Swedish Story

There is a brief story told out of Sweden, via N-TV (Germany's commercial news network) from the weekend.

The basis of this story is this.....starting yesterday (1 July)....there's a new and fresh law on the books which says that if you engage in some type of physical relations (man or woman), and you don't have the expressed consent of the opposing individual, then it could be ruled in court as a plain old fashioned rape.

So, you can draw up the scenario.  John meets up with Emmy, with drinks over at some Swedish pub.  Somewhere in the conversation and talk, there's some kind of attraction, and things 'seem' to be going toward a physical moment.  However, maybe John mistook her signal, and this is not with full permission. 

With this law, Emmy could go to the police, get a court situation, and the Swedish judge would be sitting there and trying to read this consent given by words, or gestures or emotions.

I see one of three things coming out of this. 

1.  A guy would have to carry consent forms around with himself, and have this lady document what's allowed or denied.  The gal would have to sign off, or the situation would be defused rather quickly, and the guy would depart to the next gal in the bar.

2.  I see about a third of all young guys reaching the stage of just giving up and figuring that all this physical stuff with Swedish women won't work.  You might as well leave Sweden (maybe for Italy, or Greece).

3.  A whole lot of judges are going to be in some conflict because they really can't figure out what Facebook chatter, or Instagram talk meant, and how you understood physical action out of a conversation of five words.

For some reason, I just don't see this law existing for more than three years.  Either the Swedish Supreme Court will throw it out, or folks will come admit that it was just plain stupid to construct this law.