This video 'Feminism for Bros' lasts less than two minutes but I defy anyone to watch it through to the end without cringing in embarrassment. It's sphincter-winking stuff. Consent in sex, it tells us, must be explicit and elicited for every move, especially if you're male. Note, though, that the woman recklessly touches the man's chest without requesting prior permission, then asks 'do you like that?' He does not remonstrate but, you know, did he really want that and did she really respect his autonomy here? Not every touch and grope from either party is explicitly sanctioned by the other, so the ambiguity is pretty chilling. It's a good job the video finishes where it does. Imagine if it went on a bit longer, and after the two of them have had further intervention from their campus Consent Counselor:
'Can I introduce my penis into your vagina?' (Be explicit about what goes where.)
'Yes.'
'May I make an Initial Pelvic thrust?'
'I guess.'
'I did not feel that consent was explicit enough there. Let me pose the question again. May I make an initial pelvic thrust?'
'Yeah, I know what you meant. Go ahead.'
'There. Can I make another? '
'Huh?'
'That'd be two in total so far.'
'Yeah, look, just do it, right?'
'I have to say at this juncture that I have concerns about your tone. Of voice, I mean'
'Dude, is this a fuck or a Q and A? Just fuckin do it, already.'
'You wanna watch a movie instead?'
Even if every Sexual Encounter proceeded in this stultifying manner, in the event of an accusation of assault, how would anyone demonstrate that consent had or had not been given? Anyone can lie, so nobody could. We are no further forward, then. Next step I suppose will be to make it mandatory to video any sexual encounter, and the chillingly-named Panopto software, now found in most lecture theatres, could be installed in all student bedrooms. Meanwhile go here, where Jeff E. Brooks-Harris & Christine A. Quemue of the University of Hawaii have prepared a seminar on how not to rape someone. Not only is consent fun, you can make a few bob out of promoting it.
'Can I introduce my penis into your vagina?' (Be explicit about what goes where.)
'Yes.'
'May I make an Initial Pelvic thrust?'
'I guess.'
'I did not feel that consent was explicit enough there. Let me pose the question again. May I make an initial pelvic thrust?'
'Yeah, I know what you meant. Go ahead.'
'There. Can I make another? '
'Huh?'
'That'd be two in total so far.'
'Yeah, look, just do it, right?'
'I have to say at this juncture that I have concerns about your tone. Of voice, I mean'
'Dude, is this a fuck or a Q and A? Just fuckin do it, already.'
'You wanna watch a movie instead?'
Even if every Sexual Encounter proceeded in this stultifying manner, in the event of an accusation of assault, how would anyone demonstrate that consent had or had not been given? Anyone can lie, so nobody could. We are no further forward, then. Next step I suppose will be to make it mandatory to video any sexual encounter, and the chillingly-named Panopto software, now found in most lecture theatres, could be installed in all student bedrooms. Meanwhile go here, where Jeff E. Brooks-Harris & Christine A. Quemue of the University of Hawaii have prepared a seminar on how not to rape someone. Not only is consent fun, you can make a few bob out of promoting it.
