Recently, someone asked a question on Quora that sparked a discussion concerning consent. The original poster, who was assumed to be a woman, asked about a guy she had turned down, specifically why he didn’t pursue her more.
When someone submits a question on Quora, they can receive answers from anyone else using the site. This particular question received a number of brutally honest answers. Aside from the obvious answer of “no means no,” the submitter also received one creative answer from none other than Ron Rule, the CEO of As Seen on TV.
While Rule’s answer to the question was moderately clever, it was not exactly the most informative or thought-provoking response. Other users took the opportunity to answer this question in more thoughtful ways that show the submitter’s way of thinking can actually be dangerous.
This is the original question on Quora that drew the response from Ron Rule. It’s already fairly apparent that this way of thinking is problematic.
Ron Rule’s answer was blunt and succinct. However, it only scratched the surface of why this kind of behaviour or line of thinking can be dangerous.
Other people preferred to give more in-depth answers to this question, rather than just insulting the submitter, who may have just wanted an honest answer.
One user who answered clearly pointed out that this is not a good line of thinking for anyone, particularly now when discussions about consent are becoming more relevant.
Another Quora user pointed out the dangers this kind of thinking can cause for other women, especially if a man applies this lesson to other relationships.
Other answers to this question also pointed out that the person who asked is going to set themselves up for disappointment if they don’t get over this type of behaviour.
Aside from the concerns over consent and not taking “no” for an answer, there were also some responses trying to help the person grow and stop playing emotional games.
Ultimately, most answers to the question on Quora boiled down to one point: maturity is important in relationship building. Be honest, straightforward, and say what you mean.
