From the ‘Common Sense Is Dead’ Files, Princeton University has taken the lead in the contest for the most inane campus policy this week after its memo on ‘consent’ was revealed.
In the era of #metoo, which clearly has gone well overboard, consent is now required for just about everything…including dancing.
So, if you opt to take a date to that swanky school-sponsored shindig, you could be in real trouble if you break the new rule.
What’s the rule, you ask? Not only must you ask a date if she (or he we suppose) wants to dance, you must also ‘repeatedly’ ask — in the course of dancing — whether your partner wishes to continue dancing.
Because apparently relying on a simple ‘I don’t want to dance anymore’ isn’t sufficient.
Insert facepalm.
Here’s more from Redstate…
You thought campuses were going crazy when California enacted its “affirmative consent bill” that requires couples to give one another explicit affirmative ongoing consent for sexual activity? (“Yes, it’s still OK; yes, it’s still OK; yes, it’s still OK…”) You hadn’t seen anything yet! Now Princeton is telling students that ongoing affirmative consent is also necessary … to dance:
Campus Reform has the backstory:
Princeton University wants to ensure that students know how to ask each other to dance, and so recently issued instructions for obtaining “consent on the dance floor.”
The guidelines came in the form of a Facebook post shared by Princeton’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources, & Education (SHARE) office and created by the school’s UMatter initiative in anticipation of the annual Orange and Black Ball (OBB) that took place last Friday.
“Hey, are you still into this? We can stop if you aren’t.”
“Going to OBB this Friday? Planning to have a great time tearing up the dance floor with your friends?” the post asks. “Great! Check out some tips about what consent on the dance floor looks like!! #OBB #RespectMatters #ConsentIsCool #DoYouWannaDance?”
The post indicates that “Do you wanna dance?” is an appropriate opening, and that responses such as “Absolutely!,” “Yeah! Let’s do it!,” and “I’d love to!” are all ways of consenting to the question.
Beyond simply “asking & waiting for an answer,” the post also asserts that “frequently checking in with your dance partner” is required in order to maintain consent until the music stops, suggesting that the person who extended the invite periodically ask “Hey, are you still into this?” and volunteer that “We can stop if you aren’t.”
