The problem arises whether the siblings are male-male or male-female. And it has to do with an issue raised in my post about the guardian-lover relationship. Woody Allen and Soon-Yi emphasized that they had NOT had a father-daughter relationship prior to their relationship. 

I thought the argument was rather pointless. Why focus so much on a non-issue? They aren't biologically related. 

Turns out, I was wrong. 

According to Allan V. Horwitz of What's Normal: Reconciling Biology & Culture, the incest taboo is likely physiologically generated, not culturally imposed. 

Horwitz makes the argument because incest--unlike just about any other transgressive behavior (sexual or otherwise)--does not get its own "STOP-THINK FIRST" ads on television. Parents rarely reference it. It is barely part of everyday speech. And yet most people, including Horwitz's students, are disgusted by the idea. 

Horwitz points out that historically, even sexually permissive cultures have draw the line at incest. Moreover, cultures that have allowed it have allowed it as an exception (such as between Egyptian royalty). 

Horwitz calls on the Westermarck effect, named after Edvard Westermarck, that claims--and these claims are backed by studies--that people (and primates) raised in the same household evince sexual indifference towards each other. The effect is not determined by genetics but proximity. And it is most likely to occur between children raised together under the age of three; quite likely between children raised together under the age of ten. Sexual abuse, moreover, is more likely to occur between male stepfathers and female stepdaughters than between biological parent-child. (There are, of course, exceptions to all these observed behaviors.) 

There is a cultural component, of course. Although Victorians (sort of) accepted cousins marrying, an in-law marrying a spouse--such as a sister-in-law marrying the husband of her deceased sister--sent everyone into a tizzy. 

Part of the reason was that the relationship had been designated sister and brother. But part of the reason was that they had been living in the same house. The idea was that they would develop those sisterly and brotherly emotions towards each other. It would just, you know, happen by magic. 

Again, I was at first rather dismissive of Victorian scruples. But I suspect that the Victorians were aware--especially in a time period where youngish widowed men and women often remarried, bringing together children from two households--of the Westermarck effect (even if they never labeled it as such). 

The problem lies in assuming that an eighteen-year-old living in a household alongside others is the same as a ten-year-old raised in a household alongside others. 

And it isn't. 

In the delightful series Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Hae-bom moved into Tae Seong's home when his parents died in a car accident. Hae-bom and Tae Seong were both eight-ish. However, they never develop a brotherly relationship since Tae Seong has never seen Hae-bom that way and Hae-bom is constantly on edge, feeling like he is a guest or trespasser despite Tae Seong's mom being supportive and kind. At school, most people don't even know they share a house (this common trope in Asian manga/series is practically incomprehensible to Americans, who learn each other's bios within days of meeting), especially since they aren't on the same class track until their senior year.

But if Hae-bom had been any younger would the "brotherliness" override any other emotion? 

Regarding Mark and Rush, Mark is thirteen; Rush is fourteen. So...maybe. But considering the personalities, time period, and family vibe...likely not.