Judith Levine on Sexual Assault, Bad Behaviour and Sexual Misunderstandings - 12.30.14
David talks with Judith Levine in Episode 42 about sexual assault, particularly about whether new ideas about “affirmative consent” are going to lead to injustices. The conversation also covers a description of restorative justice, and how it can produce better outcomes for both the victim and the perpetrator (if both decide to participate), leading to behavior changes without the lifelong consequences of a sexual crime conviction. David and Judith talk about several recent cases, some of which involve minor sexual misconduct, and some appear to involve the punishment of perfectly normal sexual behavior, based on this new desire to use harsh mechanisms to eradicate sexual misconduct on college campuses. And why so much attention to campuses, where increasingly financially privileged young people congregate, and not the home, workplace or the military or other domains? Is this actually class bias masquerading as a desire for justice?
Judith Levine is the author of four books, most relevantly the award winning, “Harmful To Minors: The Perils Of Protecting Children From Sex”. She has also written many articles, such as “To stop campus rape, let kids grow up”. http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/to-stop-campus-rape-let-kids-grow-up/Content?oid=2416807 and “Campus Rules are about Punishment not Sex”, http://bostonreview.net/blog/judith-levine-yes-means-yes-campus-rape-punishment-sex. She is on the board of the National Center for Reason & Justice (ncrj.org).
You can find out more about her at http://judithlevine.com.
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