patrick.net

The solution is simple, it's ancient, and it works: Any woman who agrees to be alone with a man must be considered to have given consent to a sexual relationship with him.

Women have agency. Men are required by biology and custom to initiate sexual contact, but women are not mere passive beings acted upon by men. Women need to take responsibility for their own actions. Being together alone implies consent. It has always been that way at some level of consciousness, and it should be the law. Note that I'm not saying that force should be allowed in any circumstance, only that if a woman voluntarily goes into a private space with a man, with no witnesses, it should be assumed that she intends to have sex with him. If you see a man and a woman happily go into a hotel room and shut the door, what do you assume? You are absolutely correct in assuming that. It's just human biology, without which we would not be here to even have this discussion.

A corollary law should be that jobs must never require anyone to be alone with a co-worker of the opposite gender. Or homosexuals of the same gender.

Young starlets who want that next big role know damn well what they are doing with Cosby, or worse, Weinstein. They should have no recourse if Cosby or Weinstein correctly interprets their actions.

Mike Pence, whatever else you may think of him, understands this clearly and so will never even let himself be alone with a woman who is not his wife. Devout Jews, Christians, Hindus, and Muslims all understand this as well, and it been part of these religions since their beginnings. There is indeed some wisdom in religious prohibitions.

#politics