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Eva's avatar

I am no fan of the policy of requiring affirmative consent, for many of the reasons you mention. But I do think it’s worthwhile to encourage a *culture* of more (not strict, but more) affirmative consent, because plenty of unwanted sexual interactions involve men who don’t actually want or intend to commit rape.

One aspect that might be hard for many men to appreciate is how hard it can be for a woman to summon a “no”—not to a rapist, but to a guy she genuinely likes but doesn’t want to sleep with who is really pushing the envelope. It’s strangely hard to shut someone down so directly, especially when you’re young.

Of course, the problem is not purely for men to solve. Women need to get comfortable giving confident and explicit no’s. I just want to push back on the idea that regular guys can’t be part of a bad dynamic.

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Slaw's avatar

Nobody else got a laugh out of that photo?

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