It’s so sad that consent even needs to be a question or a debate; that the simplicity of NO MEANS NO actually needs to be reinforced.
Going back to someone’s house does not mean you want to sleep with them. Being drunk and flirtatious does not mean you want to sleep with them.
But sadly, the issue of consent is not as simple as it should be – and in the aftermath of sexual assault or rape, blame is often placed on the survivors.
New Zealand comedian Alice Brine has nailed consent – and sexual assault victim-shaming – with a few choice words, in a pretty genius Facebook post that has gone viral.
“I’m gunna start going home with random very drunk guys and stealing all of their s**t,” she wrote. “Everything they own. It won't be my fault though... they were drunk. They should have known better. I'll get away with it 90% of the time but then when one brave man takes me to court over it, I'll argue that I wasn't sure if he meant it when he said ‘no don't steal my Audi’.
“I just wasn't sure if he meant it. I said ‘Can I please steal your Gucci watch?’ He said 'no' but I just wasn't sure if he meant it. He was drunk. He brought this on himself. You should have seen how he was dressed at the club, expensive shirts and shoes. What kind of message is he sending with that!? I thought he wanted me to come and steal all of his shit. He was asking for it. When he said ‘no’ to me taking everything he owned I just didn't know if he meant it. ‘No’ isn't objective enough, it could mean anything.”
Not only is Alice showing consent in simple, easy to understand way, but by juxtaposing sexual crime beside theft, she’s showing the wide disparity between the prison sentences of those who steal, and those who rape.
