Comment by koonsolo
4 years ago
Thank you for responding. I'm sorry I gave you the wrong impression about my question, I personally never had any issues with this.
My wife is a relationship and dating coach, and so it sparks my interest where the law draws the line.
I know from my wife, that nowadays men can approach women (on dates etc.) is to first ask for interactions, like "Can I place my hand on your leg", or "Is it OK if I kiss you". That way to have an explicit consent in all interactions. But there is this other aspect, where most women prefer a "real man that takes initiative", and so the spontaneous kiss might become dangerous if the man is very bad at reading the woman.
My question is basically where the law draws the line, in interactions that can be very complex. But as others responded, it seems up to the jury to decide if something was wrong or not.
P.S.: By the way thank you for giving the best comment in this threat at the top. I'm the father of 1 boy and 3 girls, and your advice is very clear and actionable.
The law is something you turn to when things go extremely wrong. I spend very little time worried about the law.
I worry much more about how to ensure that things go right.
The problem with wondering where the law draws the line is that if you look for guilt, it's easy to find it. It's easy to take offense, to escalate offense, to dig your grave deeper.
I worry much more about cultural trends. Laws are written by people and interpreted by people. The same law that twenty years ago was used one way can morph into something else. What was once a protection can become a cudgel.
The law is certainly needed. But this problem won't be solved with laws and court cases.
It will be solved with mutual respect and civil discourse, which is why I chose to reply to you.
Thank you for pleasantly surprising me with this comment. I was about 90 percent certain I was making a terrible mistake and would regret replying.
I chose to bet a certain way, knowing the odds were long against it going well but it was the only bet with some hope of furthering civility rather than deepening the yawning chasm that so often stands between us and a better world.