Another day, another sexual misconduct accusation: this time a controversial and anonymous account of sexual misconduct against actor-comedian Aziz Ansari. Over the weekend, the website Babe.net published a story from an anonymous woman who went by the alias “Grace,” who called a date she had with Ansari “the worst night of her life.” According to the article, Ansari tried to instigate sexual intercourse multiple times despite her persistent verbal and non-verbal cues showing that she was not interested.
In a statement, Ansari says that the two “ended up engaging in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.” When he realized she was uncomfortable with the events of that evening he said he “took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said.”
Grace’s story has stirred up significant controversy with most falling into two camps: those who believe Grace could have tried harder to leave the situation and those who believe societal norms surrounding consent should be reformed. Jim Braude was joined by local freelance writer Jen Deaderick and Tina Opie, assistant professor of management at Babson College, to discuss the complicated issues that arose in this “Me Too” story.
