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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 28, 2023

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I mentioned the sexual or romantic aspect because the question is whether the commenter kissing their dad was sexual harassment. Nonconsensually touching someone can be bad even it if isn't sexual harassment.

Okay, so /u/Fruck kissing his comatose father on the forehead was "bad" even though it wasn't sexual harassment?

Correct, although I think it is bad in a pretty minor way.

How?

I think nonconsensually touching people is bad simpliciter. Sometimes there are good reasons to do it that outweigh the harm of doing so (carrying someone unconscious to safety from a fire or something) but generally I think it is bad.

I'm just baffled by the theory of harm here. Do you really think that if /u/Fruck's father came out of his coma and found out that his son had kissed him on the forehead during his coma, he'd be outraged and feel that his son had violated his personal boundaries? I find that essentially impossible to believe. Crimes do actually require a victim you know.

Do you really think that if Fruck's father came out of his coma and found out that his son had kissed him on the forehead during his coma, he'd be outraged and feel that his son had violated his personal boundaries?

"Outraged" is a strong word. I would expect him to be somewhat uncomfortable with his child's touching his unconscious body, but I would also expect him to consider this violation of personal boundaries to be extremely minor and easily forgiven, given the obvious depths of the child's love and grief from which it sprang.

I would expect him to be somewhat uncomfortable with his child's touching his unconscious body

Really? Are /u/Fruck and I the only people in this thread who think that this is a totally normal (even commendable) way to behave, and that the father would not have been even slightly bothered by this?

You are not alone but I don't have the slightest desire to engage.