(no subject)

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara grins broadly at the students as they enter, her good mood almost super-human.

"Hey. Only three weeks until the end of term, huh? I don't know about you, but that kind of snuck up on me! So today we've got a pretty heavy discussion topic, and I want you to remember that this is just a class. Emo Closet is there if you need it, although I hope we call all be gentle enough with one another that it won't be necessary, okay?

"Because today, folks, we're going to be talking about rape - and all I'm going to ask you folks to do is define it."

Comments

Before class

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara is beaming, practically floating, a small pile of wrapped presents visible behind her desk, and a merry smile for any student who catches her eye.

Re: Before class

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane is seated at her usual desk with a small, contented smile of her own.

A lot of people lately seem to be telling her that she's glowing.

They're probably right.

Re: Before class

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel approached Tara before class. A confused frown was on his face, and not the cute kind.

"Got your invitation (http://www.livejournal.com/users/notstakedyet/928.html?thread=847520#t847520)," he said. "Well, no, let me rephrase. I don't get your invitation, but I heard it in my voice mail. Why exactly are you throwing a party for a demon?"

First Hour - Consent

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Law courts all over the world have wrangled with the issue of consent. I want you to come to a personal standpoint on what is necessary for a person to be able to consent to a sexual activity. Are there issues of physical, emotional or psychological health that come into play? Can a person who has vowed themselves to a monogamous relationship give consent to someone not their partner? Is consent given under duress viable? What if the person inflicting that duress didn't realise they were doing it?

"Find for me the situational criteria necessary to say 'yes' to sexual activity."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

He was not looking forward to this discussion. "They have to be conscious for starters."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[demonbelthazor]

Belthazor looks decidedly uncomfortable. "Generally the person should not be under the influence of any drug or magical effect. I mean, they can consent and mean it, but you can't be entirely sure if their mental state isn't clear."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe doesn't look happy about this topic.

"You can say yes if you're sober and aware of your surroundings. However, if you say yes, it's with the caveat that you can say no at any time."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

"I think ... if a person is in a monogamous relationship and agreed to that, but then turns around and wants to sleep with someone else, it's... cheating," Shane says with a shrug, chewing thoughtfully on the end of her pen. "Unless they've discussed it with their partner and have decided that an open relationship between them is what works best for them."

"I mean, even if two people are in a monogamous relationship - even if they're married - there are cases where a man can rape his wife."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[sensethevisions]

She looks up to clarify her answer.

"Consent is shown in many ways, but I have a question. Are we talking physical rape or mind rape?"

Re: First Hour - Consent

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker's voice is icicle cold. "Anything less than pre-encounter verbal consent is asking for stupidity to happen to both partners. The end." She shrugs. "As for your other questions: yes. No. And stilll a violation, if not legally so, yes."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[wraithbaitjohn.livejournal.com]

Mostly I agree with what a lot of other people have been saying - that consent has to be given of free-will and with the understanding that it can be revoked at any time.

What I want to add is that consent can only be given by a person of a sound and mature mind. Children, the significantly mentally disabled and the like aren't capable of giving consent because they aren't capable of understanding the ramifications of a sexual relationship.

I don't think rape and the issues of consent have anything to do with being in a monogomous relationship. I'm not saying I necessarily advocating sleeping around on someone, but you certainly *can* give consent to sleep with someone you might not ought to be sleeping with. In my mind, one will anger the person involved, the other will piss off his/her partner.

Re: First Hour - Consent

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel frowned when he heard the topic, but gave an answer anyway.

"The person has to be aware of what they're doing. They need to understand what's involved. If it's under duress it doesn't count. It doesn't matter if the person causing the pain didn't realize it."

Re: First Hour - Consent

[sooo_cute]

"When both people want it," Quinn answers, and that's as much as you're getting out of her.

Re: First Hour - Consent

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Sometimes, yes, no, no excuse." Callisto answers in a flat tone.

Re: First Hour - Consent

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica hears the question and heads immediately for the emo closet. There is no way she can talk about this in front of people.

Re: First Hour - Consent

[absolutesnark]

"Like others have said, the person must be aware and not under the influence of any drug. And there should be an understanding that the person can say no at any time."

Piper is concerned when she watches Veronica head to the emo closet.

Re: First Hour - Consent

[fh_jackass]

"Cheating and rape are two entirely different things," Logan said flatly.

Second Hour - Rape

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"All I want you to do, drawing from your first hour, is come up with a definition of what constitutes rape. Now there are some situations which are clear cut, and I'd actually rather we didn't touch those. Let's nibble at the edges of this, okay? For example - if one partner says no, and the other continues for thirty seconds before stopping, is that rape? What about if a person contracts a prostitute, receives their services, and then walks away without paying? Can the word rape be applied to something entirely non-sexual in nature"

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[shane-mcc.livejournal.com]

Shane's brows furrow as she considers the question. "Maybe, in some cases, the word can be applied to something that has nothing to do with sex," she says. "Because... rape isn't about sex. It's about one person having more power over another person. Thinking about it like that... there's lots of things that fall under that. A guy sticking somebody up for their wallet. He's got a gun and they don't. He has the power there, right? Unless they try to take the gun away."

"Like, they call it 'violation'..." She purses her lips and looks down at her hand, where her thumb is fidgeting with the ring on her finger. "I don't know, though, I mean... I'm not good with... words. Maybe I'm just talkin' out of my ass. I don't know."

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Yes. No, that's fraud. Yes." Parker isn't happy about this, but she tries.

"Forced physical intimacy for the gratification of one person at the expense of another's physical, emotional and mental well-being."

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory quietly gets up, and walks straight out of the room, one hand pressed against the still-healing wound on her neck.

She slams the door behind her.

Re: Second Hour - Rape

[demonbelthazor]

Belthazor raised his hand. "What's the point of this discussion?"

Assignment

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"I've got an out of class assignment for you to complete between now and next week, but I can't tell you the details of it.

"Intrigued yet?"

Tara grins. "Much to the disappointment of Plato, there is a difference for most people between what we believe is right, and what we actually do. I, for example, sometimes have unkind and uncharitable thoughts about people, although I try not to. This week I want you to choose one such behaviour pattern - that you personally do not like about yourself, and feel you would be a better person without - and try to go just one week without it. I don't necessarily expect you to succeed, but I do expect you to log your progress. Next week I want you all to report back, with the aim of exploring why knowing what is right and doing what is right are two different things."

Re: Assignment

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker makes a note of this, and tries to come up with something. Oh, boy....

Emo Closet

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Here if you need it.

Re: Emo Closet

[lisacuddy.livejournal.com]

Lisa hears the topic coming in to class, gets up quietly, walks to the closet, and stays there for the rest of class.

OOC Discussion

[brambless.livejournal.com]

This is a biggie, folks - and I've talked to several students out of character about it earlier in the term. I am a survivor of sexual abuse myself, and I'm putting that out there so you know that I'm not trivialising the topic, or trying to discuss something I know nothing about.

I also know that the overwhelming majority of rapes do not go reported, often because the victim is unsure whether the word 'rape' can really be applied. The TV image is too often a stranger in a dark alleyway. Real life isn't like that. What I want to talk about here is real life - including cases where one partner believes they have been raped, and the other partner didn't even realise they had transgressed the boundaries of consent.

If you are upset by any of this out of character, just let me know. I promise I will not penalise anyone's character for their player's reactions.

Re: OOC Discussion

[sensethevisions]

I'm not upset about it, it just caught me off guard. Having survived a rape several years ago and an assault last yera, this is a touchy topic for me. I'm not sure how chatty Phoebe and Buffy are going to be in this class.