Justice

This Brilliant Analogy Explains Rape to Those Still Not Getting It

August 17th 2016

"No means no" seems simple enough to understand, but if it truly was, rape culture probably wouldn't exist.

For those still not getting it, one Twitter user has summed up rape and consent with an easy to understand analogy.

"I don't get how rape is so hard to understand for some men."

"But," Nafisa Ahmed adds, "if you put it like this, they get it:"

Ahmed's tweets respond to a mainstream misunderstanding about rape, which is still commonly conceived of exclusively as a violent assault carried out by unknown assailant. But, that definition excludes many far more common forms of sexual assault. As Tricia Tongco previously wrote for ATTN:, rape can take place in insidious ways, like if a partner forces someone into participating in a sexual act they didn't agree to, or continues to pressure someone into having sex even after they've withdrawn consent.

The response to Ahmed's tweets were overwhelmingly positive.

It also sparked a discussion about rape, and not just among women.

And some added to the analogy.

Of course stealing $5 is not the same as raping someone.

That's not what the tweets are saying. The tweets are simply using an analogy to help everyone understand consent.

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