General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Italian protester's kiss was 'sexual violence' [View all]Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)But okay:
I think we can agree on the general proposition that "grabbing a strange woman, holding her where she can't get away, and kssing her is not ok."
As regards to that particular image, it is iconic, and I have never before heard anyone interpret it as sexual assault. (Something about "if all you have is a hammer..." comes to mind.)
As for whether I think "it is ok to do that to a woman if you fight a war," you can sleep a bit easier tonight because I'm old and have no plans to fight a war.
But that's not what I said. I said I might do it next time I was in uniform and we had a won a war. If I were the guy in the photo, yes, I might have done just the same thing. Swept up in the emotion and elation of the moment, and all that. I would hope that the woman would take it in the spirit of joy and happiness it was offered, and not have me prosecuted for sexual assault. But, yeah, on that occasion, I might just take that risk.
The world has more than one-dimension.