Is this OK for you?
I’m going to be writing about consent education, or “consent.ed” as the cool kids call it.
Shall I keep going?
I didn’t expect my first proper Substack article to be about this topic, but sometimes the most uncomfortable subjects are the ones worth exploring. And if I’m going to use this space to document what I find interesting, challenging, or thought-provoking, then I might as well start as I mean to go on.
Are you OK with that?
Consent education wasn’t part of my distant student years. Although I confess, my fresher experience was more chaste than most, as I had fallen for a girl who had gone travelling. Sadly, she dumped me on her return, but this is not that sad tale.
Thirty-five years later, I’ve been happily married for twenty-five of them, which means I’ve missed the swipe‑left/swipe‑right dating culture entirely. However, as a parent of two young adults, the subject takes on new relevance.
As a humanist, I’ve always believed the arc of progress bends towards the good. The #MeToo movement, which is not without criticism, has, I very much hope, made the creative industry (and others) safer for my actor daughter and her peers. Consent education feels like part of that same trajectory, but should it be compulsory?
The case for it is strong. Conviction rates for sexual assault remain desperately low, and consent education provides guardrails that offer clarity for everyone. Today’s students also had nearly three years of social development disrupted by lockdown, so structured guidance helps fill that gap. And this isn’t only about sex—it’s about respect, communication, and emotional intelligence, qualities that strengthen every kind of relationship. In diverse global institutions like LSE, where students bring different cultural expectations, compulsory consent education also helps establish a shared baseline.
But the criticisms are worth acknowledging. Some argue it risks draining spontaneity from intimacy, turning desire into a checklist. Scott Galloway, for instance, urges young people to “drink alcohol and make some bad decisions that might pay off,” a philosophy worlds away from choreographed consent workshops.
The fact of my marriage is a testament to alcohol fuelled serendipity. We met on a disastrous blind date, albeit one I was on with someone else.
Others complain that it places young men under suspicion before they’ve done anything wrong. And there’s the danger of tokenism—if it’s delivered as a dull online module, it can feel patronising rather than empowering.
Even so, on balance, I come down in favour. Consent education is not about bureaucracy or political correctness gone mad. It’s about respect, and it makes life safer, clearer, and ultimately more human.
And like my favourite restaurant Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, it’s about FRIES with everything. That’s the acronym for consent: Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific.
So yes, my first Substack article is about sexual consent education, not a topic I was even aware of two weeks ago, which I guess is the entire point of this blog; it’s in the name.
It’s clearly something we should all be discussing with our kids, but, and how can I put this delicately, some older folk may need a refresher course too.
Other things I have learnt:
The far right isn’t really interested in protecting women and girls. In fact, over 40% of those arrested in last summer’s riots have previously been reported for domestic abuse.
Lazy use of AI creates more work for others. AI “Workslop” shifts the burden of work downstream, requiring the receiver to interpret, correct, or redo the work. Do not be that colleague.
People really don’t like LinkedIn being used for non-work matters. And I have a viral post to prove it!
Things I am reading:
· Abundance – Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
· What We Can Know – Ian McEwan