Page 88 - Malcolm Gladwell - Talking to Strangers

Yes No Depends No opinion

All 40 54 4 1

Men 43 51 4 2

Women 38 58 4 1

3. Nods in agreement

Yes No Depends No opinion

All 54 40 3 3

Men 58 36 3 3

Women 51 44 3 3

4. Engages in foreplay such as kissing or touching

Yes No Depends No opinion

All 22 74 3 *

Men 30 66 3 *

Women 15 82 3 *

5. Does not say “No”

Yes No Depends No opinion

All 18 77 3 1

Men 20 75 4 1

Women 16 80 2 1

Consent would be a straightforward matter if all college students agreed that getting a condom
meant implicit consent to sex, or if everyone agreed that foreplay, such as kissing or touching, did
not constitute an invitation to something more serious. When the rules are clear, each party can
easily and accurately infer what the other wants from the way he or she behaves. But what the poll
shows is that there are no rules. On every issue there are women who think one way and women
who think another; men who think like some women but not others; and a perplexing number of
people, of both sexes, who have no opinion at all.

29. For each of the following, please tell me if you think the situation IS sexual assault, IS