Consent

This video may be funny to some but the message is still so important. This is the message of consent. Many women, especially within the #metoo movement are facing backlash in regards to consent. This video highlights the issue of consent in a way that makes the boundaries clear of when someone is consenting and when someone is not. As a victim of sexual assault on two cases I for one feel connected to this video. When someone is too drunk to consent and passes out does that mean they are consenting to sex because they cannot answer? Let’s look at this with the tea example, if someone is too drunk and passes out, should you make them tea? The answer is no. Simple as that. If a woman says yes then changes her mind, would you make her tea or force her to drink it? The answer is no. If a woman is shouting that she does not want tea and is fighting you off of her, do you make her tea? NO. It is unfortunate that our society has to have videos like this but they are necessary. Something that I have noticed recently is the concept of “no means yes” especially in media. Last night I was watching a show “Grand Hotel” which is a show in Spanish set in the early 1900’s. A woman in this show tells a man she is not interested in him, yet when he makes moves she starts to fight him off but eventually the man continues and she submits. This is part of the problem and why we have this concept of no means yes. Women are taught to play hard to get and men are supposed to be the initiators and takers, but when does this go too far? We wonder why we have this rape culture but is it possible we unintentionally created it? What are your thoughts?

-Chelsea Cullen