Responsibility

[andrewducker]

This is inspired by the comment here, where ladysysiphus says "If you have consumed enough alcohol to impair your judgement, I believe you then have to take at least some responsibility for putting yourself in a position where something like this might happen."

[Poll #619684]

Comments

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone should assume sexual availability on anyone else's part, ever

If you argue that "she didn't resist" is the same as "she consented", you are, in fact, arguing that it's okay to assume sexual availability. (Scenario two in your own argument.) And that makes me feel extremely uncomfortable.

I would point out, also, that many people, of both sexes (and with reference to either sex) assume sexual availability on the other person's part; this belief and attitude is by no means exclusive to men re: women.

No: I've just discovered that, in fact, I need to avoid getting drunk with you, too, if you take it as read that someone who doesn't resist has consented to sex. The number of people on my friends-list I am never getting drunk with is rising by a much higher rate than I'm happy with. (Not that I'm saying you would force sex on me when I was too drunk to resist: just that I evidently couldn't trust you to be backup or witness if I did get too drunk for my own safety, if your feeling is that a woman too drunk to resist has consented by default.)

[marrog.livejournal.com]

PS:

I evidently couldn't trust you to be backup or witness if I did get too drunk for my own safety

I must say I actually take things further than that: that is to say, if you're someone who would, unchecked, allow themself to become so drunk that they wouldn't think straight, rather than look out for you once you were slaughtered I'd just make sure you didn't get that drunk. I'd far rather pull you away from the bar while you were still only half-cut than pull you away from (or give evidence later for) a would-be molestation.