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I'm seeing a lot of really distressing talk about Alex Morse. So here's a thread from me, a consent educator, on how to understand what's going on. Let's talk about power. https://twitter.com/studentactivism/status/1292821792910987266
What's clear is there are College Dems who have said that Morse, a Mayor, pursued them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.
This is all you need to know in order to know that the Mayor's consent practice wasn't robust enough.
This is all you need to know in order to know that the Mayor's consent practice wasn't robust enough.
Like all of us, the Mayor is wielding power where ever he goes, whether he wants to or not. By nature of being Mayor, he's got more than most of us. Add college democrats to the equation? Even more than usual.
Consent is about having the tools to diffuse those power imbalances.
Consent is about having the tools to diffuse those power imbalances.
That means the Mayor has to do more (as should all of us, tbh) than just "Do you want to have sex? Check yes or no." He's got to do the work to make it clear that no is an ok answer. That no won't affect these kids' political careers. Or the status of the College Dems.
That yes won't give them additional access to political spaces or donations.
And some power imbalances are so wide that even good consent practice can't bridge the gap. I don't know if that's the case here or not; I don't know enough.
And some power imbalances are so wide that even good consent practice can't bridge the gap. I don't know if that's the case here or not; I don't know enough.
But I do know that when your consent practice takes into account the power that you carry **even if you don't intend to wield it** and makes sure everyone else is enthusiastic about what's happening, they don't write public letters telling you to stop showing up to their events.
I'm not especially invested in the appropriate consequences for the Mayor's consent breakdowns. I don't think we have enough detail, and I'm going to defer to those harmed in this case.
But everyone saying "this was all consensual" is, by definition, wrong.
But everyone saying "this was all consensual" is, by definition, wrong.
This is so important because it's not just about Morse. Young political staffers are trying to navigate this dynamic ALL THE TIME. https://twitter.com/MalindaFrevert/status/1292892958417719296?s=20
A bunch of people are joyously sending me this piece as though it is some proof that anything I've said above is wrong. It is not. https://theintercept.com/2020/08/12/alex-morse-college-democrats-chats/
I'm not trying to Sherlock Holmes this thing, but you don't have to be the world's greatest detective to see that nothing in this piece forecloses that Morse made college students (PLURAL) feel uncomfy.
It is consistent with everything we know about how society treats survivors.
It is consistent with everything we know about how society treats survivors.
My frustration with Grim et al is twofold: 1. It's been clear from the start that they had a clear agenda. But this is written as though it is unbiased when it is really the product of throwing a lot at the wall and seeing what stuck.
It is worthwhile to search for the truth when an accusation is made. But the danger is when Grim et al made it clear that **even if true the accusations weren't problematic**.
That's why I wrote what I did, because public acceptance of those views is downright harmful.
That's why I wrote what I did, because public acceptance of those views is downright harmful.
2. The perspective of Grim and the others in my mentions makes them view this article as slam-dunk-case-closed-didn't-happen when it is anything but. Again, this is consistent with how we treat survivors of more severe consent violations, and I hate that, too.
Lots of good tweets parsing this point out in more detail in this thread and elsewhere, so I won't do it here. In short, vote for Morse if you want! (voting is harm reduction, not religion) But don't spread harmful consent myths to justify doing so. https://twitter.com/transscribe/status/1293754588038942726?s=21
