I caught the tale end of something related to this here in the US on one of the news channels the other day.
Sunday [London] Times:
Pretending that women aren’t grown-ups
Do women want to be treated like grown-ups or don’t they? After 40-odd years of modern feminism the question remains unresolved: are women the equals of men as adults who can take responsibility for their own actions? Or are they vulnerable creatures who need unique protection and special allowances made for them?
What produced the controversy was the prosecuting counsel’s more generalised remark that “drunken consent is still consent”. …the prosecutor did not say that committing a sexual act on an unconscious woman should be legally acceptable: nobody has made what would certainly be the morally outrageous claim that being unconscious constitutes de facto consent to sex. …the girl could not recall the circumstances or even her own degree of conscious involvement.
Anyway, since when do we permit people to say that they are not responsible for what they do when they are inebriated? In most contexts young women are considered to be more mature and responsible than young men, so why should we cut them far more slack than we would, for example, a male drunk driver who loses his judgment?
The actions of one woman does not nor should it reflect on the actions of all women. The fact that this one woman chooses to hide behind drunkenness as an excuse for bad behavior is her excuse not that of all women. Are we as women to hold ALL men responsible for the acts of say a Hitler?
To express in terms of ALL or even a segment of women as reflective of an entire gender is erroneous in its concept. Do ALL football players beat/rape women? Do all men love guns?
Methinks you or whoever wrote this article needs to rethink their words.
so why should we cut them far more slack than we would, for example, a male drunk driver who loses his judgment?
It’s called a double standard. Get used to it.
Because when a man slaps a woman it’s physical abuse but when a woman slaps a man it’s because she’s charging 50 bucks.
J.Warren — There’s a link to the article in the Sunday Times at the beginning of the post. Author’s name is Janet Daley.
Warren, maybe you didn’t bother to read the article, but it is specifically women’s groups who are making the fuss, not men: ” the prosecutor’s statement is considered by many vociferous women’s lobbies to be unacceptable.”
Jennings, you’re missing the point, or maybe I am.
Let’s imagine a drunk couple having sex. The female is drunk, of course, we’ve already assumed that, which means that she did NOT give consent. Sex without consent is rape, therefore the guy should be charged.
HOWEVER, if we treat both genders equally, why charge him? If she lacked consent to have sex then so did he! And if he lacked consent to sex, he surely lacked intent to rape.
Dave Drew’s point was to ask why men are held responsible for their actions when drunk when drunk women are not. As Improbus stated, it’s a double standard. However, maybe it’s one we’ve grown past as a society.
I smell an upcoming Law & Order episode in the making.
that makes me think of my girl friend always drinking. kinda crasy to
thanks josh http://www.level6studios.com
Improbus is right – it is a double standard. However maybe its time NOT to get use to it.
Great pic BTW. I think I dated her once 🙂
“Are we as women to hold ALL men responsible for the acts of say a Hitler?”
You obviously don’t pay much attention to women’s lobby groups.
Sounds the Alarm – my whole fraternity dated her
– all on the same night
Actually, this points to a whole set of double standards and not just Gender. First off how is a guy to know when a girl is drunk? Being passed out is a good clue but lets not cover that one. Is it one beer or two? What if they both drink the same amount and the guy ways more? I always looked it as you responsible for what you do when you’re drunk since you chose to drink in the first place. Although I am for the contract being void while drunk to keep con artist from trolling bars for you to sign papers. You might say this applies to sex too. I look at it this way. if you plan to go out and get drunk you should have plans for getting home. Also does this mean husbands rape their wives when she is drunk?
Here is another major double standard, that I have a problem with, Statutory Rape. Not that I’m for abusing children. But if a 14 year old has consenting sex with an adult, the adult is arrested. If two 14 years olds have sex no crime is committed. Why is that? The ages vary by state also. People say the 14 year is not mature enough in one instance but is in another. Also if the 14 year kills someone he/she can get life in prison (used to be some case death sentence). How is sex worse than murder? They are old enough to understand the actions of murder but not sex (with and older person). But they understand when it’s someone their own age.
I have never been for drunk drivers getting over killing people because they are drunk. Don’t Drink and Drive!!! Take responsibility for you own acts, if you can’t when your drunk than don’t drink in the first place.
Mike –
Now thats funny!! Thanks
And she told me I was the only one!! Sniff Sniff
NOW: All sex is rape.
Just seen a T-shirt at the above url ( http://www.consent.tk ) that made me laugh. It says ‘Consent form, sign below’ with an arrow pointing towards your genitals!