New controversial Ad in Ireland about consent

[u/ArcherVisible5866]

[u/It_was_mee_all_along]

I think people are getting, maybe, too sensitive?

[u/unwarrend → u/It_was_mee_all_along]

The culture around consent and personal space is changing, and likely for the better. Promoting children to exercise boundaries within ostensibly 'safe' environments gives them the confidence and muscle memory to ward off potential bad actors (in theory). I am also a product of my time, and the notion of choosing not to reciprocate a hug to family was never a consideration. I never felt uncomfortable. I would also probably have tolerated abuse had I not been privileged enough to never encounter it.

TLDR: My gut says we are becoming overly sensitive towards certain previously normative behaviour. My brain acknowledges this cultural shift as being generally positive, even though it feels counterintuitive.

[u/notnatasharostova → u/unwarrend]

In our culture it is so normalized to performatively crusade against pedophiles by calling for the death penalty or threatening physical violence against sexual abusers. Yet meaningfully advocating for children's bodily autonomy, which is the single most effective thing you can do to protect them from abuse, is ridiculed.

[u/EddokunLoL → u/notnatasharostova]

I think it's a question of whether this promotes healthy boundaries around consent or whether it promotes unhealthy social behaviors.

I'll be honest, people that I've interacted with, purely in a verbal sense, who champion changes like this tend to be socially inept. Socializing is a practiced skill and a lot of people just don't practice it anymore because they are told they don't need to, that being uncomfortable is unacceptable and they shouldn't be uncomfortable ever, and if they are then someone else is at fault.

I'm not saying we shouldn't do a better job at teaching boundaries, especially around consent, just that the champions of this tend to go overboard in a negative direction.