Can I Kiss You Analysis

For this assignment I attended two on campus events, one scholarly and one that was cultural. For my scholarly event, I chose to attend a reading of a sexual assault survivor who chronicled the events before, during and after her assault. For my cultural event, I attended the “Can I Kiss You” lecture, as part of the Date Safe Project, which was about consent and understanding when you actually have it. These events were both interesting, informative and had an impact on my view of the topics discussed. First, I attended the “Can I Kiss You” event which was actually incredibly humorous, informative and serious all at the same time. We began by talking about body language, and how it can be incredibly unreliable and, in some cases, potentially dangerous. Throughout the presentation Mike, our speaker, would ask questions to the audience and get our consensus on
We discussed how sexual assault affects an entire community and how there is a sense of collateral damage within the family of the victim. We talked about several myths and misconceptions about rape and even had an open conversation about tips for dealing with assault and the best way to approach the subject. Her book was divided into two parts, before and after the rape occurred. She described how she experienced war-like PTSD and how she felt lifeless for a while after, unable to keep time right in her mind. What I truly enjoyed about her presentation is that she heavily stressed that survivors are not left without opportunities, that they always have possibilities ahead of themselves and that they can live happy and fulfilled lives, which I thought was a beautiful message. She also made sure not to make any blanket statements and when asked for advice, she gave the caveat that anything she said was specific to her own experiences as a