Consent : Gendered?
This is a topic i have always wanted to write about. All over the media and cyberspace , the concept of CONSENT is being thrown on our faces. Some females feel they are more entitled to concept in a relationship/ friendship or friend-zone. while some males feel it is totally unfair to them and find it weird or uneasy to talk about when they are victims. so let us understand this concept. What is Consent?
Consent simply means to express willingness or grant permission. it is a sign of approval and it is completely voluntary. This implies that no-one should be cajoled or coerced to consent. Consent should be willingly and expressly defined.
This is where, i have issue with the sentence that reads " when a girl says no, she means yes and vice-versa". If we are to generally accept the above defination of consent then people, females must let their YES be YES and NO be NO. Let there be no in between or dillydallying, so that when the male counterparts starts pushing and violating after a No! you don't scream CONSENT! when the deed has been done. If its a NO, then let your expressions and attitude and statement scream no too. Don't give a maybe and expect it to be okay. I think this is one of the reasons females are taking for granted in decision making. it is generally believed that they can be arm- twisted and sweet talked into changing their decision. This could imply that if females can get this concept right, then they begin to take firm decisions on issues. A female who has grasped and understood this concept of consent is seen as confident, because it is believed she won't be swayed easily.
Males are perhaps at the receiving end of this concept. A woman can easily accuse a male of rape, because of the violation of consent. However the male counterparts are usually shy when it comes to such discussions, so as not been perceived as weak by his peers.Notwithstanding some males have suffered unjustly in the hands of women who feel they cannot be ignored and go through diverse means to cajole or seek the attention of a male. This most times ends up badly. We cant be take seriously if we play around with "Consent"No means No and Yes means Yes not maybe or perhaps. These are clearly different words.