You can sum up the sexual ethic of the sexual revolutionary in one sentence: Except in the most extreme circumstances (such as incest), consenting adults define their own moral norms. One-night stands? Fine, so long as there\u2019s consent. May\/December relationships. Fantastic, so long as there\u2019s consent. Workplace liaisons between boss and subordinate? No problem, with consent. Adultery? Yes, there are tears, but the heart wants what it wants. <\/p>\n
The practical result of consent-focused morality is the sexualization of everything. With the line drawn at desire alone, there is no longer any space that\u2019s sex-free. Work meetings or restaurants can be creative locations for steamy liaisons. Not even marriage or existing relationships stand as a firewall against potential hookups. <\/p>\n
The problem, of course, is that people don\u2019t walk around broadcasting their desires. We don\u2019t have a flashing \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d that hovers over our heads. So someone has to make the ask. Someone has to make the move. Consent is determined by the request, and in a completely sexualized culture, the request can come at any time, anywhere, and from any person you encounter \u2014 regardless of the power imbalance or the propriety of the location. <\/p>\n
And for powerful people in particular, the ask so often has fruitful results \u2014 sometimes out of genuine desire, sometimes out of fear, and sometimes out of a sense of intimidated resignation \u2014 that the ask quickly blurs into expectation, and expectations can yield demands.<\/p>\n