Consent

There's a new poster on the back of Madison buses. The silhouettes of a young man and a woman (who looks vaguely like a geisha, with her head bowed submissively) show in a door against a lighted room. The bold slogan is "Consent Should Never be Blurry," and the second line reads "Get consent every time."

Rape is an ugly crime, of violence and power, and this almost seems too trivial a response.

And the counterproposal ("get consent every time") is also wrong on several levels.

The couple are evidently not married--they certainly don't know each other well enough to know if consent is likely. So what business have they in bed together?

And what the man wants is (assuming he's not a creep) not so much consent as enthusiasm. Maybe he enjoys the challenge of seduction, but the goal in mind is her eager participation, not mere "consent." (That's what the "men's magazines" trade on: women undressed to seem eager and ready.)

I hope this helps reduce the rate of date rape, but I detest the ad.