And we all know that ethics courses instill ethics flawlessly.
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Here’s the thing. The whole point of this movement is that allegations of sexual assault and harassment must be taken seriously and investigated. In every type of transgression there are always going to be a small fraction of unscrupulous sociopaths who use false accusations for selfish ends without regard to the damage they do. They’re usually discovered. That’s why we investigate. But the small fraction of dishonest people is no reason to sweep any crime under the rug. We don’t accept that false accusations are an argument against enforcing laws against fraud or robbery or simple assault, and we shouldn’t countenance it for sexual assault either.
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See the disclaimer.
We are going to have to take strong preventive steps if we are going to begin to address this issue. It isn’t simply going to happen. Reducing hyper sexuality and creating an easy code of conduct seems reasonable.
A return to virtue may be an honest solution. Read the stoic philosophers.
See disclaimer.
Re-framing college as a job instead of an experience may make this possible. We have codes on conduct on in the work place. It is reasonable to expect the same while being a student especially on campus.
No ethical training is a disaster.
I will never cease to be amazed at the willingness of people to literally reorganize society to avoid the simple, just, expedient solution of holding SWM accountable.
Bob keeps stabbing people.
What should we do about this?
Well, we could fire Bob and call the cops.
Nah, we’ll just remove all the sharp things from the office and segregate Bob from anyone he gets stabby-eyed at.
Oh, that’s much simpler. Why didn’t I think of that?
You’re not a straight white man.
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Jobs mostly can’t ban sex between their employees. At their most restrictive there are hr processes for reporting relationships and ensurig they arent predatory. But mostly it’s limited to the same but stricter for relationships between superiors and subordinates. Because your job is generally not allowed to police your personal behavior. The only exception I’m aware of are police, military and the like. Where it may be explicitly barred but there are still processes for pursuing relationships within the rule set. More over banning sex. Whatever format or reason. Is hopelessly draconian. You’re talking about baring consenting adults from doing the things consulting adults do, for fear of those non-consensual things (#2 has a big bearing on that part too) And ultimately pointless. You cant keep people from fucking, falling in love, pursuing each other. Doing so not only criminalizes or pathologizes entirely normal behavior. But certainly doesn’t reduce the chances of abuse. See also the Catholic Church. Which all ignores that fact that many college campuses still restrict visitors (and often only opposite sex visitors, cause hetero-normative) within on campus housing, even where they run coed dorms. A fact we’ll revisit in #2. Fact of the matter is if college was a job there’d be far less restriction on college students behavior than there already is.
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Experts in the field strongly disagree with this. In fact its fairly clear that this approach, which dominates on many campuses makes the problems worse (and this is where #2 helps us explain the problems with #1). Most college presidents, experts on sexual assault, and an ever increasing number of people in law enforcement peg the raising of the drinking age to 21 as the start of massive problems with alcohol abuse, and the rise in campus sexual assault. Aside from the fact that a good 50%+ of the student population can’t legally drink. Most colleges have adopted dry dorms, and partially dry campuses. That means that drinking for the bulk of the student body went from being something done openly. In public campus spaces, bars, and where administration officials, older students, parents, RAs and the like can see what’s going on. And keep an eye on people. To something that was done off campus, often in Frats. Together with housing restrictions this means that most of your socializing, drinking, and often sexual activity. Is restricted to certain kettled, restricted environments where older wiser people, authority figures, sensible people, and your friends. Have no access. Compressed into short spans of time, in places and social environments often controlled by very particular men. Outside of normal social structures, and existing in its own warped social dynamic. Its a perfect environment for breeding fucked up relationships with drugs and alcohol, fucked up experiences with sex. And a perfect environment for people who exploit those circumstance in predatory fashion.
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The sheer number of college students who take an ethics course throughout their college career would put the lie to this. At my college it was one of the single most popular electives, simply because it checked off one of your required courses for the core curriculum and was relatively easy at the basic introductory level. More over all of these fucked up politicians we’re hearing about? Most of them have a background in law, sometimes finance. Both of which tend to require a lot of ethics courses. And the final note on this is that many college campuses are already regularly instructing students specifically on sexual ethics. Focusing on affirmative consent. And it doesn’t seem to be working. Often being criticized for a method and approach to the subject that’s alienating, over simplified, sex negative or just plain confusing.
So to sum up. Everything you’ve suggested is pretty much (if not entirely) the situation on many college campuses already. And increasingly major chunks of it are being pegged as a major source of the problem.
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I disagree. That doesn’t mean we are either wrong, I disagree.
I just do not enter into legal arrangements that are personal, unless it is marriage. I am bound by title (mumble) and section (mumble) because it is ethical and the law. My golden rule is, well, the golden rule. Forty years has been effective evidence.
I am not disparaging your argument. I do not agree.
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No. Ethical training is a disaster.
I’ve been to college. It isn’t a job. It’s an insanely expensive four-five years of intense training. Those of us not in the habit of raping people don’t have time to be lectured on why raping people is bad. If I was forced to take “ethical training” courses, I’d find a different college.
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Not that you should be forced. Or that “training courses” is the right way to structure them. But both Ethics and Gender Studies are pretty god damned interesting.
And most colleges do force you to take things that may not be pertinent to your training. I took all this math I’ll never need just to check boxes. And Scuba Diving. That shit isn’t helping anyone. I just needed one more god damn elective that fit my busy schedule, and didn’t fall under a degree program.
“This might not be rational” was the disclaimer.
Concision would be helpful.
I’m searching for solutions.
If this worked at all, then there wouldn’t be any assaults at places like BYU or any of the Evangelical universities. They already have these rules.
Check out the #churchtoo hashtag to see how well modesty and purity culture work as preventatives. About the only thing that is prevented is the victims’ willingness to report.
The system you’re suggesting rewards perpetrators. So, no, your idea is not rational.
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College and grad school was a free for all. I’m lucky I made it out alive. It’s like you never observed the risky behavior of adult students.
Like I said, “May not be rational.” But it did get the conversation going.
It works for guns.
As for myself I am finding a universe of peace and clarity in the stoic philosophers. Virtue in the face of a corrupt world is its own reward.
Its an incredible complex subject. Concise isn’t exactly going to give you an understanding of it.
It certainly wasn’t
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But it was a start. That’s the point.
Absolutely! I took some fascinating Gender Studies courses in college as well as one that I guess could be seen as ethics – it was a sort of hippie comparative religion course where we meditated a lot.
My issue isn’t with the idea of ethics classes. It’s with the suggestion of being required to re-take an ethics class every semester to somehow prevent rape on campus.
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You assume a hell of a lot.
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