In today’s society, everyone thinks they are entitled to or deserve something. Whether it's that gold watch in the store’s window, someone else’s lunch in the break room refrigerator or the pretty girl that's nice to you. Guess what? No one is entitled to those things. No one should be allowed to take those things to satisfy their desires — especially the pretty girl.
The pretty girl that was nice to you when no one else was does not owe you anything. The pretty girl that smiled at you on your bad day does not owe you anything. The pretty girl that was once the love of your life does not owe you her time, money, body or even a second glance. She is not an item you can take or use. She is a human being with feelings, desires and dreams just like anyone else. Objectifying her does not change whether it is justified or not. Why is this such a hard concept for some people to realize?
I believe part of the reason people don’t understand the word "no" is because they were never taught “no” as a child. Think about it, how many times have you been in a grocery store and you hear a child ask his or her parents for something sweet? Plenty of times, right? Nine times out of 10 the parents say no. Then the child has a tantrum, and the parents now say yes. This is teaching the newer generation that no matter what the original answer was it can easily be changed, and that way they will get what they want in the long run.
What we learn as children sticks with us throughout our life. If we were never taught the word or concept of “no,” we will never know what it means. That could be a big factor for why rape and sexual assault are so common in our society. Not only should “no” become more common in our society, but consent should be taught as well. And it should be taught not only by parents but also in schools everywhere.
Think about consent in the simplest terms. For example, Sally has this new tea she wants everyone to try. She asks Ben to try her tea, but Ben says no. At this point, Sally should accept Ben’s answer and leave him alone about the tea. After Ben says no, Sally does not have the right to try to force Ben to try her tea. Whether that be her asking again, pressuring him to or even forcefully shoving her tea in Ben’s mouth. At this point, it should be clear that doing something to someone without their consent is wrong. Sadly, it's not clear.
Everyone should understand things like consent and discipline. Yet these concepts are not known among all people, and this is extremely frightening. However, by teaching more kids "no" and the importance behind the word, our society could be less scary.
