Consent
I just checked dictionary.com:
1. To give assent, as to the proposal of another; agree. See Synonyms at assent.
2. Archaic. To be of the same mind or opinion.
You see, things like this and this make me angry. Really angry.
They send out the wrong message.
What follows is an opinion. However, I also happen to think it is the right one:
Consent can only be given. It cannot be taken, assumed, or forced. If a person is incapacitated then consent cannot actually be given. I feel that the concept of consent is not valid in these situations and it is an opportunistic crime to take advantage of someone under these conditions. To take advantage of another person's incapacity is cowardice too. Then there are those who pile on the drinks or seek other ways to put someone in this state - in a state where consent cannot be given, where a person cannot defend themselves, where a person cannot even remember what happened - this is even worse as it has been planned.
To say that someone deserves it because they got themselves into that situation shows an astonishing lack of understanding, compassion, honesty, and justice.
I've always felt we should strive to be better than this. I'm no expert, but people who dress up to go out on the town are going out to have a good time. I'm pretty sure they are not advertising themselves as a target. Society should be better than this.
1. To give assent, as to the proposal of another; agree. See Synonyms at assent.
2. Archaic. To be of the same mind or opinion.
You see, things like this and this make me angry. Really angry.
They send out the wrong message.
What follows is an opinion. However, I also happen to think it is the right one:
Consent can only be given. It cannot be taken, assumed, or forced. If a person is incapacitated then consent cannot actually be given. I feel that the concept of consent is not valid in these situations and it is an opportunistic crime to take advantage of someone under these conditions. To take advantage of another person's incapacity is cowardice too. Then there are those who pile on the drinks or seek other ways to put someone in this state - in a state where consent cannot be given, where a person cannot defend themselves, where a person cannot even remember what happened - this is even worse as it has been planned.
To say that someone deserves it because they got themselves into that situation shows an astonishing lack of understanding, compassion, honesty, and justice.
I've always felt we should strive to be better than this. I'm no expert, but people who dress up to go out on the town are going out to have a good time. I'm pretty sure they are not advertising themselves as a target. Society should be better than this.
posted by dan at
10:55 am
3 Comments:
I agree with you.
But, I don't see how the man in question can be convicted when the only witness cannot remember what happened. Memory loss is not necessarily indicative of incapacity.
It's an awful situation but drinking to incapacity leaves anyone - man or woman - incredibly vulnerable to all sorts of opportunistic crime, and is thus not a sensible thing to do.
It doesn't excuse the crime, but it makes it damn near impossible to prove :-(
By
anon, at 1:58 pm
I know, I know, but in some ways, that just makes it harder.
I mean, lets say you were out on a night in the town and you come across someone of the opposite sex who is very drunk, for example.
Do you a/ Think "Wahey! I'm in!"
or b/ Help them into a cab home, get a police office, whatever for example
or c/ Do nothing
a/ is clearly the evil thing to do. c/ is still evil, but less so, and is understandable. b/ is the good thing to do, but has it's own risks.
I know it's not a sensible thing to do, leaving yourself vulnerable, but is it the victim's fault? Surely it is the perpetrator who is to blame.
By
dan, at 1:35 pm
I also agree with you Dan. But if we label the two events as such:
a) getting so drunk you can't remember whether you had consensual sex or not
b) actually having non-consensual sex
then in the second article you cited it seems to me that b) might not have happened without a)...
However, as you say, that's clearly not the point. The point is that there are lots of people out there who would opt for a/ from your list. The world is one damn scary place.
By
Anonymous, at 7:45 am
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