Weighing in on Jian Ghomeshi

Not a long post. I will say this.  I saw him take a girl too intoxicated to consent to his room. She spoke openly about having had sex with him the next day. Whether she considers it rape or not, being held up to walk is drunk to the extent that consent cannot be given.  More, he was not.

I talked to people about my disgust with him at the time.  I got "consenting adults" responses.  Too drunk to walk is too drunk to consent, by law, whether a barely adult girl is starstruck or not.

One incident witnessed two and a half years ago is hardly a conviction for all that is emerging in allegations now.  But it makes me prone to disbelieve his defence of his sexual activities being always consensual.  I suspect Ghomeshi doesn't actually know what consent looks like regardless of his Facebook post.

If any good can come of this, may it be that men in Canada, and men watching around the world, pay more attention to consent and why it matters.  If not because they care about women, at least because they want to avoid Jiangate scenarios.  Preferably because they care about and respect women though.

And of course, consent in all sexual relationships should be considered thoughtfully.  It's just that we know statistically that men are more likely to rape (i.e. not seek consent) women than are any other sexual coupling demographic.