Consent is defined by Merriam-Webster as: "To agree to do or allow something: to give permission for something to happen or be done." It seems pretty simple right. It seems like something that should be understood by basically anyone, right?
Well, unfortunately that appears to not be the case. A prime example would be Rush Limbaugh who talked about the issue of consent on his radio show while defending Donald Trump from recent sexual assault allegations. Let's break down some of the things Limbaugh's said shall we.
"You know what the magic word, the only thing that matters in American sexual mores today is? One thing. You can do anything, the left will promote and understand and tolerate anything, as long as there is one element. Do you know what it is? Consent.”
Yes. This all makes sense. As long as all parties involved have given, and continue to give, the green flag, it's all good. What doesn't make sense is how stunning this idea is to Limbaugh.
"If there is consent on both or all three or all four, however many are involved in the sex act, it’s perfectly fine. Whatever it is. But if the left ever senses and smells that there’s no consent in part of the equation then here come the rape police.”The rape police. Really, the rape police. As if this was a laughing matter. As if this whole thing was a joke. As if the idea of people spending their lives and their careers hunting down rapists is ridiculous idea. What's almost as astounding would be the fact that Limbaugh finds the idea of threesomes and foursomes vile but the idea of rape to be laughable.
“But consent is the magic key to the left,”This isn't rocket science here. We aren't talking about the finer details of the Higgs Boson. No scientist, no matter how qualified, could ever explain this to Rush Limbaugh. This is a pretend mythical thing that nobody could ever understand. This is magic to him.
For the record, Rush Limbaugh hasn't just become an advocate for rape, in 2014 he had this to say about the matter.
"How many of you guys in your own experience with women have learned that no means yes, if you know how to spot it? Let me tell you something, in this modern world, that is simply… that’s not tolerated. People aren’t even going to try to understand that one. It used to be that it was a cliché. It used to be part of the advice young boys were given.”My question is, when does 'spotting a yes' become 'ignoring a no'? Is it annoying the person until they say yes? Is it getting them drunk enough not to get a negative answer? Is it following them into the bathroom? Is it slipping something into their drink when they're not looking. Where do you draw the line?
The worst part about this is that there are so many good ways to ask for consent. For example: You look uncomfortable, are you alright? Do you like that? Do you want to keep going? How far do you want to go? Is this ok?
Consent is all about keeping lines of communication open, through words but also body language. It's being an attentive parter and making sure the experience is enjoyable by everyone involved.
Just remember to bring your magic key.
