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Does every power imbalance break consent? Or does it depend on the degree of power imbalance? How is "power" objectively measured to compute whether consent is

Does every power imbalance break consent? Or does it depend on the degree of power imbalance? How is "power" objectively measured to compute whether consent is violated or not? To use a trite example, older wealthy middlingly-attractive gentleman and younger much poorer but very attractive woman? What about boss and secretary? What if the latter results in a stable marriage? (I know of at least one such...) What if it is (to stir the pot further) the Mary Kay Letourneau- Vili Fualaau marriage? The reason why I ask is that while I believe that in principle, the concept of consent exists, it seems to me that applying it in practice is fraught with things such as fallacious appeals to disgust, belief-infused moral prognostications/judgments and whatnot, and it's just occurred to me that a large part of the difficulty may simply be how to objectively evaluate every consensual exchange to see if consent has been violated or not. Perhaps a framework already exists for just such a need... just throwing this out there.

mc32 7y ago
There are legal definitions that society draws from a lot, both for underage and for people whose mental condition is such they are incapable of giving consent. But aside from that people get manipulated through cons to give consent where they might not. (Fraudulent marriages, etc.)
- pmarreck 7y ago
  But isn't a "con" better classified as a deception? I don't think the marriages with big age disparities (and possibly power exchanges going on) were necessarily based on deception
sneak 7y ago
Adults with fully developed minds are responsible to themselves for navigating power imbalances. People can quit jobs, deny meetings, file lawsuits for harassment, block numbers or email senders, et c. Navigating power structures and circumstances might be one of the defining characteristics of adulthood, quite actually. Most importantly, adults are capable of informed, intelligent consent. Children are not.
- pmarreck 7y ago
  > Children are not Well, unless it's a sex change, then apparently they can consent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Or if it's two 14 year olds, they can apparently consent with each other, but not with an 18 year old...

mc32 7y ago

There are legal definitions that society draws from a lot, both for underage and for people whose mental condition is such they are incapable of giving consent. But aside from that people get manipulated through cons to give consent where they might not. (Fraudulent marriages, etc.)

pmarreck 7y ago
But isn't a "con" better classified as a deception? I don't think the marriages with big age disparities (and possibly power exchanges going on) were necessarily based on deception

sneak 7y ago

Adults with fully developed minds are responsible to themselves for navigating power imbalances. People can quit jobs, deny meetings, file lawsuits for harassment, block numbers or email senders, et c. Navigating power structures and circumstances might be one of the defining characteristics of adulthood, quite actually. Most importantly, adults are capable of informed, intelligent consent. Children are not.

pmarreck 7y ago
> Children are not Well, unless it's a sex change, then apparently they can consent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Or if it's two 14 year olds, they can apparently consent with each other, but not with an 18 year old...