Don’t Touch The Art
Somewhere along the way, we as a society lost sight of basic verbal communication. As kids we often hugged & kissed family members or other small kids as a way to show affection, while hitting or shoving others, to show dislike. It’s a childlike & even caveman tendency to use physical interaction as a primary means of communication over verbalizing what it is we wish to get across to another person. While this is generally annoying, it can easily become a different level of inappropriate & threatening when said actions are directed towards women, specifically.
Long gone are the gross social norms of the early 90s & even earlier, where women were often seen as & treated as nothing more than property men had rights to. It’s becoming a growing issue that kids, teens & young adults aren’t being taught to practice consent in the mildest of situations, to the more sexually heavy scenarios. Not only is it the responsibility of men to make women feel safe & be clear about intent, but more importantly to hold our fellow man accountable for their actions. It’s a shame that some simply aren’t taught these basic rules for social & sexual situations, but it’s never too late to become aware of the issue & address it via changed behavior & being a role model for the next man. Most guys think with the wrong head, therefore they often find themselves attempting to justify their unwarranted physicality with women that don’t welcome it.
Consent of contact is made out to be this difficult tightrope situation that’s easy to misread, when in reality, it isn’t. Simply put: women are art & should be treated as such. Some are part of a permanent collection in our lives, some are part of a travelling collection, either way they’re precious, valuable & not to be touched, unless consent is given. Next time you find yourself in a situation, whether it’s a packed bar & you want to grab a girl’s waist, or a house party & you want to grab a girl’s hand, remember…Use your words. DON’T TOUCH THE ART!
STORY BY: Trevor Thompson (@interwebTREV)
