New controversial Ad in Ireland about consent

[u/ArcherVisible5866]

[u/WingDairu]

This thread is full of people who really don't understand the point:

It's not telling you grandparent hugs are bad. It's telling you that ignoring other people's boundaries REGARDING THEIR OWN PHYSICAL BODY is bad.

This is especially important with kids, because it's important to teach kids that they're allowed to exercise bodily autonomy. If kids aren't taught that, it becomes far easier for someone to take advantage of them being trained to allow touching they don't want because they feel like they have to.

[u/Ecstatic_Meeting_894 → u/WingDairu]

Hot take- people DO understand the point. They just don’t care. Many many people are out there who hear, “kids have bodily autonomy and deserve to practice consent and boundaries,” and get FURIOUS at the idea that they will not be able to hug and kiss the children in their family because they believe their request for affection (from family specifically) is more important than what kids want. They do not view children as small humans, they view children as a separate entity undeserving of boundaries, autonomy, etc. Many people who believe kids HAVE to give hugs are also the people who still think hitting kids is ok, that kids don’t need mental health services, that don’t empower kids with the tools to report abuse from other adults. The venn diagram is more often than not a circle

[u/silly-gaijin → u/Ecstatic_Meeting_894]

Is this a thing? I'm old and have a lot of friends. No one has ever said that grannie wanting a hug was something they thought or cared about.

Is this an autism thing? Is reddit an autism app?

This is just not s thing. Maybe for a subset of the population, but normal healthy people don't consider this an issue.

[u/Ecstatic_Meeting_894 → u/silly-gaijin]

I mean not wanting to be touched can be a sign of autism, sure. But granny wanting a hug is not an issue, that’s true. Parents/granny guilting the kid into giving the hug anyway after the kid says “no,” “ew,” “I don’t wanna,” IS absolutely a problem, and is extremely common. Kids being taught that they can’t say no to adults asking for affection, unshockingly, leads to kids thinking they can’t say no to adults asking for affection. This makes them easier to abuse sexually and physically for any adults around them who are aware that the child is not comfortable or empowered to say no. I unfortunately have personally met multiple teens who were sexually abused children taught by the adult who abused them that you, “don’t say no to family.” A father, a grandfather, and a mother all told these kids that this was just how family showed affection, and you don’t refuse affection from family. See how slippery of a slope it becomes for kids who don’t know any better?

[u/Fun-Proposal5391 → u/silly-gaijin]

There's a tiny minority of people who think consent matters in real situations in practice, and they are more likely to be open about it online, where there's less risk of negative interpersonal consequences. Getting caught thinking consent matters in real life often leads to aggressive behaviour from people who oppose consent, and being removed from groups.