A "Rapport Revolution"?

Christine Emba

I'm grateful for Christine Emba's op-ed, "Let’s rethink sex," in today's Washington Post. Ms. Emba wants us men to prioritize building "rapport" with our potential sexual partners instead of merely obtaining "consent." It would pave the way for "a clearer, more boundaried sexual ethic" than we have now.

Beginning with the "sexual revolution" of the 1960s, our society has veered toward today's "hookup culture." It is now, says Emba, "America’s prevailing and problematic sexual ethic." Prior to the inception of the hookup ethic, "sexual encounters outside of marriage [were] disallowed or even discouraged." So we have swung from a maximally restrictive ethic to a minimally restrictive one. One result has been the ungodly frequency with which sexual assaults and incidents of harassment have been taking place over the past few decades.

Emba is saying we now need to move back toward the middle of the sexual-ethic continuum. We need what I might as well call a "rapport revolution." I heartily agree!